You can read them all below, or check out more here. These are responses to questions sent out a while ago.
I am still looking for a video of last nights forum, if I find one I will post.
Long text below
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Mayoral Candidate Responses
Felix Arroyo (website: http://forwardwithfelix.com/)
John Barros (website: http://www.barrosforboston.com/)
Charles Clemons (website: http://charlesforboston.com/)
John Connolly (website: http://www.connollyforboston.com/)
Charlotte Golar Richie (website: http://www.charlotteformayor.com/)
Mike Ross (website: http://www.mikerossboston.com/)
Bill Walczak (website: http://www.billforboston.com/)
Marty Walsh (website: http://www.martywalsh.org/)
Charles Yancy (website: http://www.charlesyanceyformayor.com/)
Felix Arroyo (for Mayor)
Q: Provide an anecdote to illustrate how you would define livability.
Felix Arroyo: I believe in a future for Boston where everyone has opportunities to succeed, where we invest in all of our communities, where every child can receive a quality education, where we care for our elderly, where everyone can live in a safe neighborhood, and where we all have a say in the direction of our city. My vision is one where my car-free brother can safely travel with his son all around the city on his bike, where my sister and her family of five always live in walking distance of a park, and where we have cleaner air so that our children will not have to spend nights in the emergency room like I did as a child because of asthma. I believe improving all methods of transportation in our city, protecting and improving our green spaces, and implementing a long-term approach to addressing climate change will help create more sustainable and livable communities.
Q: Communities across the city have embraced smaller roadways and better, cheaper alternatives to large, expensive overpasses and underpasses. As mayor, would you support the City’s endorsement of the surface road for Rutherford Avenue in Charlestown, the state DCR’s endorsement of a surface road to replace the Casey Overpass in Forest Hills, and a surface road in lieu of the Bowker (Charlesgate) Overpass in the Back Bay? What else would you do to bring Boston’s roads back to a human scale?
Felix Arroyo: We have great opportunities with these projects to create beautiful, livable spaces as we have seen done in other cities all over the world. We need to be forward thinking in our city planning especially as we face rising fuel costs, climate change and health disparities in our city. I am personally impacted as a neighbor by the project to demolish the Casey Overpass and replace it with a surface option. I believe as a community, our focus should be on ensuring that this project moves forward in a way that improves the flow of traffic and people, best connects our communities, creates green space and also adequately accommodates for growth in our city. As is in the case in Forest Hills, I believe that development in Charlestown, Back Bay, and all of our neighborhoods should be led by a planning process and the community should lead planning
Q: Official community meetings have a tendency to be attended by the same small group of involved residents and advocates, who are usually older, whiter, and wealthier than the community as a whole. What are your ideas for how the City can engage communities in new ways, and make sure that diverse voices are being heard?
Felix Arroyo: As Mayor, I will work tirelessly to ensure all Boston’s residents have a voice at City Hall.Government work best when it works with you and not over you. Having an open, inclusive and transparent governing style is not only good governance, it is the only style we should accept. I believe that all Bostonians should have a say in the direction of our City and especially those most affected by the decisions at hand. The mayor’s power does not come from City Hall, but from the people he or she represents. We will work to ensure that all Bostonians feel as though they matter, that their voice matters and that the culture of City Halls reflects that belief. We will help foster that by offering multi-lingual and cultural competent services in every City department to meet the needs of residents who speak different languages and utilize social media and other creative outlets to help all communities stay informed and a part of the process.
Q: Boston has many traffic signals that do not work well for pedestrians. How will your administration work to make signal timing safer, easier and more convenient for walkers of all paces?
Felix Arroyo: As a community organizer, I practice “collaborative politics,” bringing people together so that everyone’s voice can be heard. By bringing together pedestrians, organizations that work to make our city more walk-friendly, and other transportation experts to address issues including signal timing, proper maintenance of sidewalks and crosswalks, and ADA compliance. Walkers must feel that pathways are safe and accessible to get around.
Q: Boston is always called a “walking city.” To protect and enhance this reputation, you will need to have a transportation commissioner and department who will make sure every City program and project works well for walkers. Would you consider creating a Boston Walks Director to champion the needs of walkers?
Felix Arroyo: Yes, I would have a person that is dedicated to ensuring that we not only keep our reputation as a “walking city,” but also work to be even better. The more we can encourage and facilitate walking in our city, the more we will promote our small businesses and boost our creative economy.
Q: Despite the recent transportation bill that will devote more funding to the MBTA, the T remains heavily indebted with a long maintenance backlog. What are your ideas for innovative funding solutions that could be explored to address the MBTA’s significant funding needs?
Felix Arroyo: The Governor’s proposal earlier this year would have been a long term, progressive solution to many of our transportation needs. I believe the legislature dropped the ball and should have passed a package that addressed our transportation needs without putting the burden on those that can least afford it. We cannot continue to ask MBTA users to pay more for less service. As Mayor, I will work with legislators and the Governor to implement a package that would raise funds in a progressive way to help fix our transportation long term.
Q: As mayor, what is your thought process when weighing competing road priorities, such as high-quality bike facilities, vehicular travel lanes, and parking?
Felix Arroyo: Bicycles have as much a right to the road as cars do and I believe that by improving our infrastructure, we can make our roads safer for everyone who uses them. Thanks in large part to the Boston Bikes program, bicycle ridership has more than doubled since 2007. We can continue to ride the momentum, towards a goal of a 10% mode share for cycling by 2020, by making more infrastructure improvements including cycletracks, and linking neighborhoods with the “Bike Network Plan.” Forward thinking street design in tandem with safety education efforts, data collection, and collaboration can make Boston a model bike city. We will expand the city’s successful community outreach programs as “Roll it Forward” and “Bike to Market,” helping young people in public schools ride safely on two wheels and offering free repairs at farmers markets in low-income neighborhoods.
Q: Will you fund the installation of high-quality bike facilities, such as physically separated bike lanes and bike-specific traffic signals? How?
Felix Arroyo: If we are serious about investing in Boston, we must be serious about investing in transportation. We have already seen the success of the Boston Bikes program and I believe in prioritizing funding to expand the Boston Bikes staffing and scope. My focus as Mayor will be to work with bicyclists across the city to continue to move forward with an agenda that will encourage and facilitate bicycling in our city.
Q: The MBTA system leaves large swaths of the city with limited public transportation options, on crowded buses that often run less frequently than riders would like. How would you work with communities in Boston to find out more about their transit needs? How will you work with the MBTA to ensure that those needs are met?
Felix Arroyo: We rely on four basic modes of transportation–the car, public transportation, biking, and walking–and we need to make sure that each of those choices is accessible to all of Boston’s residents in an equitable and safe way. Inequitable access to public transportation has left low-income neighborhoods and communities of color with longer, inconvenient and undependable commutes. We cannot allow a lack of feasible transportation options to prevent workers from taking available jobs. We must support investments in the MBTA so that we can expand access, provide better and more reliable service and extend the hours of operation. It is important that we implement reforms and make much-needed investments transportation in a fair and just way with a progressive revenue plan that does not place the hardship on those that can least afford it.
Q: What are your top priorities for updating Boston’s zoning code?
Felix Arroyo: The city’s complicated and outdated regulatory environment continues to present challenges to creating sustainable, transit-oriented development in Boston. Mayor Menino has taken steps to promote green building practices through the city’s zoning ordinances and the next Mayor must continue to integrate the city’s sustainability and GHG emissions goals into the ordinances, as well as making it easier for developers to construct sustainable neighborhoods.
Q: As mayor, how will you target transportation investments to address health disparities among Boston’s neighborhoods?
Felix Arroyo: Research has shown that communities of color and low-income neighborhoods, in Boston and statewide, shoulder a disproportionate share of environmental health burdens. I am a lifelong Bostonian and a lifelong asthmatic and unfortunately, this is all too common story in Boston. The safety and cleanliness of your environment should not be determined by your race, nationality or income level. Most of the harmful particulate matter that pollutes our air comes from construction vehicles and that is why I have introduced and support passing the Diesel Emission Reduction Ordinance (DERO). It will require construction vehicles to be replaced or retrofitted to significantly cut the harmful emissions from those vehicles into the air we breathe. I believe this can have a dramatic effect on the asthma epidemic in Boston and improve the health of our city while improving our environment and making sure that we give our children a better city than we have today.If we are serious about limiting our carbon footprint and making Boston a more sustainable city, we must become a city that will promote and prioritize all active and affordable forms of transportation so Bostonians can get around the city safely. All Bostonians? quality of life will be improved by safer, easier, more affordable, and more enjoyable commutes.
Q: Would you support a citywide occupancy goal for metered parking, rather than a citywide price? How would you win public support for these ideas?
Felix Arroyo: I believe in a city where everyone has a say in the direction of our city, especially those most affected by the decision at hand. An idea like this would require a process that involves each community coming together to discuss the issue and create buy in into the idea.
Q: As Mayor, how would you protect and enhance Boston’s parks and open spaces? Please be specific and include information about how you will improve multimodal access to parks.
Felix Arroyo: Boston is blessed to have a wealth of natural spaces, from the Charles River to the Emerald Necklace. These open spaces provide Boston’s residents with a place to play, relax, and escape the general congestion of city life. Protecting and improving these natural resources is essential to guaranteeing equitable environmental health for all of Boston’s residents. My vision includes one where a park is easily accessible to every resident and I believe we can achieve that by moving forward with the city’s Bike Network Plan, improving our public transportation, and making sure our streets are safe and accessible for all of our residents.
John Barros (for Mayor)
Q: Provide an anecdote to illustrate how you would define livability.
John Barros: I would definite livability from the perspective of children and families. To create a more livable City we need to improve the daily experience of a toddler, a 10-year old, or a 15 year old in getting to places like school, after school programs, parks, the library and healthcare. Our children and family’s transportation experience affect their health and safety, education, ability to engage with their community in positive ways, access resources and opportunities. Unfortunately, the ability for residents living in different neighborhoods vary widely and creates challenges to their access to Boston’s institutional assets and economic opportunities.
Q: Communities across the city have embraced smaller roadways and better, cheaper alternatives to large, expensive overpasses and underpasses. As mayor, would you support the City’s endorsement of the surface road for Rutherford Avenue in Charlestown, the state DCR’s endorsement of a surface road to replace the Casey Overpass in Forest Hills, and a surface road in lieu of the Bowker (Charlesgate) Overpass in the Back Bay? What else would you do to bring Boston’s roads back to a human scale?
John Barros: In general, I’d support more community-human scale roadways and NOT spend lots of money on over or underpasses. We can save money and rethink how these roadways can be incorporated back into the fabric of our neighborhoods. That said, each of the cases is different and need to be looked at based on its role in the transit system and the community that its in. Community planning process needs to be inclusive and comprehensive. I know the City’s Rutherford Ave plan and state’s Casey Overpass plan are already advanced in their process, but I have heard that the planning process could have been more engaging.
Q: Official community meetings have a tendency to be attended by the same small group of involved residents and advocates, who are usually older, whiter, and wealthier than the community as a whole. What are your ideas for how the City can engage communities in new ways, and make sure that diverse voices are being heard?
John Barros: As Mayor I will draw on my expertise and experience of doing successful inclusive community planning at DSNI to design strategies for a more engaging and comprehensive planning process at the City. I bring many lessons learned about how to engage diverse constituents. Some of the things I think are most important include:City needs to go to where the people are, not just assume folks will come to meetings.
Meetings have to be part of a process where it’s clear what is being decided/planned and who has what authority. Nothing is more exasperating than asking people to participate, but not allowing their voice to have any influence on the process. We need to delegate more decision – making authority downward into neighborhood processes.
Access to information and analysis is critical for all, and affirmative efforts (i.e. translated materials and simultaneous translation) are needed to ensure that those with less English or formal education can access the information they need to participate.
The knowledge of local residents needs to be valued and gathered. Especially in transportation issues, people who are in a place every day will know many things that traffic consultants do not. Community-based data and research should be supported in community processes. Lots of us have done our own traffic/pedestrian/bike counts or identifying dangerous intersections before the body count is in.
Q: Boston has many traffic signals that do not work well for pedestrians. How will your administration work to make signal timing safer, easier and more convenient for walkers of all paces?
John Barros: First, consistent standards need to be in place that account for how long it takes for pedestrians to cross the street – not just a healthy young adult, but for young children, elderly, and disabled too. Then, we need to prioritize where to start implementing the retiming of traffic signals. Here, a top-down process of using the best data available on traffic accidents and injuries could be used, in tandem with a bottom-up process where resident complaints could help “crowd source” where attention should be paid. In some cases, infrastructure should be updated, so there will be resources involved.
Q: Boston is always called a “walking city.” To protect and enhance this reputation, you will need to have a transportation commissioner and department who will make sure every City program and project works well for walkers. Would you consider creating a Boston Walks Director to champion the needs of walkers?
John Barros: More people walk than any other form of transportation, so walking has to be a top priority for the City’s transportation department and commissioner. I would go beyond just having a Boston Walks Director, though I think that’s a good start. I, as Mayor, will be champions for walking and all the other transportation modes that we rely on, like transit and biking. We can set a tone, as well as an example, by walking, biking, and using transit whenever we can. I remember that Governor Dukakis rode the Green Line into work every day. That made a great impression.
Q: Despite the recent transportation bill that will devote more funding to the MBTA, the T remains heavily indebted with a long maintenance backlog. What are your ideas for innovative funding solutions that could be explored to address the MBTA’s significant funding needs?
John Barros: I support the efforts to increase the state gas tax and implement a more progressive income tax as ways to address the transportation funding gap. Besides state leadership, I will also encourage the federal government to prioritize funding for more efficient, green, 21st century transportation infrastructure. I would use my role as Mayor to advocate and work with MBTA at the state and federal levels.But there are also things that we can start trying in the City. The U-pass is just such an idea. As Mayor, I can work with our universities, hospitals, and other big institutions to offer a universal transit pass to their students and employees. These institutions would pay for these passes as a benefit for their people, but the result would be more funding for the T as well as more riders. Tufts UEP graduate students estimated that more than $100 million could potentially be generated for the MBTA from the region’s 250,000 college students. U-passes can become part of the transportation management plans that are required in major developments in the city.
Q: As mayor, what is your thought process when weighing competing road priorities, such as high-quality bike facilities, vehicular travel lanes, and parking?
John Barros: The time of thinking that roads are only for cars is over. Other top cities in the world are now showing that you can give more road space back to walkers, bikers, and transit riders, and the cities are better off for it, in terms of health, environment, and mobility. That said, we can’t just make wholesale changes overnight or without having a thorough and meaningful planning process. The progress we’ve already made in biking needs to continue. We can continue to pilot and demonstrate what works and then scale it to the rest of the City.
Q: Will you fund the installation of high-quality bike facilities, such as physically separated bike lanes and bike-specific traffic signals? How?
John Barros: Beyond allocating City funds, a portion of the capital budget for maintaining our road infrastructure and signals should be dedicated to bike infrastructure (and pedestrian). The parking permit fees that are charged (similar to Cambridge and Somerville) should be dedicated to these and other street improvements. Also, when new developments are being planned, these improvements could be included in community benefits and transportation management plans.
Q: The MBTA system leaves large swaths of the city with limited public transportation options, on crowded buses that often run less frequently than riders would like. How would you work with communities in Boston to find out more about their transit needs? How will you work with the MBTA to ensure that those needs are met?
John Barros: I would first keep an ear to the ground, by working with the groups co-sponsoring this session and groups like the T Riders Union and other groups representing transit-dependent riders. We could form a city transit advisory committee to help me develop a comprehensive transportation plan. Part of planning would be getting myself to use all parts of the system, ride the buses and all subways myself. Then, I’d have our transportation department develop a survey and engage riders to create a report card on transit access, crowding, and reliability for all the transit lines and buses in the city. This report card would then help to highlight city priorities and issues that would inform a city-wide planning process that would be conducted in partnership with the MBTA. I’d use this comprehensive plan to make clear Boston’s priorities, but then also roll up the sleeves and work with MBTA leadership and staff to develop solutions and ensure timely implementation and coordinate with the city’s transportation department. There’s a lot that can be done even without new infrastructure, such as programming more buses on a line, better managing traffic so buses can get through, and giving buses priority at traffic signals. But we’d also want to work on upgrading infrastructure where it’s needed, such as getting more frequent service to the new stations on the Fairmount Line.
Q: What are your top priorities for updating Boston’s zoning code?
John Barros: We need a community-driven process to do a comprehensive update of the code. Such a process should be part of comprehensive planning for the city. Comprehensive planning needs to start at the neighborhood level, where each neighborhood can develop its vision then plan, as we did in the Dudley neighborhood. These neighborhood visions and plans would then inform what becomes a city-wide plan. As I’ve said before, such a process needs to be guided by a new planning entity, that is not the same as the development agency. BRA currently does both.In this process, residents need to discuss and debate how zoning can lead to a more livable city and transportation system. That means they’ll have to discuss and understand the pros and cons of building more densely, all the ways that people get around and preparing for more people walking, biking, and riding transit. All people have the right to participate in these important discussions, and not all neighborhoods will come to the same conclusions. But we know it’s time for a 21st century vision of transportation and livability and that means reducing our overdependence on the automobile.
Q: As mayor, how will you target transportation investments to address health disparities among Boston’s neighborhoods?
John Barros: I support having health be part of all decision making, particularly in transportation. One way to do this is to do Health Impact Assessments for all projects, including transportation projects. This is a tool that is already being piloted in Massachusetts by Mass DPH and MAPC. For example, MAPC with BU and Harvard Schools of Public Health recently conducted an HIA on the health impacts of MBTA fare increases.Some specific things I’d support include:
Reducing diesel pollution by passing the Diesel Emission Reduction Ordinance.
Neighborhood plans for walkways and bikeways to get to school and access parks/recreational areas.
Q: Would you support a citywide occupancy goal for metered parking, rather than a citywide price? How would you win public support for these ideas?
John Barros: I think the goal is to have a parking system that supports the health, environment, and economy of our city. Using an occupancy goal instead of a set price for parking is an idea that ought to be tried out and demonstrated. Once we get some more experience with these tools, then we can decide whether a city-wide system makes sense. To get public support, I would emphasize that what we have now is not working in many places and that we should be willing to try a number of methods to see what works and under what conditions. Also, the cases of other cities using these tools effectively should help convince some.
Q: As Mayor, how would you protect and enhance Boston’s parks and open spaces? Please be specific and include information about how you will improve multimodal access to parks.
John Barros: Our parks and open spaces are a true treasure and a necessary component of a livable and healthy Boston. First priority is to make sure that these assets are maintained and remain safe and productive for our residents. That includes ensuring that people can get to these places safely. In some cases, that may involve enhancing the biking and walking infrastructure and the transit routes and schedules for accessing these parks. We should look into the possibility of establishing shuttle services that could be run by local entrepreneurs to get certain populations (elderly, youth) out to more distant parks and open space.
Charles Clemons (for Mayor)
Q: Provide an anecdote to illustrate how you would define livability.
Charles Clemons: Livability – How planning and developing of communities are affected by transportation and its effects on the environment.
Q: Communities across the city have embraced smaller roadways and better, cheaper alternatives to large, expensive overpasses and underpasses. As mayor, would you support the City’s endorsement of the surface road for Rutherford Avenue in Charlestown, the state DCR’s endorsement of a surface road to replace the Casey Overpass in Forest Hills, and a surface road in lieu of the Bowker (Charlesgate) Overpass in the Back Bay? What else would you do to bring Boston’s roads back to a human scale?
Charles Clemons: I agree that overpasses are costly to maintain and are aesthetically unattractive. I support developing grade level upgrades.
Q: Official community meetings have a tendency to be attended by the same small group of involved residents and advocates, who are usually older, whiter, and wealthier than the community as a whole. What are your ideas for how the City can engage communities in new ways, and make sure that diverse voices are being heard?
Charles Clemons: Establish meetings in communities that reflect the demographics of those communities.
Q: Boston has many traffic signals that do not work well for pedestrians. How will your administration work to make signal timing safer, easier and more convenient for walkers of all paces?
Charles Clemons: Developing and maintaining signals that are audible and visual. Better timing to allow pedestrian clearance.
Q: Despite the recent transportation bill that will devote more funding to the MBTA, the T remains heavily indebted with a long maintenance backlog. What are your ideas for innovative funding solutions that could be explored to address the MBTA’s significant funding needs?
Charles Clemons: I will lobby the state legislature to unburden the MBTA from some of the liability of past MassDOT poor decision making.
Q: Will you fund the installation of high-quality bike facilities, such as physically separated bike lanes and bike-specific traffic signals? How?
Charles Clemons: I support cycling lanes; however, I also believe that sharing road means adhering to the laws that create safety for all users. I would increase funding to encourage cycling.
Q: The MBTA system leaves large swaths of the city with limited public transportation options, on crowded buses that often run less frequently than riders would like. How would you work with communities in Boston to find out more about their transit needs? How will you work with the MBTA to ensure that those needs are met?
Charles Clemons: I support evaluating transit needs specifically in areas of under utilization. I will partner with the MBTA to develop better scheduling.
Q: What are your top priorities for updating Boston’s zoning code?
Charles Clemons: Top priorities review and eliminate cumbersome and outdated zoning laws.
Q: As mayor, how will you target transportation investments to address health disparities among Boston’s neighborhoods?
Charles Clemons: I support door to door demand service increase and would increase funding in this area.
Q: Would you support a citywide occupancy goal for metered parking, rather than a citywide price? How would you win public support for these ideas?
Charles Clemons: Yes. Take to the communities for discussion and sale it.
Q: As Mayor, how would you protect and enhance Boston’s parks and open spaces? Please be specific and include information about how you will improve multimodal access to parks.
Charles Clemons: Parks are healthy environments for the people of cities and access to these parks is critical for collective celebration and family gatherings. I support the expansion of green space and parks in the city.
John Connolly (for Mayor)
Q: Provide an anecdote to illustrate how you would define livability.
John Connolly: My son, Teddy, loves to go to the Southwest Corridor Park to watch the Orange Line trains rumble past. That’s a great place to think about what livability means. Residents along the Southwest Corridor have options — albeit still not perfect ones — to travel by transit, bike, and on foot, thanks to the hard work of community members over the years. To me, livability is about having that real freedom to choose how to get around. That’s why I led the effort in the City Council to provide $5 million in funding for the Hubway bike share program, which I believe we need to expand farther out from downtown. It’s why I support Complete Streets design, and I will prioritize cycle tracks and pedestrian improvements in the city’s capital budget. And as mayor, I will be a strong voice for funding our public transportation and keeping the MBTA accountable.
Q: Communities across the city have embraced smaller roadways and better, cheaper alternatives to large, expensive overpasses and underpasses. As mayor, would you support the City’s endorsement of the surface road for Rutherford Avenue in Charlestown, the state DCR’s endorsement of a surface road to replace the Casey Overpass in Forest Hills, and a surface road in lieu of the Bowker (Charlesgate) Overpass in the Back Bay? What else would you do to bring Boston’s roads back to a human scale?
John Connolly: In general, I think it’s great when we can take opportunities to knit communities back together. You don’t need to look any further than the North End, which is no longer physically isolated from the rest of downtown by the expressway, to see how much this can improve quality of life in a community. As our infrastructure ages, we need to reexamine our overpasses and underpasses and make changes wherever we can to improve the level of service for all modes, not just cars. I believe there are two critically important considerations as we go about this work. First, we need to make sure that when we make these changes, they are truly improvements for all road users. Second, whether it’s a city or state project, we need to make sure that we have robust, transparent community processes that give all community members the opportunity to get involved and make their voices heard.
Q: Official community meetings have a tendency to be attended by the same small group of involved residents and advocates, who are usually older, whiter, and wealthier than the community as a whole. What are your ideas for how the City can engage communities in new ways, and make sure that diverse voices are being heard?
John Connolly: The community process around transportation and development projects reflects my larger concern about a lack of transparency and accountability at City Hall. Right now, all too often, whether a project is approved depends on whom you know instead of the merits of your proposal. What we need is a transparent process that provides for meaningful community involvement.There is a role for technology in the community outreach process, such as providing better translation options and online notices for meetings. I’ve made my campaign platform available online in seven different languages, and I believe we need to do more of that in all our city communications, including our notices for community meetings. But posting a meeting notice online isn’t enough. As mayor, I will make sure that we are reaching out to the communities and getting the word out in multiple formats, including direct outreach with residents in the neighborhoods.
We also need to improve the experience at community meetings. Too often these meetings are dominated by presentations from city officials and project consultants, and community input is tightly controlled and pushed to the last few minutes. We need these meetings to be a true two-way street. We should also experiment with holding community meetings at different times or on weekends, so that residents who work the second or third shift are able to participate. And we should make it easy for those who cannot make it to a submit their thoughts online.
Q: Boston has many traffic signals that do not work well for pedestrians. How will your administration work to make signal timing safer, easier and more convenient for walkers of all paces?
John Connolly: Ultimately this is a safety issue. If pedestrians know they will have a dedicated walk phase — or that pushing a button will actually trigger a walk signal — they will be less likely to cross against traffic. As mayor, I will instruct the transportation department to review our signalized intersections and implement the appropriate signal solution for each situation. Signal times must be long enough for elderly pedestrians and pedestrians with disabilities to cross safely. We also need to recognize pedestrian patterns and change our streets to reflect and protect them. I recently signed onto a proposal to add a signalized crossing on the Cambridge Street overpass in Allston, at a point where many pedestrians are jaywalking to cross a busy arterial to get to a pedestrian bridge across the MassPike. This intervention would also serve an MBTA bus stop and help calm traffic on what is now a very high speed street.The measure of a successful intersection cannot just be the number of cars that can get through in a cycle. It must also include the safety and convenience of cyclists and pedestrians.
Q: Boston is always called a “walking city.” To protect and enhance this reputation, you will need to have a transportation commissioner and department who will make sure every City program and project works well for walkers. Would you consider creating a Boston Walks Director to champion the needs of walkers?
John Connolly: First off, I believe that Wendy Landman and WalkBoston are doing a fantastic job of promoting walking in our city. Our Transportation Management Associations are also encouraging employees to commute by foot, and we have great nonprofits like the Friends of the Freedom Trail that help promote our historic walks and tours. In terms of governance of the transportation department, the most important decision the next mayor can make is to hire a visionary commissioner who will put transit, cycling and walking on the same level as automobile traffic. If that commissioner tells me that we need a separate director for walking, then absolutely we will hire one. The same goes for our bike policy. I believe Nicole Friedman and Boston Bikes have done great work. Whenever we are undertaking a project, we need Complete Streets planning at the center.
Q: Despite the recent transportation bill that will devote more funding to the MBTA, the T remains heavily indebted with a long maintenance backlog. What are your ideas for innovative funding solutions that could be explored to address the MBTA’s significant funding needs?
John Connolly: I want to thank many of the groups that have organized this questionnaire for their hard work advocating for transportation revenue this past year. Your work helped convince our lawmakers to take up this important issue in the first place. As mayor, I would use the bully pulpit of the office to be a strong advocate for increased state funding for the MBTA. I would also look to make common cause with lawmakers and mayors from Gateway Cities, which have regional transit service, to create a coalition for transit across the Commonwealth.The T’s debt and maintenance backlog has forced the T to make the most of the infrastructure we have instead of pursuing expansions. Running Diesel Multiple Units on the Fairmount line and pursuing true Bus Rapid Transit from Logan Airport up to Chelsea and East Boston are smart moves given the fiscal climate. As mayor, I would push the T to expand this strategy, running subway-like service on other commuter lines within the city and looking for opportunities to implement true Bus Rapid Transit (off-bus payment, boarding at all doors, dedicated bus lanes that are truly off-limits to cars, and prioritizing buses at intersections). I would also prioritize late-night service, which would help workers in healthcare, public safety, hospitality, and other industries who don’t work weekday hours, and would provide residents with a safe, reliable, affordable way to get home after enjoying Boston’s culture and nightlife. It makes no sense not to provide this service now.
To pay for this, we are going to have to think differently about paying for the T. I believe that a UPass program, first proposed by advocates in 2012 and then again this year, is worth exploring. Similar programs elsewhere have require voluntary buy-in from universities, and as mayor I would work to bring our institutions of higher learning to the table and make the case for their participation. Finally, I believe we need to be much more aggressive in pursuing public private partnerships to fund transit. New Balance is funding the construction and operation of a new commuter rail station in Allston-Brighton. I believe we should be pursuing more partnerships of this kind, especially for major projects like the expansion of South Station, which involves a significant real estate opportunity.
Q: As mayor, what is your thought process when weighing competing road priorities, such as high-quality bike facilities, vehicular travel lanes, and parking?
John Connolly: As part of my campaign, I have gone on bike rides with activists from neighborhoods across our city: Allston-Brighton, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, the South End, and South Boston. The number one request these cyclists have made to me is to increase the number of cycle tracks. Studies have shown that these separated facilities are the single best thing we can do to improve the rate of casual cycling in a city, especially among women and children. I support the Boston Bike Network plan that has been developed by Boston Bikes and Toole Design Group, but I believe that when we create new bike facilities, they must be high-quality. Sharrows can confuse drivers and provide little protection, and bike lanes that force cyclists into the ‘door zone’ alongside parked cars can be more dangerous than helpful. Whatever bike facilities we do create must be continuous: bike lanes that disappear at busy intersections, where cyclists need them most, are not doing the job.Obviously, space is at a premium on our city streets, but interventions like the Western Avenue cycle track — moving the parking lane out to serve as a buffer between bikes and traffic — can be done without much cost or loss of parking. We need to find more instances like that, including rethinking the design of entire roads as they come up for reconstruction to find more space for bikes. We should also pilot the use of separate bike signals that reflect the very real differences between bikes and automobiles and give cyclists some added protection at intersections. And yes, there may be instances where we will remove parking in order to better accommodate cyclists.
Regarding bike parking, Boston is lagging behind our neighboring communities installing bike corrals, which can house a dozen or more bikes in a single automobile parking space. In a city where space is at a premium, these are a no brainer. When we reform our zoning code, we should do so in such a way as to require indoor bike parking in large office and residential buildings. New York city has an ordinance that requires landlords to respond to tenants’ requests for bike parking or to get a waiver from the city. While I would prefer a more comprehensive, code-based solution, a similar ordinance here in Boston would help in the short term.
Q: Will you fund the installation of high-quality bike facilities, such as physically separated bike lanes and bike-specific traffic signals? How?
John Connolly: Compared to public transit, bike facilities have a low initial cost and an excellent return on investment, in terms of reducing traffic congestion, improving public health and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Studies in other cities like Portland, New York and Seattle have shown that bike infrastructure has a positive economic effect for local businesses as well. In the face of this evidence, the question is not how can we afford to install bike facilities but how can we afford not to.As mayor, I would apply our complete streets guidelines to all street projects: if a city street is being redone, it will be redone with bike facilities. And to pay for it, I’ll instruct my transportation department to aggressively pursue grant opportunities, both from the federal government and from private sources like Bikes Belong and the Rockefeller Foundation. And just as we ask developers to contribute to roads and transit to serve their projects, we should be doing the same with bicycle facilities.
Q: The MBTA system leaves large swaths of the city with limited public transportation options, on crowded buses that often run less frequently than riders would like. How would you work with communities in Boston to find out more about their transit needs? How will you work with the MBTA to ensure that those needs are met?
John Connolly: As the main beneficiary of the T, the City of Boston has a moral obligation to make sure that all residents are well-served. This is all the more important since new legislation anticipates regular fare hikes of no more than 5 percent. If residents are going to be paying more to ride, we need to make sure the service is serving all of them well. The two Northeastern studies cited in the briefing book highlight the disparities we are confronting. As mayor I would work with research institutions in our city to generate data for the T to consider in its biannual service planning. It’s not enough simply to count who is currently riding the T. We also need to understand what obstacles may be preventing non-riders from getting on board.As mayor, I will make sure the city is making the most of opportunities like the Fairmount line. I will prioritize true transit oriented development and make sure that we have housing that is affordable for local residents near transit oriented developments. As I said above, I believe that DMUs could provide the potential for subway-like service on Fairmount, and we should explore expanding that strategy to other commuter lines to provide that level of service to more of the city. We also need to prioritize buses. The MBTA is currently making changes to improve service on its most used bus routes. Technology allows us to track buses in real time and give them priority at intersections. As mayor I would look to deploy this technology widely so as to give residents dependent on bus service the best possible experience. The T is also planning to extend the Silver Line past Logan Airport to East Boston and Chelsea on a dedicated busway. This will help a community currently underserved by transit.
And while I plan to be a forceful advocate for more transportation funding, I will also be a vocal watchdog of the MBTA, to make sure it is following through on its planning. Boston pays by far the largest city assessment to the T. We have an obligation to make sure we are getting our money’s worth for all our residents.
Q: What are your top priorities for updating Boston’s zoning code?
John Connolly: For starters, the Boston Redevelopment Authority is in need of significant reforms to make it more transparent and accountable. We have to end the conflict of interest between planning and development. We need a process where the community has real input, where we are focused on the economic future of Boston, and where we drive development from a plan, not the other way around. And we need to stop the practice of zoning by variance — if the exception becomes the rule, then the rule needs changing.One of the biggest challenges we face in Boston is the high cost of housing. We need a housing plan that will prioritize a holistic approach aimed at increasing affordable housing and middle-market housing in Boston. We need to give young artists, young professionals, and young families a path from rental to ownership and from one bedroom to two-to-three bedroom units. We need to make a priority of transit-oriented development that includes housing, retail, and commercial space, so that housing is accessible to stores, jobs and educational opportunities. Reducing parking requirements in appropriate places and with community buy-in could be a key strategy for lowering construction costs and creating a true middle-market for housing in Boston.
Q: As mayor, how will you target transportation investments to address health disparities among Boston’s neighborhoods?
John Connolly: Public and active transportation have a positive impact on public health in so many ways. By reducing air pollution and providing opportunities for physical activity, investments in the right kinds of transportation can actually save us money in the long run. In 2012, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council calculated that the environmental and health consequences of proposed fare hikes and service cuts on the T would end up costing the state between $272 and $386 million, far more than the $161 million the T was looking to save. Those environmental and health savings are one reason why, as mayor, I will support the Diesel Emissions Reduction Ordinance and enforce anti-idling laws. By taking the steps I outlined above to further transit equity, we can ensure that public transportation reaches deeper into our neighborhoods. As we plan our bike network, we must make sure that every neighborhood has safe routes to parks, health clinics, and healthy food options. Bike groups have been pairing with farmer’s markets in our neighborhoods; I would encourage more of those sorts of partnerships. Our neighborhood health centers are also a valuable tool in disseminating information about the health benefits of an active lifestyle. As we fill in our urban fabric with transit oriented developments, we should site our health centers near transit nodes for easy, car-free access. And as we prepare Boston for the impacts of climate change, we need to make sure we are thinking about the impacts on our neighborhoods — not just the impacts of a major storm event, but also the ongoing impacts of heat on vulnerable populations in the city.
Q: Would you support a citywide occupancy goal for metered parking, rather than a citywide price? How would you win public support for these ideas?
John Connolly: As your briefing guide rightly points out, parking is a hot-button issue in the city. Given the cost of building more structured parking, this is not a problem we can build our way out of. It demands more innovative solutions, and the ideas outlined in the briefing materials are an excellent start.At the same time, we have to work hard to engage Bostonians in a discussion about parking. I very much like the idea of a pilot district. I believe that this is an issue where our neighborhoods can serve as laboratories of innovation. Working with our Main Streets and neighborhood organizations, we can try out some of these new concepts (an occupancy goal, more metered parking, changes to residential parking) in order to work out logistical challenges, collect data and make a case to the rest of the city. We also need to make sure that changes to parking are accompanied by improvements to transit, biking and walking in the area, so that we are giving residents viable alternatives to driving. And we need to see parking policy not as punitive to those who drive but as making parking easier to find and more convenient.
Q: As Mayor, how would you protect and enhance Boston’s parks and open spaces? Please be specific and include information about how you will improve multimodal access to parks.
John Connolly: As a parent of three young children, I am a frequent user of Boston’s open space and parks. Meg and I bring our kids to play at Billings Field and the Arnold Arboretum. My vision for Boston’s parks includes activities to draw people into our parks, like movies, concerts and youth programs. But if we want to increase use of our parks, we need to make sure that young people and families can get there safely on foot or by bike. That’s why in my time on the City Council I have worked to ensure safe access to our open spaces, including advocating for a crosswalk to access Jamaica Pond. We also need to make it easier for residents to hold events in our parks. That’s why I want to make the parks permitting system more user-friendly, starting with the creation of an interactive online map of city parks and creation of a real-time, online calendar showing dates of availability for hosting events.We need to make sure that our parks are well-lit, well maintained and inviting, especially if we are going to be bringing more pedestrians and cyclists into them. Where possible, we should have separate bicycle and pedestrian facilities, especially for parks that are along major commuting routes. Our open space is an important resource as we plan a bike networks for commuters and recreational riders alike. As we continue to expand Hubway into our neighborhoods, we should locate stations near or in parks to promote exploration and travel beyond our busy streets. Our master planning for open space should encompass transportation and vice versa.
Charlotte Golar Richie (for Mayor)
Q: Provide an anecdote to illustrate how you would define livability.
Charlotte Golar Richie: Liveability means different things to different people. One anecdote cannot fully capture the meaning of the term. Boston is a liveable city in many ways – you see it everyday as people use public assets such as the Esplanade, the Greenway, South Boston’s Castle Island and East Boston’s Piers Park. Liveability is also expressed in the access our citizens have to quality and affordable neighborhood health care. And increasingly, liveability is expressed in the improvements to mobility expressed by the hubway bicycle program. My challenge as mayor is to make these opportunities available and affordable to all of our citizens.
Q: Communities across the city have embraced smaller roadways and better, cheaper alternatives to large, expensive overpasses and underpasses. As mayor, would you support the City’s endorsement of the surface road for Rutherford Avenue in Charlestown, the state DCR’s endorsement of a surface road to replace the Casey Overpass in Forest Hills, and a surface road in lieu of the Bowker (Charlesgate) Overpass in the Back Bay? What else would you do to bring Boston’s roads back to a human scale?
Charlotte Golar Richie: I generally support these initiatives, and I definitely support a shift away from supporting vehicular convenience rather than making significant improvements to public transportation. Boston’s roadway system is, if anything overbuilt. We need to begin an era of unprecedented focus on other modes of transportation. I will take advice from community activists and transportation experts about the impacts on mobility and the environment. We cannot take action that may help and have a negative impact elsewhere. Our transportation network has to work as a system, and as mayor I will take into account how specific actions will impact mobility.
Q: Official community meetings have a tendency to be attended by the same small group of involved residents and advocates, who are usually older, whiter, and wealthier than the community as a whole. What are your ideas for how the City can engage communities in new ways, and make sure that diverse voices are being heard?
Charlotte Golar Richie: The city needs to explore and leverage the power of technology to bring city hall directly to citizens. Kevin White introduced the idea of Little City Halls in the 1960s and 1970s. Today, we need to create virtual little city halls using smart phone apps, interactive web sites, social media and other techniques. For those citizens who may not have access to technology, we will find ways to ensure that city hall comes to neighborhoods at all times of day to places where there is easy access.
Q: Boston has many traffic signals that do not work well for pedestrians. How will your administration work to make signal timing safer, easier and more convenient for walkers of all paces?
Charlotte Golar Richie: This is another area where technology is critical. I will work to make every street corner in Boston smart by introducing technology to ensure that signalization works well for pedestrians, and also works well to ensure that the light is always green when a bus or emergency vehicle is approaching.
Q: Boston is always called a “walking city.” To protect and enhance this reputation, you will need to have a transportation commissioner and department who will make sure every City program and project works well for walkers. Would you consider creating a Boston Walks Director to champion the needs of walkers?
Charlotte Golar Richie: Yes
Q: Despite the recent transportation bill that will devote more funding to the MBTA, the T remains heavily indebted with a long maintenance backlog. What are your ideas for innovative funding solutions that could be explored to address the MBTA’s significant funding needs?
Charlotte Golar Richie: Boston will be a testing ground for a VMT program that charges vehicles using the interstate and state highway system in Boston (not our local roads) by the mile, and charges them more during rush hour. The congestion fee would be dedicated to transit. This will require State House approval, but I will be a strong advocate for this type of innovative approach.
Q: As mayor, what is your thought process when weighing competing road priorities, such as high-quality bike facilities, vehicular travel lanes, and parking?
Charlotte Golar Richie: New York City has been a model for how to introduce alternative modes of transportation in a congested downtown. I want Boston to learn from that example and to lead by finding ways to reinvent how we envision and utilizes the streetscape. I will bring transportation and urban design experts together in the same room to find solutions.
Q: Will you fund the installation of high-quality bike facilities, such as physically separated bike lanes and bike-specific traffic signals? How?
Charlotte Golar Richie: We need to find new revenue for transportation purposes. Parking assessments on non-residential parking, based on carbon impacts can be dedicated to alternative modes like transit, bike and pedestrian. Another funding source will be from the development community, where the focus is placed less on expensive parking subsidies and more on alternative modes.
Q: The MBTA system leaves large swaths of the city with limited public transportation options, on crowded buses that often run less frequently than riders would like. How would you work with communities in Boston to find out more about their transit needs? How will you work with the MBTA to ensure that those needs are met?
Charlotte Golar Richie: I will ensure that my transportation policy advisors are in frequent communication with transit, bike and ped advocates, and that we develop a green mobility agenda for Boston. Such an agenda will recognize that the paradigm of the auto-centric past is and must be over, to make way for a more modally equitable future. Finally, I will meet with the MassDOT Board and Secretary on a regular basis to advocate for the city’s mobility needs. And I will form alliances with other mayors in order to develop an urban mobility and social justice agenda for the Greater Boston area.
Q: What are your top priorities for updating Boston’s zoning code?
Charlotte Golar Richie: Boston’s zoning code needs to encourage development that embraces density and diversity of use. A great city is a tapestry of differences that come together responsibly and creatively. As Mayor I will lead an effort to reimagine Boston and its neighborhoods as a model of 21st Century urban design and planning. I want the zoning code to express the creative side of Boston, and improve the quality of life for all city residents.
Q: As mayor, how will you target transportation investments to address health disparities among Boston’s neighborhoods?
Charlotte Golar Richie: My administration will take a hard look at the impacts of air pollution on residents who live adjacent to significant transportation systems. East Boston, for example, suffers daily from the impact of people driving through it to the tunnels, and driving to and from the airport. This is exacerbated in East Boston, South Boston and the South End by airplane pollution. And there is the daily pollution caused by heavy traffic. These impacts are felt in the neighborhoods with increases in childhood asthma, and cardio and pulmonary problems. We need to find ways to decongest city streets. Having smart traffic signalization system, and taking steps to encourage modal shift, are two ways to accomplish this.
Q: Would you support a citywide occupancy goal for metered parking, rather than a citywide price? How would you win public support for these ideas?
Charlotte Golar Richie: I support a new approach to parking in Boston, including assessing the efficiency of an occupancy goal. I also support that assessing non-residential parking for its carbon impacts can be one effective way to generate net new revenue for alternative modes, and can encourage modal shift.
Q: As Mayor, how would you protect and enhance Boston’s parks and open spaces? Please be specific and include information about how you will improve multimodal access to parks.
Charlotte Golar Richie: Parks and other spaces need to be viewed as mobility hubs. As Mayor, I will make these mobility hubs vibrant places where people can access a variety of choices – bike, pedicab, transit. I will work with the state to adopt a safe streets approach to pathways leading to and from these mobility hubs. This will encourage easier access to our important public assets.
Mike Ross (for Mayor)
Q: Provide an anecdote to illustrate how you would define livability.
Mike Ross: I am fortunate enough to live in an extremely livable community, Mission Hill, one that helps to identify for me what the definition of that word truly is. I have access to numerous forms of public transportation like a bike share hub at the bottom of my street, the Green Line on Huntington Avenue, the Orange Line at the other end of Tremont Street next to Columbus Avenue, the bus; the options for getting around the city are limitless. There are community staples–a community health center, a grocery store that provides fresh and healthy food options as well as affordable restaurants are all within walking distance. This is a community that is thriving due in a large part to it’s livability and every neighborhood deserves to have this equal access and opportunity.
Q: Communities across the city have embraced smaller roadways and better, cheaper alternatives to large, expensive overpasses and underpasses. As mayor, would you support the City’s endorsement of the surface road for Rutherford Avenue in Charlestown, the state DCR’s endorsement of a surface road to replace the