Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition

Somerville Board of Aldermen At-Large

Candidates 

*incumbent

Sections

About the Candidates

Do you personally walk to destinations in your community? If yes, how often do you do so?

John M. (Jack) Connolly Stephanie Hirsch Will Mbah
Yes Yes Yes
Daily throughout the city: Walk our dog Scout 2–3 times a day, also.. @5 mile per day.. Run 3–4 miles several day per week also! My family of five has lived without a car for six years, and so we walk or take the bus everywhere. As our car-free life has evolved, we have shifted to doing as many activities as possible in the neighborhood, including shopping, going to the dentist/doctor, attending school, and going to work. My husband and I walk at least four miles each day. We rely on walking or taking the bus (with the T sometimes) to get around. We use zipcars about once a month and taxis a few time a year to get to the airport on early flights before the T starts running. We take the 86, 87, 91, and CT2 most frequently, combined with the Red or Orange lines. The real-time bus arrival information, combined with mobile technology, has been transformative, in terms of the practicality of relying on busses. We have not ever adjusted to biking with kids, though would love to if the bike infrastructure improves and/or if we can gain confidence with/knowledge about biking in traffic. I use public transportation and walking to get to work on a daily basis.
Dennis Sullivan William White
Yes Yes
On a daily basis, I walk to MBTA stations to get to and from work. On a daily basis.

Do you personally travel by/ use public transit to get around? If yes, which trains and buses do you routinely use?

John M. (Jack) Connolly Stephanie Hirsch Will Mbah
Yes Yes Yes
Red and Green lines 1–2 times per week See above I take the redline to travel to my job at MIT.
Dennis Sullivan William White
Yes Yes
On a daily basis, I walk to Assembly Square to take the Orange Line into Boston for my day job. I utilize Assembly Square and Forest MBTA stations on a daily basis. Usually I walk to the rapid transit lines that I will take, which are Davis Square on the Red Line and Assembly Square on the Orange Line.

Do you personally bike in your community or commute by bike to other communities? If no, would you be willing to give it a try periodically, e.g. once or twice per month?

John M. (Jack) Connolly Stephanie Hirsch Will Mbah
Yes Yes Yes
sometimes ride out the Minuteman trail for exercise See above. I have tried to bike, but have not felt confident enough to do it regularly. Better infrastructure and more confidence on my part might help get me biking. I have been biking more and more lately. At first, when I came to this country I was scared to use my bike on the streets because it felt dangerous compared to Sweden where bike lanes were protected. But lately I have been venturing out more and more and growing more confident.
Dennis Sullivan William White
Yes Yes
I have not bicycled in several years but I would be willing to try. Health permitting, I would be willing.

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Policy Proposals

How will you work to establish funding for the infrastructure changes needed to slow traffic on your community's streets, and improve crosswalks and intersections to make them safer for people who are walking and using mobility assistive devices?

John M. (Jack) Connolly Stephanie Hirsch Will Mbah
Happy to continue to advocate and promote additional bike lanes throughout the City, and advocate for funding needed; Strong advocate for raised tables on cross connector streets to slow vehicular traffic In Somerville, we have a very long list of capital project needs. I believe the best way we can get to road infrastructure changes is with these steps:
• Major road reconstruction: The City has reconstructed major roads, including Somerville Ave, East Broadway, and Beacon Street, and has more reconstructions planned. Those are very important, but it takes quite a few years to piece together funding sources and achieve sufficient consensus from abutters and commuters about the street design. Some of the major road and square redesign will happen as part of neighborhood planning processes, such as in Winter Hill (upper Broadway), Union Square (Washington, Somerville Ave, Prospect, Webster, McGrath), Sullivan and Assembly Squares, and the many other areas that will be experiencing major development in the next decade. Our leaders in the Administration, on the Board, and in the community will need to pay close attention to the pedestrian/bike needs of both the neighborhood and of the network.
• Guidelines for chapter 90 road repair/reconstruction: The City regularly resurfaces streets each year, funded by Chapter 90 or the City’s general fund. We should, I think, develop guidelines for when street resurfacing should also involve creating curb-cuts, expanding sidewalks, adding separated bike lanes, or improving signaling.
• Infrastructure payment for smaller developments: Currently, large developments will pay into an infrastructure fund or negotiate a traffic mitigation plan, such as installation of a traffic calming table at a nearby crosswalk. I would like to see this obligation applied to investor/developers who renovate or build smaller buildings (particularly investors who are not also owner occupants), so that they too must help fund infrastructure changes and traffic calming.
• Coordination and phasing of projects: As the City works to change parts of the city, we will need to continue to figure out the connectivity of the projects and to see how streets that neighbor big projects can/should get changed as part of the project. For example, the City is just beginning work on the new high school. Nearby, Gilman Square and Winter Hill will be undergoing design planning and changes. Bike and pedestrian infrastructure near the high school and how it connects to nearby streets will be important to consider. This is, of course, very difficult because of all of the moving pieces and unknowns. Nevertheless, it’s critical to having all the parts add up to a network that works well.
• Continued advocacy for State investment: We will need to continue to lobby the State to make good on their commitment to the Community Path extension and to support new investments in bike/pedestrian infrastructure.
• Pedestrian cut-through paths: I am interested in looking for ways the City can secure (or reclaim) right of way for pedestrians and bikes to cut across residential blocks, especially the city’s many super-blocks (like Prescott, Irving, Wallace, Albion, Hudson) and especially to link neighborhoods to open spaces. I have proposed that the City use CPA funding to look for “paper streets” which are city owned property not currently used by the city and to consider where it could secure right-of-way for a pedestrian path.
• Real-time traffic engineering problem-solving: Because of the cost of these more significant engineering changes, we should also pursue less expensive changes using data to inform incremental changes. Building on its prior data-informed efforts, Somerville could create a Transit Stat (or “Traffic Stat”, or “Travel Stat”) division to increase focus on our streets and modes of travel. Steps could include:
o Data: Secure a source of real-time data on vehicular traffic (e.g. data sharing required from Uber/Lyft as a condition of them operating in Somerville, negotiated with WAZE, or from a cell phone data source). The City may also be able to ask bikers to share GPS data form their commutes;
o Traffic engineering: Invest in in-house traffic engineering staff capacity; and
o Incremental change: Use its expertise in data-informed decision making to make incremental, low-cost changes to streets and squares to achieve specific goals, including: reduction of cut-through traffic, increased reported feeling of safety for bikers/pedestrians, and reduced accidents of all type. Those change can include efforts that have already been tested with some proven results, including moving parking outside of the bike lane to create a separated space, creating temporary and then permanent traffic calming features, such as planters to narrow large intersections as is conceived of in the most awesome Neighborways efforts, and splitting streets in half with different travel direction to prevent non-resident cars from cutting through. It also allows us to experiment with new approaches to traffic calming and increased pedestrian/bike safety, such as temporary or permanent street closures and increased car/pedestrian street sharing. Being a community with institutional knowledge of using and responding to real-time traffic data will also enable us to be an early adopter of new technologies, such as driverless cars.
• Encouragement and incentives for reduction of car ownership: To increase the demand for infrastructure improvements, I believe we need to pay attention to other systems that relate to people’s need for transportation options. I believe we should take these steps:
o Promote complete neighborhoods: Other municipal policies impact the need for households to have one or more car. For example, a student assignment model that encourages families to choose schools across town will increase the number of people driving twice a day. Similarly, athletic leagues in which teams compete with far-flung suburbs vs. teams from other parts of Somerville means families need a car if their kids want to play hockey, soccer, etc. Neighborhoods that have grocery stories, dog parks, dentists, small businesses, libraries etc. are easier to live in without a car, as residents can easily walk to get their needs met. Some people will want and need a car, but for those who don’t want one or more cars, we should design neighborhood and systems of education, employment, shopping, etc. so that it’s easy to live without a car. Living, attending school, shopping, and working in one neighborhood has many other benefits as well, in terms of community building and promotion of small businesses.
o Ways to get out of town: Ironically, maybe, some of the people who might be most interested in giving up their cars also want to hold onto them to so that they can get into the woods on the weekend. We can build capacity for households to get out of town to help meet this need. At minimum, we can help create and curate a list of car-free vacation outing. Over time, we can try to create more connectivity to those destinations and promotions to increase the value of a town or business owner to target car-free households. I’m particularly interested in creating connections between Somerville and Fitchburg, so that people can travel from Porter to Fitchburg. We could, for example, create a Somerville-affiliated retreat center in Fitchburg that would allow people to “get out of town” on the commuter rail while still forming friendships with Somerville residents.
o Allow people to experiment with car-free living: If I’m elected, I plan to launch a “car-free in Somerville” challenge. In 2011, my family’s car got into a fender bender. I had always wanted to drive less, but usually took the car instead of walking because of the convenience. When our car got declared totaled, I told my husband, let’s just try going car-free for a week. That week stretched to a month, and, over time, we found the benefits of living with a car far outweighed the costs. Our lives are less stressful and we spend less money and energy worrying about parking, maintenance, etc. We get more exercise now. However, if we hadn’t experienced the fender bender which encouraged us to try going car free, we would still be driving everywhere. I’d like to create a challenge in which households can experiment with car-free living. If they want to participate, they’ll park their car on a remote lot and turn over their keys. If they last the week (or whatever designated period of time), they will be rewarded with a year’s membership to Zip Car, a free t-pass, or a car-free vacation. Over the week, we will feature tips of car-free living and will exchange ideas, as well as collect people’s thoughts on what was easy about the week (that we can advertise) and what was hard (that we can try to fix with municipal policy).
o Create car-free property status: An obstacle to building higher density housing, which will help address our housing affordability crisis, is people’s worry about additional cars parked and additional traffic. Though many people believe that new development should have fewer parking spaces, neighbors and others are worried about the enforcement mechanism that would prevent new residents from taking up on-street parking. I understand from Somerville City planners that it’s legally possible to create a permanently car-free status. That means that current and future owners and tenants may never have a car housed in Somerville, thus will never be eligible for a parking permit or curb cut. If a property takes on this car-free status, owners may be able to have some additional development options, such as development of an accessory unit. Cambridge’s Parking and Transportation Demand Management ordinance may be useful as a model to Somerville as we explore this idea.

Related to all these points above, while one of my top goals is reducing car reliance in Somerville and improving our bike/pedestrian infrastructure, I do also believe that it’s important to recognize differences of opinions and needs that go along with a diverse population. I hope to work to find shared benefits of reduced car traffic. As of the last time I studied the data, which was now more than 10 years ago, the majority of cars traveling through Somerville's squares at rush hour drive through Somerville without even stopping. Cut-through traffic hurts drivers, residents, and bikes/pedestrians alike, and thus is a shared point of pain. Therefore, I think reducing the volume of cut-through traffic should be a top priority. Also, I think it’s important to continue bike enforcement, along with car enforcement, and make the expectations of how people will share the road more obvious and predictable, so that we reduce conflicts between bikes, cars, and pedestrians. With those caveats, I think we need to put a tremendous focus on bringing all tools to bear to change the infrastructure and culture of our city to become a model community for reduced car dependence.
 As a political outsider, I come at this from the perspective of a private citizen. I already shared my personal experiences with safer bike lanes in Sweden, and I would love to see our streets safer for bikers, pedestrians etc. It pains me to hear stories of bike accidents involving cars that could have been avoided with better/safer infrastructure. In terms of the budget, I think it is about your values and priorities when you take office, because ultimately the Mayor controls a lot of the power in proposing the budget. Personally, I would like to see us use a lot less money on our communications department in city hall and more on bike lane development/safety. In addition, I think if we are to approve further zoning and development plans in the city, we need to make sure that the city and developers are prioritizing this issue. In addition, I think developing more commercial properties when we develop will increase revenue stream in the long term for the city. I think there are other more progressive taxes we could consider as well on real estate and income.
Dennis Sullivan William White
This has been a priority of mine since being elected. I prioritize this in the budget and throughout the year with board orders. During my tenure as an alderman at large, I have advocated for the construction of traffic calming measures such as bump outs and raised cross walks and have voted to fund such infrastructure improvements and called for more funding for such improvements. Years ago, I supported measures to insure that our existing sidewalks complied with ADA requirements.

How will you improve the reach, frequency, and quality of public transit in your city/town?

John M. (Jack) Connolly Stephanie Hirsch Will Mbah
In addition to my long-time experience working to bring the Red, Orange, and Green Line T stations to Somerville, I will continue to support late night T transport after 1AM, and to explore additional bus service routes, and improvements to existing schedules   Bus service in Somerville is critical, but there’s currently not enough attention or planning for this key capacity. I will work on the following steps if elected:
• Formation of a Transportation Advisory Committee: An advisory committee in Somerville, perhaps modeled after Cambridge’s and after the amazing Somerville Bike Committee, can help collect and synthesize resident and business feedback, coordinate MBTA planning with Somerville planning, tap into local academic analytical capacity, and set and monitor progress on transit goals. The City may not currently have the staff capacity to manage a TAC, nor to carry out extensive analysis on bus transit needs or develop a vision for transit. Instead, some transit issues are getting considered as part of the larger road projects, and there are small priorities identified, such as dedicated bus lanes or transit signal priority, but there’s no roadmap for a big future system. Perhaps this could be included in the duties of an additional traffic engineer as part of TravelStat. The MBTA will be starting a Service plan update, but it’s not specific to Somerville, and we should have our own capacity increased before the MBTA study begins so we can piggyback on that effort.
• North-south routes: A frequent complaint I have heard while door knocking (as well as experienced myself almost weekly!) is the lack of bus route that connects the Winter Hill/Ten Hills neighborhood to points south, like Union Square and into Cambridge. This needs to get addressed, such as by changing the 85 route so that it extends farther north. However, the 85 (and CT2) do not run on the weekends, and a route would need to run seven days a week. Ten Hills and Winter Hill also have fewer bike lanes, which contribute to barriers in car-free travel, as do having to cross one or more highway to get to the rest of Somerville.
• Means-tested rates: I am interested in understanding of transit as part of a household’s overall budget and as part of the affordability picture in the region, including a look at: the payment structure for people of different categories – children, seniors, low-income residents and what’s the percent of their income different people pay on transit. What’s the overall cost of transportation for households if they drive, take bus service, take subway service, bike/walk primarily, or do some mix of these. What’s the total cost to a household if a housing unit doesn’t include dedicated parking (thus lowering a monthly cost), and if the family instead depends on transit. If elected, I would like to investigate the feasibility of creating a municipal ID (that does not link to immigration status) that allows households to access different services, such as the library, recreation programming, food service in the schools, and the T. While every household would be issued one, it would enable low-income households -- or people meeting other criteria such as youth or seniors – to access services at a lower cost. The “means test”, that is verification of income, would be completed as part of the card application and then lower rates would be applied without a stigma to the user.
• Mobility of kids and others: I’m interested in creating ways for tweens and teens to get around the city via transit. I’m interested in educational programs, easy subsidies for ridership, and projects like a badging system that encourages kids to try different programs in different parts of the city. Similarly, I’d like to do more to study how the systems works for passengers with mobility issues and for seniors.
 Again, I think this is about priorities and values. As someone who takes public transit daily, it is something that needs proper funding in order to continue to provide essential services to residents. I will keep this in mind when I vote on city budgets.
Dennis Sullivan William White
I have been an advocate for the Assembly Square Orange Line Stop and proposed Green line stations. I have repeatedly voted to fund both these initiatives. The most important step to reach this goal was securing the committment of the Commonwealth to build the Green Line Extension to Somerville. Since 2004, I was an advocate for this, working with the Conservation Law Foundation in its efforts. I spoke at numerous public hearings on the importance of this issue and was very critical of the cuts that were made to the final program, especially the community path extension. I did vote for the $50 Million contribution that the Commonwealth required from the City of Somerville. Now, we must monitor the construction and expenditures to insure that the Green Line Extension as built and operated meets its obligations. At the same time, we should still stress the need for the DOT to move forward on the Urban Ring

How will you ensure fast-tracked implementation of a city-/town-wide network of off-street paths and protected bike lanes* on major thoroughfares and connecting streets that are comfortable for people of all ages and abilities?

John M. (Jack) Connolly Stephanie Hirsch Will Mbah
Using my vote on the Board of Aldermen and my position as Chair of Public Safety Committee, very happy to forcefully advocate for the most expeditious and financially plausible efforts to improve city-wide efforts in conjunction with City and community efforts. See above. Again, I think this comes down the crucial question of development. One of the staples of my campaign is community led development, which means going to the community first for their needs and concerns before approving or drawing up development plans. In addition, a community benefits agreement (which the developer pays into) in my plan would be democratically controlled by the community and can be put toward such projects.
Dennis Sullivan William White
I will continue be an advocate for improving and advancing the Community Bike Path all the way from Somerville to Downtown Boston. I have already supported the initial stages of this program in Somerville with respect to the Beacon Street reconstruction that incorporates a protected bike lane on much of it. I also supported the Community Path as originally envisioned in the Green Line Extension before the drastic state reduction. I have voted for the funding for the extension of the Community Path in Somerville.

How will you increase access to biking in every neighborhood equally? What do you see as the major obstacles to encouraging ridership, and how will you address them?

John M. (Jack) Connolly Stephanie Hirsch Will Mbah
Enlist the support of community organizations, our public schools, local businesses and the City’s Bike Committee to promote and market ridership with coordinated publicity programs. suggesting local merchants offer a discount for being a frequent bike commuter/user ( i.e. displaying a Somerville Bike Committee ID card), etc. See above. These are great questions, because equity is a really important issue to me with affordable housing, development and schooling. I think I would want to study cities that have done this well and learned from their mistakes and use this as a blueprint for implementing ideas here in Somerville. I would saying zoning and budget are going to be two important obstacles to overcome.
Dennis Sullivan William White
Protected Bike lanes will increase ridership. Adding Green line stations wild most certainly reduce the number of vehicles on the road making it safer for cyclists. I see two major obstacles to increasing acess and ridership as safety concerns and infrastructure accomodation. With regard to safety concerns, creation of protected bike lanes and extending community pathways is part of the solution. Marking and enforcing bike lanes on streets where the lanes are not protected is essential. Also, public education is important. Stressing and enforcing safety elements such as the “Dutch Reach” could play an important role. In addition to creating protected bike lanes and creating and extending pathways, other infrastructure improvements involve things like bicycle parking facilities, especialy near transit stops, adequate Hubway facilities and required bicycle parking as part of zoning requirements.

How will you increase funding for biking infrastructure?

John M. (Jack) Connolly Stephanie Hirsch Will Mbah
Strongly advocate the City budget additional funds, encourage City of Somerville to seek all available State, Federal and any private transportation grant funding available. See above. As stated above, I would like to see us use a lot less money on our communications department in city hall and more on bike lane development/safety. In addition, I think if we are to approve further zoning and development plans in the city, we need to make sure that the city and developers are prioritizing this issue. In addition, I think developing more commercial properties when we develop will increase revenue stream in the long term for the city. I think there are other more progressive taxes we could consider as well on real estate and income.
Dennis Sullivan William White
I will continue to support adding protected bike lanes on Beacon Street. When infrastructure projects are to be bonded, related biking infrastructure improvmeents should be included as a project cost and funded as part of the project. To the extent that developments are being constructed, certain elements of biking infrastructure related to the project can be included within the conditions of the permit or covenant. I also voted for our Complete Streets Ordinance (I believe we were the first City in Mass) which qualifies us for grant funding from the State and part of those funds can be used for biking infrastructure in connection with street projects.

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Yes/No Questions

Do you support the adoption of Vision Zero and funding for its rapid implementation? Vision Zero is an approach which aims to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2030 and has been adopted by several communities, including Boston and Cambridge.

John M. (Jack) Connolly Stephanie Hirsch Will Mbah
Yes Yes Yes
I work in the Property and Casualty insurance business, and am well aware of the seriousness of proper planning for increased visibility and driver awareness of bicycle riders, and deal with accidents related to cyclists from time to time. If elected, I hope to tap into the expertise and advocacy of Livable Streets and the Vision Zero effort to implement best practices in Somerville and test any new ideas.  
Dennis Sullivan William White
Yes Yes
We must do all we can to make our roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists. The deadline for answering these questions was September 5. On September 6, the Mayor of Somerville announced the City’s Zero Vision plan. I did not have advance notice of the elements of that plan, so I am unable to comment on them. I assume that some of those elements will work toward this goal, and anticipate working with the Administration to reach those goals. In the past, I have supported and promoted items that are generally considered to be elements of a Vision Zero plan, such as traffic calming methods, neighborways, increasing community paths, dedicated bicycle lanes and motorist education.

Do you support lowering design speeds through traffic calming measures on downtown and neighborhood streets as a means of enhancing the safety of people walking, using mobility assistive devices, biking, and driving? This may involve the expansion and enhancement of programs like Neighborhood Slow Streets (Boston) and Neighborways (Somerville).

John M. (Jack) Connolly Stephanie Hirsch Will Mbah
Yes Yes Yes
Adding traffic calming measures in targeted streets and roads here in Somerville is a must; Always willing to collaborate with the biking, walking, and running community groups; Instrumental in Somerville being designated a ‘Runner Friendly City’ by the Us Road Running Association I have helped with our neighborhood Neighborway and will help organize other neighborhoods.  
Dennis Sullivan William White
Yes Yes
I was proud to support lowering the speed limit across the city of Somerville. I have already supported the construction of “bumpouts,” raised cross walks, parklets, planters and street murals to lower speeds and look forward to increasing the use of these tools.

One key strategy that has been proven to effectively reduce speeding, improve safety, and remove racial bias in traffic enforcement in other states and countries is automated enforcement (i.e. speed cameras and red light cameras). Do you support state legislation that authorizes the use of automated enforcement in Massachusetts, per the July 2017 recommendation of the National Transportation Safety Board?

John M. (Jack) Connolly Stephanie Hirsch Will Mbah
Yes Yes Yes
Certain streets here in Somerville (i.e. Broadway heading westbound to Powderhouse rotary) present areas that could be monitored electronically: Glad to sponsor a Public Hearing on the matter, and solicit testmony on the location possiblities. While working in the Mayorís Office in Somerville in around 2008, I researched the feasibility of implementing red light camera enforcement. At the time and still today, State law prohibited use of red light cameras. Issues of privacy and frustration with new fines make the move controversial and have caused some communities to reverse their implementation. Nevertheless, I believe the benefits outweigh the challenges, and I think we should continue to work towards state-level legislation that enables community use of the cameras. It does, though, require working out lots of details and having a community conversation about the trade-offs. I do support this, but I think I would want to research this further to make sure it is not amounting to a tax on the poor/working class citizens as often is the case with city fines.
Dennis Sullivan William White
Yes Yes
  It is my understanding that these devices have been successfully in other states and there would seem to be no pressing reason why the law should not be changed in Massachusetts to authorize their use.

Do you support redesigning space on the street in order to improve safety for people biking by creating protected bike lanes?

John M. (Jack) Connolly Stephanie Hirsch Will Mbah
Yes Yes Yes
Yes, especially in heavily traveled bike routes. This would make my family more likely to ride and seems like, in some cases, a less expensive re-engineering process than some.  
Dennis Sullivan William White
Yes Yes
See answer #5. Beacon Street, Somerville is an example.

Do you support the increased use of curb extensions to improve safety and visibility at intersections, even if it requires the removal of one to two parking spaces?

John M. (Jack) Connolly Stephanie Hirsch Will Mbah
Yes Yes Yes
Public Safety is paramount, especially for elders and disabled population. See above. This should be done as part of the schedule of regular road reconstruction.
Dennis Sullivan William White
Yes Yes
I will continue to support these measures. We have done this in many areas of Somerville and intend to increase their use as we make further infrastructure improvements.

Do you commit to implementation of improved bike facilities identified in your community’s Bike Network Plan or do you commit to the creation of a Bike Network Plan if none already exists?

John M. (Jack) Connolly Stephanie Hirsch Will Mbah
Yes Yes Yes
Strong supporter of these efforts, along with the Mayor’s efforts regarding the Future of Mobility and Safety on Somerville Streets. See longer narrative above.  
Dennis Sullivan William White
Yes Yes
  For many years I have worked with our City’s Bicycle Committee and our Community Path advocates.

Do you support the creation of the joint biking-pedestrian Grand Junction Path and Somerville Community Path through mandates, resolutions or zoning ordinances targeted at adjacent property owners?

John M. (Jack) Connolly Stephanie Hirsch Will Mbah
Yes Yes Yes
Long-time supporter of this effort, and major supporter of the Community Path extension. See longer narrative above. Again, I would need to look into the specifics of this and how it would affect community members, with an eye toward equity and fairness. But on the surface, seems like a good idea.
Dennis Sullivan William White
Yes Yes
I have and will continue to support this through resolutions and orders. Already in Somerville we worked toward this goal when space and funding was dedicated to this connection as part of the Millbrook development. I support the Grand Junction Path as it is proposed to be a multi-use path running alongside the existing tracks in the Grand Junction corridor from the Boston University Bridge to Somerville. It’s goal is to provide a continuous pathway for people to stroll, jog, or bike along this parkway, connecting several neighborhoods with each other, with commercial areas, and with regional resources such as the Charles River. As it’s intent is to provide an important regional link, connecting to the Somerville Community Path being constructed as part of the Green line Extension and to pathways proposed in the Allston I–90 Interchange project, I believe it is an important component for Somerville and the region.

Will you address age-friendly walking in your community -- an issue raised by many seniors as critical to their ability to "age in community"? If yes, how?

John M. (Jack) Connolly Stephanie Hirsch Will Mbah
Yes Yes Yes
Coordinating with our Somerville Council on Aging in support of walking groups and Clubs throughout the City Many of the traffic calming that helps seniors also works well for children and people with mobility issues. See longer narrative for more thoughts. Again, as a political outsider, I can only speak to this as a private citizen but I support the idea and will look into effective ways of doing so when in office.
Dennis Sullivan William White
Yes Yes
As a member of the senior services committee for the Board of Aldermen, I will continue to advocate for senior safety zones. We must do all we can to protect our seniors. In the past the City created an advisory committee to address these very concerns. As we review our neighborway plan, we must examine whether the input from this committee was incorporated and even reconvene such a committee for its input. We should also insure that there is a public process as part of the adoption of our neighborway plan to allow all impacted communities, including seniors and those utilizing mobility assistance devices, to weigh in on the plan.

Do you support the restriction of on-street parking during rush hour on major thoroughfares in order to provide lanes for the exclusive use of buses?

John M. (Jack) Connolly Stephanie Hirsch Will Mbah
Yes Yes Yes
Implemented that plan working with our Police Dept and Traffic and Parking Dept. here in Davis Sq. on Highland Ave and College Ave. for all bikes and vehicles: Glad to support ‘Bus only’ lanes as well! If buses can travel faster than cars, it will increase ridership, I believe.  
Dennis Sullivan William White
Yes Yes
Parking in Somerville is a real challenge. I support this measure. Also, I support lowering the parking required by zoning which I believe will reduce the number of vehicles on our roadway. I agree with this conceptually, though I do not know if there are any major thoroughfares in the City of Somerville that could realistically accomodate this exclusive use of busses.

Do you support exploring new ways of raising revenue to provide the City of Somerville with more tools to improve conditions for people walking, using mobility assistive devices, and biking (e.g. congestion pricing)? If yes, please give examples that interest you.

John M. (Jack) Connolly Stephanie Hirsch Will Mbah
Yes Yes Yes
Glad to collaborate with all stakeholders, and arrange for public meetings to discuss all possibilities.    
Dennis Sullivan William White
Yes Yes
I am open to exploring new ways of raising revenue. As discussed below, under Massachusetts law, the legal options available to a municipality to actually raise revenue are rather limited. Funding for these capital items can be obtained through grants, covenant contributions, ordinary funding, and bonding.

Do you support raising the annual fee for residential parking permits?

John M. (Jack) Connolly Stephanie Hirsch Will Mbah
Yes No No
Raised fees likely will allow people to decide whether the overall cost of owning, maintaining and insuring vehicles is in their best interest, what with Zipcar, Uber, and Lyft services available for temporary use of vehicles. At this point, Somerville residents are feeling very frustrated by new fees. I believe that we will need to find other ways, at least right now, to help people understand the value and opportunity cost of land used for parking. I am on the fence about this- again I would have to look into this as an equity measure and how it impacts the working class who often rely on cars for work (and we don’t have the infrastructure yet for everyone to not drive). I would probably seek other measures that are progressive taxation methods that pay attention to equity issues more than flat fees do.
Dennis Sullivan William White
No No
My main concern with this initiative, is our senior citizens who drive and who can not afford increased fees. In Somerville, the Board of Aldermen does not set the fee for residential parking permits; the Traffic Commission sets them under a City Charter amendment. So the Board of Aldermen has no vote on this matter. Before I could answer a question stating I would support the action of another board, I would have to know the amount of the increase and the reason. Some folks argue that residential parking permit fees should be raised in order to raise revenue or even as a disincentive towards car ownership. If those were the stated reasons for raising permit fees by a municipality, the increase would be subject to a challenge in court. Under Massachusetts law, a municipality can only set fees for permits to offset the cost of the actual program for which the permit is issued. It cannot impose or increase a fee simply to raise revenue or to discourage certian uses. If, in fact, our traffic department did a cost analysis for the permit program that determined an increase was appropriate, then it would be justified under the law in increasing the permit fee.

Do you support the rollout of dynamic parking meter pricing (i.e. increasing meter rates during periods of increased demand) in business districts to free up on-street parking and reduce cars "cruising" for open spaces?

John M. (Jack) Connolly Stephanie Hirsch Will Mbah
Yes Yes Yes
Common sense approach to an age old problem in urban cities; Glad to promote trial program here in Somerville This, for example, is one way to manage parking demand that I think will face less public opposition.  
Dennis Sullivan William White
Yes No
  Again, this decision would be made by our Traffic Commission. Before I could state that I would support a decision made by anther body, I would expect that there would be an indepth study of the specific districts in question and a determination that there was a problem of cars cruising for open spaces and that the dynamic meter pricing would reasonably address that issue.

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