Candidates
*incumbent
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About the Candidates
Do you personally walk to destinations in your community? If yes, how often do you do so?
| Matthew McLaughlin |
|---|
| Yes |
| I do not own a car so I walk, bike or take public transportation regularly. |
Do you personally travel by/ use public transit to get around? If yes, which trains and buses do you routinely use?
| Matthew McLaughlin |
|---|
| Yes |
| Orange Line, Red Line, 90 bus 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?
| Matthew McLaughlin |
|---|
| Yes |
| I am an avid cyclist. My bike is my primary mode of transportation and recreation. |
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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?
| Matthew McLaughlin |
|---|
| I am a leader in the push for the Neighborways program, which uses paint and community art to create pike paths on side streets and slow traffic. This incredibly cost effective program will be implemented this fall. I also helped to get green bike lanes on state and city roads. |
How will you improve the reach, frequency, and quality of public transit in your city/town?
| Matthew McLaughlin |
|---|
| I voted to approve funding for the Green Line and am an advocate for completing the community path into Boston. I also fought agai st rate increases and service cuts to bus and train lines in 2010. |
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?
| Matthew McLaughlin |
|---|
| The city of Somerville is very responsive to transit oriented issues. I work with DPW regularly to fill potholes and traffic and parking to create bike lanes. |
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?
| Matthew McLaughlin |
|---|
| The East Somerville neighborhood I represent is the least affluent and least pedestrian accessible neighborhood in the city, so my advocacy for transit oriented use is in itself a balance for the city. The major obstacle my community it’s literally faces is McGrath Highway and I93, which cuts off access to the surrounding area. I am working with the state to ground McGrath Highway. I am also working with the state, city and developers to beautify underneath bridges with lighting, community art and pedestrian signals to encourage walking to Assembly Row. |
How will you increase funding for biking infrastructure?
| Matthew McLaughlin |
|---|
| The Board of Aldermen do not have the power to increase funding, outside of advocacy. I successfully advocated for the first Hubway station in East Somerville and expect two more to arrive. I also successfully advocated for the state to add green bike Kane’s on state property. |
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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.
| Matthew McLaughlin |
|---|
| Yes |
| I supported city efforts to reduce city wide speed limits to 25 miles an hour and an working to reduce it to 20 miles an hour in areas with high pedestrian use. |
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).
| Matthew McLaughlin |
|---|
| Yes |
| I already did this in Somerville |
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*?
| Matthew McLaughlin |
|---|
| Yes |
| I am open to the idea, but I would have to fully analyze the use of cameras before I have a solid yes. |
Do you support redesigning space on the street in order to improve safety for people biking by creating protected bike lanes?
| Matthew McLaughlin |
|---|
| Yes |
| I have already done this through Neighborways. I am open to innovative approaches to traffic calming like community art, vegetation and more to reduce speeding and traffic. |
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?
| Matthew McLaughlin |
|---|
| Yes |
| Yes if it is only one or two spaces. Parking is an issue I hear about regularly. It is particularly difficult in a city as dense as Somerville. Neighborways also addresses this by creating curbs out of paint, which is cheaper and serves the same purpose as curb cuts. |
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?
| Matthew McLaughlin |
|---|
| Yes |
| I support efforts to make streets safe for cyclists. |
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?
| Matthew McLaughlin |
|---|
| Yes |
| Absolutely. The worst part of the GLX austerity was our inability to complete the community it’s path into Boston. If we do this cyclists can ride safely from Bedford to Jamaica Plain. This should be a top priority for the city and the state. |
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?
| Matthew McLaughlin |
|---|
| Yes |
| I have four senior homes in my nieghborhood. I have advocated for longer walk lights, ADA compliment sidewalks and parks close to senior homes. |
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?
| Matthew McLaughlin |
|---|
| Yes |
| I support the concept. However, this could prove difficult for my ward specifically. We already narrowed Broadway to one lane and plan on narrowing McGrath Highway and Washington Street, out most used streets. |
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.
| Matthew McLaughlin |
|---|
| Yes |
| I think l we need to expect more from developers, who are making millions in our community. I worked with developers to secure funding to build a walkway under I93 from East Somerville to Assembly Row. This is a mutually beneficial project and the burden of cost should be shared. |
Do you support raising the annual fee for residential parking permits?
| Matthew McLaughlin |
|---|
| No |
| I don’t support raising the fee unilaterally, as I believe this will hurt the poorest people in the community most. I would consider supporting different forms of residential parking that charges higher rates for houses with over a certain number of cars, or regional parking passes with city wide passes being more expensive. |
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?
| Matthew McLaughlin |
|---|
| Yes |
| I am interested in the concept. |