1. Albuquerque has the second deadliest streets of any city in the US, with approximately 110 people killed by vehicles each year while walking, biking, or driving, and another 6,500 people injured. How important is it to you that Albuquerque maintain and act on its commitment to the Vision Zero goal of zero fatalities from traffic violence?
It’s vitally important and our moral obligation as a City government to ensure our streets are safer for our pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. I am committed to making our streets safer in every respect.
2. In 2019 Albuquerque updated its Complete Streets Ordinance to support safe and efficient street design for all users. What are the biggest remaining barriers to getting people to choose walking, biking, or public transit instead of personal vehicles, and what would you do to address these impediments?
First and foremost, public transportation should always be free. We need to make sure that federal infrastructure money is being spent in productive ways that will make walking, cycling, and public transportation safer and easier for people to take advantage of.
3. ABQRide remains severely understaffed, with motorcoach operator vacancies more than double their pre-pandemic numbers despite severe reductions in service. Other facets of our transit system, including mechanics and stop maintenance, are also understaffed. What is your plan for filling the staffing shortage at ABQRide?
Our city workers work hard for the residents they serve. We need to ensure they’re paid well and we’re offering them competitive benefits. We also need to ensure our city workers have a safe work environment.
4. What is your plan for increasing housing supply in Albuquerque, particularly along useful transit corridors and near popular amenities? How do you plan to increase housing availability without requiring the occupants of those houses to own a car to participate in most aspects of city life?
We need to get creative and we can do that by offering incentives for people who take advantage of the IDO to offer long term affordable housing. Additionally we need to take advantage of old and abandoned houses and buildings in order to create long term and affordable housing. Lastly we need to protect the people who are one paycheck or one medical emergency away from losing their homes by finding solutions that provide them real support.
5. Albuquerque’s urban areas have limited space on streets. In order to increase safety and improve mobility, some modes of transportation must be prioritized over others to make the most of this limited space. Please rank how you would prioritize different modes of transportation on city streets, using numbers 1 through 7:
1. Walking & devices that aid people with a disability
2. Public Transportation
3. Bicycles and Scooters
4. Personal Automobiles
5. Ride Hailing Services (Taxi, Uber, Lyft)
6. Freight and Delivery
7. Parking