2018 Arlington County Board Democratic Primary – How They Stand

Chanda Choun
https://changewithchoun.com/

Unfortunately, despite an in-person conversation I had with Mr. Choun at Phoenix Bikes Makers Ball and an e-mail from the campaign’s creative director the day after the deadline asking for a one-day extension, I still have not received a response from the Choun Campaign a full 5 days after the deadline.

Matt de Ferranti
https://mattforcountyboard.com/

1) Do you ride a bike? If so, tell us about your riding.
Yes, I bike. The Mount Vernon trail is my favorite route—particularly in the spring and fall. I also have taken parts of the Loop, including the Four Mile Run segment and the W&OD Trail segments. I also take Capitol Bikeshare for short trips in the Courthouse/Rosslyn Ballston Corridor, though that’s much less frequent of an activity.

I’d love to bike more and biking to my job in DC is on my list of things I want to do, but I must confess I have not yet done so, at the time I write this. I am looking forward to biking more often over the coming months as spring and summer arrive and find biking to be one of the things I enjoy most in any week I get the chance.

2) What do you see as the role of cycling in Arlington?
Cycling is changing the way we think about transportation and has the potential to make us a healthier, more sustainable, and happier place. The health, environmental, and well-being benefits of biking are clear. More and more evidence is coming forward regarding the negative health implications of sitting in traffic in a car or sitting at one’s desk all day. The regular activity of biking is critical. With respect to sustainability, getting to our 2050 energy goals will require multiple approaches and biking is an excellent way to reduce our carbon footprint that we should embrace.

Finally, cycling can also play a critical role in economic development as sense of place is likely to be more and more critical in determining where businesses will invest. As more Arlingtonians work from home at least one day a week, cycling will play an important role in creating a sense of place that we all treasure. Where we work is becoming more important to talented employees and we should think of the ways a strong cycling infrastructure will aid local companies in attracting top talent. Arlington Economic Development has recognized this, but Arlington County must play a role in d accelerating our efforts to do so.

3) What should the county do, if anything, to get more people to bike?
The County should take several key steps. First, we should invest in the critical connection points to make trails work for as many people as possible during the daily and weekly routines. Second, we should invest in protected bike lanes wherever possible, since safety is an important component of whether people will bike to work. Third, we should identify bike lanes well on maps, since knowing about bike lanes is a key first step in transitioning to biking. Fourth, repairing trails via plowing in the winter and necessary clearing and paving in the summer should be part of the County budget as well. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, at dangerous intersections where bicyclists, pedestrians, and cars may have conflicts, the County should prioritize funding in the Capital Improvement Plan for key intersections with trails.

The County’s efforts should continue to promote biking, while prioritizing the steps necessary to make biking safer, easier, and more enjoyable. The recent additions of Capital Bikeshare to Teddy Roosevelt Island and Gravelly Point are important additions that will contribute to biking in Arlington and foster a stronger biking culture in Arlington, but other stops in residential areas and improvements to streets should be our priority.

4) How would you approach the decision making process on a project which puts two Arlington priorities at odds? For instance, a proposal to build an important trail connection which would require cutting down a large number of trees or a proposal to build an important bike lane connection which would require removing a large number of parking spaces?
I would evaluate each project on whether it does the greatest good for the greatest number of people as compared with the alternative to the project. This would lead me to ask consistently what is the most appropriate use of funding that would be the alternative to the projects and would the benefit be equitable and fair.

With respect to the two trails described in the scenario, I would want to know how many cyclists currently use each of the two trails referenced and how many people might use them in the future through an impact analysis. I would want to understand the overall sector plans, if there were sector plans in place under the General Land Use Plan (GLUP) for the two areas in question. In both the case of the trees and of the parking spaces, the alternatives in regards to replacement trees and the relative need for parking spaces would be relevant factors, but neither would be the only factors that I would consider.

I’d want data with respect to all aspects of the projects and to understand the perspectives of the communities involved as well as to understand the the overall County needs with respect to transportation and biking.

5) What work have you done in the past – as an elected official, member of an advisory body, or as an advocate – to promote or support cycling as a mobility option?
I have not worked on cycling issues as an elected official or advisory board directly, but I have considered the importance of investing in bike lanes as part of the overall needs that the County should pay for as part of the CIP through presentations to the Joint Facilities Advisory Board. I have learned the basics with respect to cycling in Arlington from Henry Dunbar, Program Director of Bike Arlington. I look forward to seeing the work of the citizens advisory group working to update the Bicycle Master Plan and to more fully understanding the Vision Zero movement, both of which I see as important to moving Arlington forward on this critical issue.

6) If elected, what do you hope to have accomplished to make Arlington a better place for cycling by the end of your term?
I’d commit to the data-driven investments we need to increase bicycling and I would lead by example by biking regularly. I would commit to increasing funding for the key connections necessary to make Arlington fully bike friendly and I would fully evaluate the progress we could make on metrics that measure Arlington as bike friendly by comparison with other communities across the United States. Finally, I would commit to learning about Vision Zero and bike friendly policies that put Arlington at the forefront of shifting our thinking to biking as a vital form of transportation that all Arlingtonians consider and use where able.

7) Arlington doesn’t currently have a dedicated program or pot of money to build new, high-priority bicycle infrastructure. Would you support the creation of such a program, dedicated to the most-needed protected bike lanes and trails, in the Capital Improvement Plan?
Yes, I would support a dedicated program to fund the most needed bike lanes and trails in the Capital Improvement Plan. Doing so would, realistically, require a reversal of the cuts to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority that Delegate Tim Hugo forced in the General Assembly. I would support reversal in Richmond of that proposal both because it is the right policy and because ensuring adequate revenue for these projects is an essential step in keeping up with our cycling needs.

Is there anything else you would like to share with the Arlington cycling community?
I would be honored to earn the support of cyclists across Arlington and would support cycling priorities as an important means for moving Arlington forward.