UPDATE—Congratulations to the winners of the March 3 primary election: Nida Allam, Nimasheena Burns, Heidi Carter, Brenda Howerton, and Wendy Jacobs.
In advance of the Durham County Board of Commissioners Democratic primary election (since all 15 candidates are Democrats, the primary will determine the Board), Bike Durham asked the candidates a series of questions about their personal experiences and policy positions regarding transportation in Durham County.
Click here for a list of candidates, with links to their responses.
The questionnaire began with a statement from Bike Durham, as follows:
About Bike Durham
Bike Durham (BD) was created as a membership organization in 2012 by a group of Durham residents who wanted city streets that were safer and friendlier for bike riders to increase the number of riders in the County. Over time, the organization’s lens widened and its focus sharpened. The organization is no longer just about biking. We are an organization of more than 200 individuals and households that supports people who are walking, biking, riding transit, using electric wheelchairs, e-scooters, or other emerging light individual transportation (LIT) devices by calling for safe designs and improved services for all.
We are motivated to achieve three goals:
Zero Disparity of Access
We acknowledge that the current transportation system is inequitable and compounds the disadvantages of Durham’s lowest-income residents, predominantly people of color.
Most of the founders and current members of BD are white, and choose to bike, but also have the option of driving cars. Though we come from a position of white privilege, we are committed to the internal and external work of equity. In 2018, the Board attended racial equity training, joined an inclusive co-working space focused on social impact, and re-wrote our statement of purpose to read: “We believe that everyone should have access to safe and affordable transportation regardless of race, wealth, gender identity, ability or where they live. Biking and walking are the most healthy and sustainable ways to move. Bike Durham promotes policy, infrastructure, education, and community events to make Durham more equitable; empowering people of all ages to walk and bike more.”
Zero traffic deaths
We want an acceleration of changes to the designs of streets and intersections to make the system safe for all users. We will continue to raise awareness of the traffic violence that exists on our streets. We will build on the success we’ve had activating our members and community partners to support road diets and a new City staff position dedicated to walking and biking infrastructure.
Zero Carbon Emissions
We believe that our transportation system must transition to be emissions-free by 2050, and to that end, we should prioritize a significant shift to travel by walking, biking, riding transit, and using other zero-emission light individual transportation (LIT) devices.
We received responses from nine candidates, listed below. We did not receive responses from Nimasheena Burns, Patrick Byker, Fred Foster Jr., James Hill, Brenda Howerton, or John Rooks Jr.
Make your voice heard: Remember to vote! Early voting started February 23 and runs through February 29. The primary election will be held March 3.
Responding Candidates
Nida Allam
Nate Baker
Levon Barnes
Heidi Carter
Tara Fikes
Wendy Jacobs
Matt Kopac
Regina Mays
Michael Page
Bike Durham does not endorse or oppose any of the candidates for public office, and we believe that candidates’ fitness for office should be judged on a variety of qualifications that go beyond their responses to these questions.
Nida Allam
Do you currently walk, bike, and/or ride transit in Durham County? If you do not use one or more of these ways to travel, what prevents you from doing so?
When I’m closer to the downtown area, I walk as much as possible. That being said, most of my commuting is done with my car, unfortunately. I think the same factors that prevent me from using alternative modes of transportation are the same that prevent most residents of Durham from doing so. First, the bus lines are too scarce, too infrequent and too unreliable. I live in eastern Durham where the closest bus stop from my home is nearly 3 miles away, a 44-minute walk on roads with no sidewalks. Unfortunately, policymakers in Durham and across the South have treated public transportation as a necessity for those who don’t have a car, and a burden to everyone else. We need to fundamentally reorient our perspective on public transportation to one where we recognize the necessity of clean, alternative transportation as a necessity not only for low income folks today, but for future generations as well.
If you walk, bike, and/or ride transit, do you feel safe? Can you get where you need to go?
If I ride transit, I mainly do so during the day and feel very safe. In terms of getting where I need to go, I would reiterate the points I made above.
According to data for Durham County from the NCDOT Pedestrian and Bicyclist Crash Data Tool, in the five-year period between 2014 and 2018, there were 1,094 crashes between cars and people walking (855) or biking (239), resulting in 30 deaths and 53 suspected serious injuries. More than half of the people injured or killed were people of color. Bike Durham is presently finalizing a proposal for rapid deployment of a “Low-Stress Network” in Durham that would enable people to travel safely and comfortably throughout most of the city, whether walking, biking, riding a scooter, using an electric wheelchair, or any other “light individual transportation” (LIT) device. We’re calling for 125 miles of this connected set of protected LIT lanes, greenways, and slow streets to be completed by 2025.
On the following scale, indicate how much you agree to support funding this network as part of the Durham County Transit Plan. Below the scale, justify your response.
(Disagree/Somewhat Disagree/Neutral/Somewhat Agree/Agree)
I completely agree.
We need to ensure that all future road plans include safe, wide bike lanes. In Europe and many parts of the US, bike lanes in very busy areas are protected by actual mini medians. I think we need this in Durham, where more and more people are biking but car drivers have not fully grasped the importance of sharing the road. One of my supporters recently told me about witnessing an accident like those listed above. At the corner of Buchanan and Main street last summer, a bike rider was struck by a car and was immediately knocked unconscious. Had it not been for the helmet, my supporter said, this rider would likely be dead. Even with the helmet, there was bleeding coming from his head and he was unresponsive while this supporter tried to help. An ambulance finally showed up, but we have no idea how the rider fared after that. Accidents like these are horrific, particularly when we consider how preventable they are. I will admit I am not an expert on bikes or bike policy, so I am excited to hear about your “low-stress Durham” proposal, and I’m just as excited to support it as county commissioner.
Too many people with low incomes, predominantly people of color, but also many people living with disabilities, have inadequate access to jobs, healthcare, groceries and services because, for decades, our transportation system and land use has been designed around the use of private cars.
With the updates to the County Transit Plan and the Comprehensive Plan, will you agree to establish as a first priority increasing the number of jobs that people with low incomes, people of color, and people living with disabilities can access with sustainable transportation within 30 and 60 minutes? Why or why not?
First let me express how much I appreciate the way this question is posed. At its core, this question asks how my policies will be intersectional. I would absolutely prioritize the policy described in the question. The county does not have much jurisdiction over housing policy, but the county, the city and DHA have agreed that addressing the housing crisis will require collaboration on every front. From my view, affordable housing needs to center community strength and resilience, as opposed to merely providing a stripped building in which to hold low income folks. Therefore, future housing developments in Durham need to be built in sync with social services, education, meaningful employment and access to fresh, affordable food. We do this by ensuring that all new affordable housing be built to the most rigorous LEED standards, installing solar panels belonging to the community in a cooperative ownership model. In these affordable housing developments, we need the government to provide social workers and basic health services, so that no family has to travel across the city to be charged $50 or more at urgent care for a fever. We also need to leverage the procurement powers of county and city government not only to solicit services and goods from minority owned businesses, but to actually invest in the creation of worker-owned cooperative enterprises in these communities. There is also an amazing opportunity in the County Transit and Comprehensive Plans in that we can actually employ low income folks in the infrastructural work needed to satisfy those plans. Cities like Jackson, Mississippi and Jacksonville, Florida have demonstrated how municipal infrastructure projects can actually be used as a vehicle to establish new democratically run worker cooperatives. I believe we can and should do the same in Durham.
There is no denying that we are in a climate crisis. With the updates to the County Transit Plan, the Comprehensive Plan, and the region’s long-range transportation plan, will you agree to establish a goal of a zero emission public transit system in Durham by 2035, and a complete net-zero transportation system in Durham by 2050?
On the following scale, indicate how much you agree with this idea. Below the scale, explain the first step you would take toward zero emissions or justify why zero emissions is not a first priority for you.
(Disagree/Somewhat Disagree/Neutral/Somewhat Agree/Agree)
Completely agree.
2050 is not fast enough. Any policy passed at the county or city level must prioritize achieving zero emissions as quickly as possible. Whether we’re discussing education policy, taxes or public transit, policy makers need to make sure that everything we do will in some way contribute to achieving zero emissions immediately.
What else can you tell us about your commitment to safe, affordable, and clean transportation in Durham?
As commissioner, I want to continue to fight for light rail in the Triangle by fighting back against Duke using grassroots organizing and every policy lever available to me in office. We need to work with GoTriangle to expand bus service and create a digital scheduling system which will allow for more accurate stop times. These plans need to have tangible benchmarks that get Durham to eliminate public transportation fares for all riders as quickly as possible.
I would also like to work with the Durham Bike co-op to pilot a genuine bike share program that will be free or very inexpensive to Durham residents. The co-op does a great job collecting bikes (including the defunct bike share ones of last year), and repairing them, as well as keeping their workshop open to encourage riders to have autonomy over maintaining their bikes. I want to expand this model into low income neighborhoods, and leverage county funding to help sponsor low income folks to become members of the co-op. A bike share program should work to increase mobility and equity among low income people.
Finally, I also want to continue construction of greenways so that pedestrians and bikers have alternate routes to their destination which keep them safe from vehicular traffic.
Back to list
Nate Baker
Do you currently walk, bike, and/or ride transit in Durham County? If you do not use one or more of these ways to travel, what prevents you from doing so?
As an urban planner with a decade of experience helping city and county governments expand transportation options, and as an active transportation advocate, I try to help the communities that I work in think critically about what they want. That includes how they truly wish they were able to travel around. To that end, in the community meetings that we help city and county governments prepare, we often ask two key questions: “What mode of transportation do you currently use to get to work/school/grocery store/parks?” and, “If you could choose, what mode of transportation would you use to get to those places?” The results are shocking. Whether we are in small towns or dense metro areas, we hear the same thing over and over: Americans are stuck for significant amounts of time each day getting to places by car, when they would rather travel using more active and sustainable options. That is unacceptable and I have made it my mission to end it. But Durham continues moving rapidly in the wrong direction, and I am running to call attention to it and radically change the way we build our infrastructure.
If you walk, bike, and/or ride transit, do you feel safe? Can you get where you need to go?
I do walk, bike, and take transit in Durham. In general, I do not feel safe seeing people ride their bikes in Durham. Our infrastructure is not designed for pedestrians or bicyclists and it continues that way - we continue to build or streets and roads that way. Only 4 percent of Durham residents realistically have the option of commuting by any form of transportation other than an automobile.
According to data for Durham County from the NCDOT Pedestrian and Bicyclist Crash Data Tool, in the five-year period between 2014 and 2018, there were 1,094 crashes between cars and people walking (855) or biking (239), resulting in 30 deaths and 53 suspected serious injuries. More than half of the people injured or killed were people of color. Bike Durham is presently finalizing a proposal for rapid deployment of a “Low-Stress Network” in Durham that would enable people to travel safely and comfortably throughout most of the city, whether walking, biking, riding a scooter, using an electric wheelchair, or any other “light individual transportation” (LIT) device. We’re calling for 125 miles of this connected set of protected LIT lanes, greenways, and slow streets to be completed by 2025.
On the following scale, indicate how much you agree to support funding this network as part of the Durham County Transit Plan. Below the scale, justify your response.
(Disagree/Somewhat Disagree/Neutral/Somewhat Agree/Agree)
Full Agree - This is a great example of how well-meaning progressive elected officials unknowingly perpetuate a racist and environmentally insensitive system, simply by allowing the status quo of transportation and land use policy to remain in place. The truth is, non-automotive transportation is actually cheaper over time and requires less maintenance and replacement. I will be a champion for this cause, and establish the land use policies to support it.
Too many people with low incomes, predominantly people of color, but also many people living with disabilities, have inadequate access to jobs, healthcare, groceries and services because, for decades, our transportation system and land use has been designed around the use of private cars.
With the updates to the County Transit Plan and the Comprehensive Plan, will you agree to establish as a first priority increasing the number of jobs that people with low incomes, people of color, and people living with disabilities can access with sustainable transportation within 30 and 60 minutes? Why or why not?
Absolutely. And we need elected officials who understand what this means, otherwise it will not likely happen. We need to establish this policy in the comprehensive plan—but that is only a first step. There are many excellent transportation and sustainability policies in the current comprehensive plan that are not used by our planners and elected officials. We need to ensure the policy is baked into multiple aspects of our transportation cross-sections and UDO articles. My day job and expertise is writing comprehensive plan and comprehensive zoning ordinance rewrite projects, and I know in detail what needs to change here in Durham.
There is no denying that we are in a climate crisis. With the updates to the County Transit Plan, the Comprehensive Plan, and the region’s long-range transportation plan, will you agree to establish a goal of a zero emission public transit system in Durham by 2035, and a complete net-zero transportation system in Durham by 2050?
On the following scale, indicate how much you agree with this idea. Below the scale, explain the first step you would take toward zero emissions or justify why zero emissions is not a first priority for you.
(Disagree/Somewhat Disagree/Neutral/Somewhat Agree/Agree)
Yes—Agree—and I have made a campaign commitment to achieve community-wide emissions by 2045, in accordance with the timeline issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The County’s 2018 Renewable Energy Resolution calls for 100 percent clean energy in County operations by 2050. But County operations make up less than two percent of countywide emissions, leaving over 98% emissions from remaining sources throughout the County unaddressed, including transportation. In other words—it is nowhere near good enough. That must change.
I will enact land use reform in Durham that:
Uses existing resources to establish a Neighborhood and Corridor Planning division and Growth Management division in City-County government that conduct ongoing planning and robust public engagement
Ensures new complete streets are actually complete streets and offer safe and viable multimodal transportation options
Overhauls Durham zoning regulations to end sprawl; permit pedestrian-oriented development only; protect open space, farmland, and wildlife habitat corridors
What else can you tell us about your commitment to safe, affordable, and clean transportation in Durham?
According to the Durham City-County Resident Satisfaction Survey, between 2016 and 2019 the Durham community gave bicycle facilities a flat ranking of 38 out of 100, with no improvement over three years. I am running as a system change candidate, ready to intervene to enact aggressive and transformative changes to our broken land use, transportation, and development framework. Durham remains a solidly car-dependent city. Even with the new comprehensive plan, it will remain auto-dependent—more so for those without the resources now needed to live in the few walkable locations that exist—unless we have elected officials with the experience and commitment necessary to enact meaningful change in how we grow, develop, and get around.
Back to list
Levon Barnes
Do you currently walk, bike, and/or ride transit in Durham County? If you do not use one or more of these ways to travel, what prevents you from doing so?
Any opportunity I can get to walk or bike in Durham I try. I’m not the strongest cyclist anymore but I own a bike. I have multiple walking and bike trails where I live that I try and utilize everyday. I however do not take rapid transit much because the school I teach at (The School for Creative Studies) does not have a bus line that goes that far. When we connect the city to the county I will be the first to ride that bus.
If you walk, bike, and/or ride transit, do you feel safe? Can you get where you need to go?
I feel safe walking and riding in the city of Durham, and I’m fortunate that I live in an area of town (Southpoint) with consistent bus service and lots of sidewalks, though we could certainly use more especially going over I-40 towards Southpoint Mall. I know that the majority of the city does not have this privilege and that many residents live in areas where bus service is limited or unavailable and don’t have access to sidewalks or safe bike lanes for cycling.
According to data for Durham County from the NCDOT Pedestrian and Bicyclist Crash Data Tool, in the five-year period between 2014 and 2018, there were 1,094 crashes between cars and people walking (855) or biking (239), resulting in 30 deaths and 53 suspected serious injuries. More than half of the people injured or killed were people of color. Bike Durham is presently finalizing a proposal for rapid deployment of a “Low-Stress Network” in Durham that would enable people to travel safely and comfortably throughout most of the city, whether walking, biking, riding a scooter, using an electric wheelchair, or any other “light individual transportation” (LIT) device. We’re calling for 125 miles of this connected set of protected LIT lanes, greenways, and slow streets to be completed by 2025.
On the following scale, indicate how much you agree to support funding this network as part of the Durham County Transit Plan. Below the scale, justify your response.
(Disagree/Somewhat Disagree/Neutral/Somewhat Agree/Agree)
First, can I go past “Agree”, but I fully support the concept of a low-stress bicycle network and agree that it’s important to create the network as a whole, rather than in pieces, so that any user who takes advantage can commute safely. I believe this is an important priority for Durham’s transportation future and that sustainable transportation infrastructure needs to be a higher priority in county spending plans. Both growth and climate change raise the importance of this issue more each year. As your next County Commissioner, I look forward to supporting funding requests for this work. I thank Bike Durham for putting this in place and advocating for its completion.
Too many people with low incomes, predominantly people of color, but also many people living with disabilities, have inadequate access to jobs, healthcare, groceries and services because, for decades, our transportation system and land use has been designed around the use of private cars.
With the updates to the County Transit Plan and the Comprehensive Plan, will you agree to establish as a first priority increasing the number of jobs that people with low incomes, people of color, and people living with disabilities can access with sustainable transportation within 30 and 60 minutes? Why or why not?
No question, I think the biggest issue facing Durham County is economic inequality and the wealth gap for people of color. A major barrier for low-resourced people, people of color and with disabilities is access to efficient and reliable transportation. The residents who live in McDougald Terrace, Oxford Manor, Braggtown and Oldham Towers have a value and skill sets that can be put to great use. So between Durham Technical Community College, North Carolina Central University, and Duke University, a partnership should be formed that brings the resources for education to those communities directly. This will not just foster trust between communities in government but most importantly can change the culture for a whole generation of people.
The city and county should work together in providing free or reduced bus passes for residents including seniors to get around the city and county. If we can not put programs and policies in place then the gentrification will continue and the gap will be beyond repairable. I believe that the focus on building this wealth comes from education and fostering black and brown entrepreneurship opportunities through grants and partnerships.
5There is no denying that we are in a climate crisis. With the updates to the County Transit Plan, the Comprehensive Plan, and the region’s long-range transportation plan, will you agree to establish a goal of a zero emission public transit system in Durham by 2035, and a complete net-zero transportation system in Durham by 2050?
On the following scale, indicate how much you agree with this idea. Below the scale, explain the first step you would take toward zero emissions or justify why zero emissions is not a first priority for you.
(Disagree/Somewhat Disagree/Neutral/Somewhat Agree/Agree)
I was just endorsed by the Sierra Club, so the environment is an important issue for me. I fear for the next generation that there will not be a planet that is safe enough for them to go outside and play. I wish there was an option past agree. Durham must lead the region and the South in transitioning to renewable energy to combat climate change. Durham is projected to have over 350,000 people by 2030! Can you imagine the impact that will have on our environment? With crumbling streets and infrastructure, heavy traffic and pollution the carbon impact will be devastating and irreparable. We must have a greener public transportation system and while that mostly relies on the city, the county will play an integral role in shaping the regional transportation system for our next generation. With the disaster of light rail and the 150 million-dollar investment of public dollars, we must look at increasing the city-county connectivity with our bus system. I would propose an investment in solar and electric buses to include bus-only HOV lanes. Commuter rail is a long-term option but before I would commit those public dollars I would want guarantees from all stakeholders to sign a contract through completion. Commuter rail that connects the Triangle would have a significant impact environmentally and economically to our region.
What else can you tell us about your commitment to safe, affordable, and clean transportation in Durham?
I am beyond committed to safe, affordable and clean transportation in Durham County. We are at the point of no return, as our county continues to grow and be a destination for people all over the world, we must be out front in reducing our imprint on the environment and being proactive in what mass transit looks like. In Durham, we have the ability to do this but do we have the will. Organizations like Bike Durham are important in advocating the needs of transportation and you have a friend and champion in me to put the necessary resources together for this project and others.
Back to list
Heidi Carter
Do you currently walk, bike, and/or ride transit in Durham County? If you do not use one or more of these ways to travel, what prevents you from doing so?
I currently walk and bike frequently, as both a means of recreation and as a way to travel. I am very fortunate to live close to the American Tobacco Trail and have a safe route to bike downtown for work, meetings and events. I recognize what a tremendous privilege it is to live near a connected route of safe lanes for travel by bike or by foot, and I believe it is important to increase the number of connected lanes where all people will be and feel safe to bike, walk and roll.
I occasionally take a Go Durham bus, but I would like to ride the bus much more often as a way to decrease traffic congestion and harmful carbon emissions from single occupancy vehicle travel. If the bus schedule was more frequent and reliable, it would be more convenient for me to make the switch from driving to taking public transit. Once again, I recognize that I am privileged to have the choice of how I travel. Most of the riders of Go Durham do not own a car and have no other option. We must invest in public transit so that those who rely on the bus can get to their jobs and the services they need on time every day every time and so that more residents will start riding the bus to replace their car trips.
If you walk, bike, and/or ride transit, do you feel safe? Can you get where you need to go?
I feel relatively safe when I bike, but I stick to biking on the ATT or on the bike lanes we have in Durham. I do not feel nearly as safe when I ride on a street without bike lanes, and I would feel much safer if all our bike lanes were physically protected from vehicular traffic.
I live in a relatively walkable community and am so lucky that I can safely bike or walk to grocery stores, the mall, the bank, the gym, and much more. It is important that as Durham continues to grow that we do so in ways that promote more equitable access to safe infrastructure for biking and walking, as well as significantly improved local bus and regional transit service.
I also am very fortunate to live in an area where rates of crime are low. I do not worry about being a victim of crime when I walk, bike or run in my neighborhood. There have been acts of crime along the American Tobacco Trail over the years, but for the most part, I feel safe using this trail during daylight hours. I consider the ATT to be one of the top amenities in Durham and love living nearby and using it regularly. My vision for Durham includes more equitable access to greenways and safe pathways for recreation and travel.
According to data for Durham County from the NCDOT Pedestrian and Bicyclist Crash Data Tool, in the five-year period between 2014 and 2018, there were 1,094 crashes between cars and people walking (855) or biking (239), resulting in 30 deaths and 53 suspected serious injuries. More than half of the people injured or killed were people of color. Bike Durham is presently finalizing a proposal for rapid deployment of a “Low-Stress Network” in Durham that would enable people to travel safely and comfortably throughout most of the city, whether walking, biking, riding a scooter, using an electric wheelchair, or any other “light individual transportation” (LIT) device. We’re calling for 125 miles of this connected set of protected LIT lanes, greenways, and slow streets to be completed by 2025.
On the following scale, indicate how much you agree to support funding this network as part of the Durham County Transit Plan. Below the scale, justify your response.
(Disagree/Somewhat Disagree/Neutral/Somewhat Agree/Agree)
A public engagement process to develop a new County transit plan has just begun, and I am eager to learn more about the community's priorities and suggestions, but I fully agree that it makes good sense to support funding this network as part of the Durham County Transit Plan.
Protected lanes for light individual transportation can be less expensive and constructed more quickly, if government officials in the County and the City commit to making it happen. I look forward to learning more about the projected costs, but I expect the investment will have a good rate of financial and social return. Compared to light rail or commuter rail, investment in a low stress network of protected lanes will be dramatically less expensive, and the construction of such will be much, much faster.
While I certainly support a strong regional transit system with commuter rail and bus rapid transit along high-travel corridors, we cannot wait for a decade or more to complete these projects to start to improve our local transit options, including a low stress network of projects we can rapidly deploy. This is also an issue of racial equity, as our local data shows. We must make it safer for people of color to move by bike and by foot, so we can eliminate disparities in safety and health outcomes related to transit.
Too many people with low incomes, predominantly people of color, but also many people living with disabilities, have inadequate access to jobs, healthcare, groceries and services because, for decades, our transportation system and land use has been designed around the use of private cars.
With the updates to the County Transit Plan and the Comprehensive Plan, will you agree to establish as a first priority increasing the number of jobs that people with low incomes, people of color, and people living with disabilities can access with sustainable transportation within 30 and 60 minutes? Why or why not?
Yes, I agree to keep this as a top priority. Sustainable, reliable transportation to jobs and services is one of the major social determinants of health, education and economic outcomes for people. To reduce disparities in each of these interlocked areas that are central for shared prosperity, we must also reduce inequities in access to transportation.
There is sound research that correlates economic mobility and transit access. For example, studies from Harvard and NYU show that geographic mobility (including availability of jobs within a 30 minute commute) is linked to economic mobility: by providing better transit access to reach more jobs within a shorter amount of time, we can help residents with fewer resources to increase their incomes.
“Stranded: How America's Failing Public Transportation Increases Inequality” from The Atlantic
And finally, an efficient and effective public transit system can save people a lot of money! If families can get by with 1 car instead of 2, or no cars instead of 1, they can save substantial funds that can be used for groceries, healthcare, tuition or other priorities. For example, Indianapolis calculated that many local families could save $1900 a year on decreased transportation costs, which could cover tuition at the local community college.
“Fighting Poverty through Access to Transportation” from Spotlight
There is no denying that we are in a climate crisis. With the updates to the County Transit Plan, the Comprehensive Plan, and the region’s long-range transportation plan, will you agree to establish a goal of a zero emission public transit system in Durham by 2035, and a complete net-zero transportation system in Durham by 2050?
On the following scale, indicate how much you agree with this idea. Below the scale, explain the first step you would take toward zero emissions or justify why zero emissions is not a first priority for you.
(Disagree/Somewhat Disagree/Neutral/Somewhat Agree/Agree)
Thank you for asking about the climate crisis and noting the important connection to transportation. I strongly agree that we must both shift our public transit system to zero carbon emissions and that we can and must reduce our community-wide transportation emissions to net zero.
To choose a single first step is difficult, because it will take dramatic changes to much of our transportation and planning systems to reach these necessary carbon emissions reduction goals.
First, we should use county transit funds for a network of protected lanes for active transportation. These protected lanes can use quick-build strategies to most rapidly get more people walking, biking and riding scooters instead of driving, and other cities have seen those measures as transformational. Increasing funding for public transit in both capital and operating expenditures can make buses more frequent and more reliable so that more commuters will depend on them, and we should pursue aggressive and innovative transportation demand management programs to make transit more convenient and accessible than driving alone. We must also think about changes that have a slower but longer-term effect: enabling transit-oriented development (as opposed to increased sprawl at the urban fringe) will make it more feasible and more economical for residents to use buses, bikes and scooters to get to school, work and services.
For county operations in particular, we must do much better to reduce emissions from our fleet of vehicles, which have increased over the past decade. One strategy is to begin a “shared fleet” approach where staff members share vehicles rather than having one per person who drives as part of their job. We will also need to shift more of our vehicles — both buses and County operations vehicles — to running on electricity rather than fossil fuel, so we can then take advantage of shifts to renewable sources for electricity generation. Migrating our buses to running on electricity by 2035 is a feasible and important goal. It will save us money that we currently spend on fossil fuel and the public health impacts of air pollution on residents. But our highest priority needs to be a shift in “mode share”: we need to get ourselves and our neighbors out of our cars and onto buses and trains, as well as walking, biking and rolling.
What else can you tell us about your commitment to safe, affordable, and clean transportation in Durham?
I really appreciate that Bike Durham is explicitly noting the privileges (racial, economic or otherwise) of its board members and identifying distinct goals about access, safety and emissions reduction. I have emphasized throughout this campaign that my guiding principles are racial equity and environmental sustainability, and it’s particularly important to identify cases where those principles can work in harmony, as they often do. As you’ve noted throughout your questions here, transportation is a key issue of racial justice: because low-income residents and people of color disproportionately rely on our public transit system for access to jobs and services, because traffic violence impacts everyone but most often those people who are poor or live in black and brown neighborhoods and because climate change will have the greatest effects on our most vulnerable during floods, hurricanes and heat waves. My family and I are proud members of Bike Durham, and I applaud this statement of your three goals.
If re-elected, my commitment will be to bike or ride the bus to work one day every week in my next term as County Commissioner, to make sure these issues of access and equity remain front and center in my mind. I encourage you all to join me on the bus!
Back to list
Tara Fikes
Do you currently walk, bike, and/or ride transit in Durham County? If you do not use one or more of these ways to travel, what prevents you from doing so?
While I do occasionally walk for exercise in Durham County, I do not bike and/or ride transit in Durham County. I do not bike now because of knee issues and I do not ride transit buses because it is not convenient to do so. I would have to walk approximately 1.5 miles to get to the nearest bus stop.
If you walk, bike, and/or ride transit, do you feel safe? Can you get where you need to go?
When I walk for exercise, I do feel safe in the community and have access to adequate walking trails—e.g. the American Tobacco Trail.
According to data for Durham County from the NCDOT Pedestrian and Bicyclist Crash Data Tool, in the five-year period between 2014 and 2018, there were 1,094 crashes between cars and people walking (855) or biking (239), resulting in 30 deaths and 53 suspected serious injuries. More than half of the people injured or killed were people of color. Bike Durham is presently finalizing a proposal for rapid deployment of a “Low-Stress Network” in Durham that would enable people to travel safely and comfortably throughout most of the city, whether walking, biking, riding a scooter, using an electric wheelchair, or any other “light individual transportation” (LIT) device. We’re calling for 125 miles of this connected set of protected LIT lanes, greenways, and slow streets to be completed by 2025.
On the following scale, indicate how much you agree to support funding this network as part of the Durham County Transit Plan. Below the scale, justify your response.
(Disagree/Somewhat Disagree/Neutral/Somewhat Agree/Agree)
Agree
Too many people with low incomes, predominantly people of color, but also many people living with disabilities, have inadequate access to jobs, healthcare, groceries and services because, for decades, our transportation system and land use has been designed around the use of private cars.
With the updates to the County Transit Plan and the Comprehensive Plan, will you agree to establish as a first priority increasing the number of jobs that people with low incomes, people of color, and people living with disabilities can access with sustainable transportation within 30 and 60 minutes? Why or why not?
Yes, I can agree with increasing the number of jobs available to the persons identified above. It is my hope that the County Transit Plan and the Comprehensive Plan will include the need for transit that serves our employment and education “hubs” in the community so that everyone particularly those less likely to own private cars can access jobs and educational opportunities.
There is no denying that we are in a climate crisis. With the updates to the County Transit Plan, the Comprehensive Plan, and the region’s long-range transportation plan, will you agree to establish a goal of a zero emission public transit system in Durham by 2035, and a complete net-zero transportation system in Durham by 2050?
On the following scale, indicate how much you agree with this idea. Below the scale, explain the first step you would take toward zero emissions or justify why zero emissions is not a first priority for you.
(Disagree/Somewhat Disagree/Neutral/Somewhat Agree/Agree)
Agree.
What else can you tell us about your commitment to safe, affordable, and clean transportation in Durham?
Admittedly, I am still learning about the impact of net emissions on the climate and the environment. However, it is clear that as a country we must reduce the pollutants that come from greenhouse gas emissions in order to affect the negative consequences of climate change such as global warming which is leading to heat waves, droughts and severe storms. That urgency naturally must be adopted by local communities such as Durham in order to help the country achieve this goal. In terms of transit, I am aware that many large cities in the country are beginning to invest in electric buses as a way to operate cleaner transit systems. I would suspect that will soon be a logical conversation (if it is not already happening) for Durham as well. Therefore, I am totally committed to advocating for safe, affordable and clean transportation in Durham and exploring solutions such as electric buses that will help us achieve that goal.
Back to list
Wendy Jacobs
Do you currently walk, bike, and/or ride transit in Durham County?
Yes. I walk as much as I can as part of my work life, mostly in downtown Durham. I also bike and walk for pleasure and exercise.
If you do not use one or more of these ways to travel, what prevents you from doing so?
I do not live near a transit stop/bus line (I am within an unincorporated area of the county). I also am very car dependent because of my work schedule and demands as a county commissioner.
If you walk, bike, and/or ride transit, do you feel safe?
I feel safe most of the time. When I am walking back to my car/the county parking garage late at night and I am alone, that portion of East Main Street can be unlit and deserted of street life and people. That is when I can feel vulnerable and do not feel safe.
Can you get where you need to go?
Yes, I can always get to where I need to go because I have a car, although I may often spend time sitting in traffic!
According to data for Durham County from the NCDOT Pedestrian and Bicyclist Crash Data Tool, in the five-year period between 2014 and 2018, there were 1,094 crashes between cars and people walking (855) or biking (239), resulting in 30 deaths and 53 suspected serious injuries. More than half of the people injured or killed were people of color. Bike Durham is presently finalizing a proposal for rapid deployment of a “Low-Stress Network” in Durham that would enable people to travel safely and comfortably throughout most of the city, whether walking, biking, riding a scooter, using an electric wheelchair, or any other “light individual transportation” (LIT) device. We’re calling for 125 miles of this connected set of protected LIT lanes, greenways, and slow streets to be completed by 2025.
On the following scale, indicate how much you agree to support funding this network as part of the Durham County Transit Plan. Below the scale, justify your response.
(Disagree/Somewhat Disagree/Neutral/Somewhat Agree/Agree)
Agree. This sounds like a great idea that I would like to learn more about. The rate of pedestrian and bicycle injuries and deaths is horrifying and inexcusable. I was not aware that this was also such a racial-disparity issue as well. I would also not be surprised if it is a racial- and economic-disparity issue if we looked further at the data. This must be addressed. People must also change their behavior. In Durham, we can often not even get drivers to stop at crosswalks or safely share the road with bike riders or pedestrians. I agree that there must be safe and protected non-vehicle ways for people to get where they need to go.
Too many people with low incomes, predominantly people of color, but also many people living with disabilities, have inadequate access to jobs, healthcare, groceries and services because, for decades, our transportation system and land use has been designed around the use of private cars.
With the updates to the County Transit Plan and the Comprehensive Plan, will you agree to establish as a first priority increasing the number of jobs that people with low incomes, people of color, and people living with disabilities can access with sustainable transportation within 30 and 60 minutes?
I agree that this should be a first priority to consider but I would need more information about what low income people, people of color and people with disabilities consider their priorities to be in order to assess whether this should be the first priority.
Why or why not?
As I indicated, I would not determine what should be the first priority as we update the County Transit and Comprehensive Plans without hearing what priorities come out of the intentional efforts underway right now to have a robust ENGAGEDurham community engagement process that is making a very deliberate and intentional effort with its Ambassadors Program to put the voices of the most marginalized people in our community at the center of this process. Currently about 80% of GoDurham riders are people of color, about 68% are zero-vehicle, transit-dependent households and about 53% of these riders make less than $15,000 per year. I agree that sustainable transportation is essential and I agree that focusing on making sure residents can access jobs within 30–60 minutes is also essential. But I think we need to make sure residents are getting access to not just any jobs but jobs that provide self-sustaining wages. This should be part of any such criteria. And we do have these jobs in Durham. In fact, we have the highest-wage jobs in North Carolina. Since 2019, as Chair of our board, I have helped create nearly 3,000 new good paying jobs. About half of them are accessible to people with a high-school degree and certification or associate degree and with starting salaries of about $50,000 per year plus benefits. Most of these jobs are in RTP or Treyburn Industrial Park so the focus also needs to be on our education-to-jobs pipeline, and determining where to direct these sustainable transportation connections. I consider the issues of poverty, access to good-paying jobs, affordable housing and affordable, reliable and convenient transportation to be intertwined. The priorities and needs of our transit-dependent residents will need to be centered in this decision-making process.
There is no denying that we are in a climate crisis. With the updates to the County Transit Plan, the Comprehensive Plan, and the region’s long-range transportation plan, will you agree to establish a goal of a zero emission public transit system in Durham by 2035, and a complete net-zero transportation system in Durham by 2050?
I consider climate change to be an urgent crisis that demands urgent action and must be prioritized. I supported the adoption of Durham County’s Renewable Energy Resolution that commits to 40% use of renewables by 2040 and 100% renewables by 2050 so these emissions targets are consistent with these aspirational goals. I signed the Green New Deal pledge. I am helping lead the NC Solar Schools Initiative to provide solar energy at no cost to our schools, help decentralize our power grid and increase the use of renewable energy throughout our communities. This issue is a personal priority for me.
In the face of climate change, I agree we have no choice but to work toward these goals. But again, it is also important to hear the priorities from the community that will come out of the ENGAGEDurham process. Every priority and choice that is incorporated into the updated land use and transit plans will have trade-offs and price tags associated with them. We as a community will need to understand the decisions and choices we are making and build consensus around our goals so that we can move forward together and successfully implement our revised transit and land use plans
On the following scale, indicate how much you agree with this idea. Below the scale, explain the first step you would take toward zero emissions or justify why zero emissions is not a first priority for you.
(Disagree/Somewhat Disagree/Neutral/Somewhat Agree/Agree)
Agree. As noted above, I look forward to considering the priorities that emerge from the community-based ENGAGEDurham process that will help guide the framework for our revised transit and land-use plans. The first step would be to incorporate goals toward Zero Emissions into our plans and then develop specific targets and strategies to help us meet these goals. Developing a funding strategy and plan will be critical as upfront costs are one of the biggest barriers. GoTriangle recently purchased our first two Proterra electric buses. We were able to do so with a $943,000 federal grant and $100,000 Duke Energy grant for charging stations. Electric buses cost $300,000 to $450,000 more than diesel buses but over their lifespan will save more than $250,000 to $400,000 so we will need to have a comprehensive approach of looking at capital and operational costs, and also a method to assess associated environmental impact costs and benefits. Difficult decisions about funding priorities will have to be made due to limited and inadequate local, state and federal funding for transportation, especially non-car-centered transportation. Challenging choices may involve, for example, whether to put limited resources toward addressing equitable access and racial and economic disparities by investing in more frequent, affordable, reliable and convenient transportation or purchase of electric buses to meet zero goals.
What else can you tell us about your commitment to safe, affordable, and clean transportation in Durham?
I am 100% committed to these goals and I would also add equitable and healthy and sustainable as part of “clean.” As Chair of the Board of County Commissioners, member of the GoTriangle Board of Trustees, Chair of the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization, member of the Joint City County Planning Committee and Co-Chair of the Triangle J Council of Governments Smart Growth Committee, I am working hard for an effective, sustainable and accessible local and regional transportation system. I have been a strong voice for safe and protected pedestrian and bikeways and advocated for a change in NCDOT policy to allow funding for sidewalks and bike lanes on highway projects to be re-allocated for multi-use paths. The advocacy of our MPO in collaboration with CAMPO (Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization) has helped improve the revised NCDOT Complete Streets Policy that will allow multi-use paths incorporated in project plans to be covered by NCDOT as part of the project total costs.
I worked as hard as I could for the success of the Durham-Orange Light Rail Project because I felt this was the most transformative tool we had to address poverty, manage our growth and fight climate change. I will continue to fight for the options we have to create a multi-modal system of protected and safe bike and pedestrian pathways, connected to a strong local and regional transit network that will get people to where they need to go, help us create healthy, livable places for people to live, and address systemic racial and economic inequities to create shared prosperity and health and well being for all. I believe we are at a turning point in Durham’s history where we have tremendous opportunities with economic development and good paying jobs accessible to people of all education and skill levels and backgrounds. I believe we have the opportunity with our revised Transit and Comprehensive Land Use Plan to create the framework, blueprint and vision for how we create a sustainable, equitable and just future in Durham. I am committed to this future.
Back to list
Matt Kopac
Do you currently walk, bike, and/or ride transit in Durham County? If you do not use one or more of these ways to travel, what prevents you from doing so?
For this question, I will share my present, past and future. These days I primarily drive. This is because my younger son is in pre-school in south Durham, and I do not have walk, bike or transit options to get him to school. Before kids and during the first few years of my kid’s lives, I commuted by bike or bus almost every day. My wife and I have purposefully tried to orient our lives to accommodate non-car multi-modal transit options, including living and working closer to our jobs. This worked well until the pre-school situation. Currently, we make the effort to at least shift our weekend mobility to biking and walking. However, I am excited for next year. We already walk my older son to his elementary school at Club Boulevard and next year both of my kids will be in public school close to our home. We are looking forward to being able to walk with our boys to school and then being able to bike or bus to work almost every day (at least until middle school!).
While this is a near ideal scenario for our family, what we’re lacking is the freedom for our kids to safely explore their neighborhood by themselves on foot or bike. As is the case in much of Durham, there are limited sidewalks near our home and traffic that is really too fast for a neighborhood, which makes us scared for our kids’ safety.
If you walk, bike, and/or ride transit, do you feel safe? Can you get where you need to go?
I am a pretty confident cyclist and live close to a greenway so I generally feel pretty safe, though I have to stick to circumscribed routes. I also feel safe riding our buses which are quite nice and convenient with on-board wifi. Although I don’t typically take my kids on the bus, I would feel comfortable doing so. I have only been able to get where I want to go because we had the privilege to be able to afford to live closer to better bike routes and close to a bus route. We’re also fortunate to have employment near our home. However, we do not always feel safe when out walking and biking with our kids due to traffic speeds and volume.
According to data for Durham County from the NCDOT Pedestrian and Bicyclist Crash Data Tool, in the five-year period between 2014 and 2018, there were 1,094 crashes between cars and people walking (855) or biking (239), resulting in 30 deaths and 53 suspected serious injuries. More than half of the people injured or killed were people of color. Bike Durham is presently finalizing a proposal for rapid deployment of a “Low-Stress Network” in Durham that would enable people to travel safely and comfortably throughout most of the city, whether walking, biking, riding a scooter, using an electric wheelchair, or any other “light individual transportation” (LIT) device. We’re calling for 125 miles of this connected set of protected LIT lanes, greenways, and slow streets to be completed by 2025.
On the following scale, indicate how much you agree to support funding this network as part of the Durham County Transit Plan. Below the scale, justify your response.
(Disagree/Somewhat Disagree/Neutral/Somewhat Agree/Agree)
I would strongly agree that our Transit Plan needs to embrace a holistic view of mobility, and shift from the historic mindset of prioritizing cars and speed. Walking, biking and other LIT forms of transit are the most affordable, accessible and healthy forms of transit for individuals and our community—provided that the routes are safe. Proposals like the LSN must be integral elements of a long-term strategy to reduce our dependence on personal automobiles, as they help to tip the scales of human behavior quickly. In terms of funding, I look forward to better understanding the allocation required and the timeframe to make LSN a reality.
Too many people with low incomes, predominantly people of color, but also many people living with disabilities, have inadequate access to jobs, healthcare, groceries and services because, for decades, our transportation system and land use has been designed around the use of private cars.
With the updates to the County Transit Plan and the Comprehensive Plan, will you agree to establish as a first priority increasing the number of jobs that people with low incomes, people of color, and people living with disabilities can access with sustainable transportation within 30 and 60 minutes? Why or why not?
Affordable, sustainable transit has been a key provision of my plan for affordability. Yes we need more affordable housing construction and yes we need more job creation for local residents, but if we had multi-modal, regionally-integrated transit options for people with low incomes, people of color and people living with disabilities, that would expand affordable housing options that did not have to be located downtown, did not have to be co-located with work, or did not require so much money for gas and car maintenance.
There is no denying that we are in a climate crisis. With the updates to the County Transit Plan, the Comprehensive Plan, and the region’s long-range transportation plan, will you agree to establish a goal of a zero emission public transit system in Durham by 2035, and a complete net-zero transportation system in Durham by 2050?
On the following scale, indicate how much you agree with this idea. Below the scale, explain the first step you would take toward zero emissions or justify why zero emissions is not a first priority for you.
(Disagree/Somewhat Disagree/Neutral/Somewhat Agree/Agree)
I strongly agree that zero-emissions public transit and net-zero transportation are critical goals for addressing climate change and protecting our quality of life in Durham over the long term. We know that transportation is the second-largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions behind only our energy sector. In addition to exploring the requirements of a Low Stress Network, another step I would take towards zero emissions would be replacing outdated buses with all-electric models.
Of course, these can be only first steps and by themselves will make only a very small dent in our overall emissions. The biggest greenhouse gas reductions will come if Durhamites with cars choose other ways to get around to live, work and play. This must involve a comprehensive plan including more frequent bus service, and potential transit options like Bus Rapid Transit and commuter rail to Raleigh. We must rethink our entire transportation system in order to dramatically reduce our daily per capita Vehicle Miles per Durham’s Sustainability Roadmap.
What else can you tell us about your commitment to safe, affordable, and clean transportation in Durham?
I have been incredibly fortunate in my life to have had the chance to live and travel around the world, experience different systems of mobility, and learn from visionary leaders. I have ridden the world-class metro in Delhi after meeting with the “Metro Man” himself Elattuvalapil Sreedharan. I have ridden the Bus Rapid Transit System in Curitiba, Brazil (which inspired BRT around the world), and met with famed mayor and BRT visionary Jaime Lerner. I have studied the transit systems of the Netherlands including the ubiquitous bike infrastructure. I lived in Washington, DC where I got around by metro, bus, bike and on foot. At the same time I have experienced cities like Sao Paolo, Brazil, Cotonou, Benin, Los Angeles and Atlanta—cities across the developed and developing world which are literally choking on congestion. When I first came to Durham ten years ago, one of the first things I noticed was how hard it was to get around the Triangle region without a car. It was easy to envision the increased congestion and sprawl that we are facing ten years later. It is easier still to envision what the livability of Durham will be like in 20 years if we do not act.
One of the experiences that was most heartening was meeting with the head of the Urban Planning Department for the City of Amsterdam. The first thing he did was pull out photographs from the 1970s and 1980s that showed the city overwhelmed with cars. He told me that most people believe the Dutch have always biked, when the reality is that it was good planning that changed the default option for mobility and created one of the most livable, healthiest, most environmentally sustainable cities in the world.
I share these experiences simply to communicate that I share your vision and my commitment is strong for a future Durham with safe, affordable and clean transportation. Cities much larger and more sprawling have achieved what we’d like to see in Durham using tools that we have at our disposal, and I’m grateful to have strong community advocacy to partner with in this journey.
Back to list
Regina Mays
Do you currently walk, bike, and/or ride transit in Durham County? If you do not use one or more of these ways to travel, what prevents you from doing so?
I currently use the transit system.
If you walk, bike, and/ or ride transit, do you feel safe? Can you get where you need to go?
I do feel safe on transit but as for when my teens catch the buses we have to have a different conversation due to police presence at the downtown bus station and other locations they may go. Also, my children work and others know this so we have conversations about traveling with cash on them or when they want to hang out with others to shop or go to the movies and other outings. Sometimes we use the option of Lyft/ Uber because they make wise decisions based on circumstances. No, sometimes we cannot get to where we need to go especially with the recent transit changes that took place January 25th.
According to data for Durham County from the NCDOT Pedestrian and Bicyclist Crash Data Tool, in the five-year period between 2014 and 2018, there were 1,094 crashes between cars and people walking (855) or biking (239), resulting in 30 deaths and 53 suspected serious injuries. More than half of the people injured or killed were people of color. Bike Durham is presently finalizing a proposal for rapid deployment of a “Low-Stress Network” in Durham that would enable people to travel safely and comfortably throughout most of the city, whether walking, biking, riding a scooter, using an electric wheelchair, or any other “light individual transportation” (LIT) device. We’re calling for 125 miles of this connected set of protected LIT lanes, greenways, and slow streets to be completed by 2025.
On the following scale, indicate how much you agree to support funding this network as part of the Durham County Transit Plan. Below the scale, justify your response.
(Disagree/Somewhat Disagree/Neutral/Somewhat Agree/Agree)
Agree.
With the updates to the County Transit Plan and the Comprehensive Plan, will you agree to establish as a first priority increasing the number of jobs that people with low incomes, people of color, and people living with disabilities can access with sustainable transportation within 30 and 60 minutes? Why or Why not?
I would love to make that first priority but the reality is that your better-paying jobs are not generally in areas that will allow that to be a reality. E.g., look at where Harris Teeter and Target are not near Braggtown or Hoover Road Housing property. The recent transit plan actually had a negative impact on ridership especially for Duke and UNC employees as voiced at the recent transit meeting held at the transit terminal. For the disabled riders there needs to be more access to Durham Access Transportation which allows van services to pick individuals up at the front door and take them shopping, to work, and doctor’s appointments as well as other outings. Right now, there is a shortage of vans and drivers. We must also consider the population growth and ongoing construction not only affects the transit system but traffic as a whole.
There is no denying that we are in a climate crisis. With the updates to the County Transit Plan, the Comprehensive Plan, and the region’s long-range transportation plan, will you agree to establish a goal of a zero emission public transit system in Durham by 2035, and a complete net-zero transportation system in Durham by 2050?
On the following scale, indicate how much you agree with this idea. Below the scale, explain the first step you would take toward zero emissions or justify why zero emissions is not a first priority for you.
(Disagree/Somewhat Disagree/Neutral/Somewhat Agree/Agree)
Agree.
What else can you tell us about your commitment to safe, affordable, and clean transportation in Durham?
I will commit to holding the private industry accountable for putting safe, affordable, and clean transportation in Durham over profit while maintaining a profit that meets the need to pay drivers accurate wages and maintain buses. Especially, as the population continue to grow we need campaigns to support increasing ridership. It is proven that will decrease accidents, pollution, and the list goes on about the positives.
Back to list
Michael Page
Do you currently walk, bike, and/or ride transit in Durham County? If you do not use one or more of these ways to travel, what prevents you from doing so?
I currently walk in Durham county. I do enjoy biking when I have the opportunity.
If you walk, bike, and/or ride transit, do you feel safe? Can you get where you need to go?
I do feel safe when walking in Durham. I am able to get where I need to go.
According to data for Durham County from the NCDOT Pedestrian and Bicyclist Crash Data Tool, in the five-year period between 2014 and 2018, there were 1,094 crashes between cars and people walking (855) or biking (239), resulting in 30 deaths and 53 suspected serious injuries. More than half of the people injured or killed were people of color. Bike Durham is presently finalizing a proposal for rapid deployment of a “Low-Stress Network” in Durham that would enable people to travel safely and comfortably throughout most of the city, whether walking, biking, riding a scooter, using an electric wheelchair, or any other “light individual transportation” (LIT) device. We’re calling for 125 miles of this connected set of protected LIT lanes, greenways, and slow streets to be completed by 2025.
On the following scale, indicate how much you agree to support funding this network as part of the Durham County Transit Plan. Below the scale, justify your response.
(Disagree/Somewhat Disagree/Neutral/Somewhat Agree/Agree)
Agree.
Too many people with low incomes, predominantly people of color, but also many people living with disabilities, have inadequate access to jobs, healthcare, groceries and services because, for decades, our transportation system and land use has been designed around the use of private cars.
With the updates to the County Transit Plan and the Comprehensive Plan, will you agree to establish as a first priority increasing the number of jobs that people with low incomes, people of color, and people living with disabilities can access with sustainable transportation within 30 and 60 minutes? Why or why not?
If elected I would be happy to establish a plan for people with certain disabilities to be able to access transportation in a timely manner particularly in a 30–60 minute time frame. I deem this a priority because it is not a good use of time for residents to spend so much time waiting for transportation and with the various transit connections and stops this could be alleviated.
There is no denying that we are in a climate crisis. With the updates to the County Transit Plan, the Comprehensive Plan, and the region’s long-range transportation plan, will you agree to establish a goal of a zero emission public transit system in Durham by 2035, and a complete net-zero transportation system in Durham by 2050?
On the following scale, indicate how much you agree with this idea. Below the scale, explain the first step you would take toward zero emissions or justify why zero emissions is not a first priority for you.
(Disagree/Somewhat Disagree/Neutral/Somewhat Agree/Agree)
I would check agree, I think that is a fair assumption to move our community along in reducing this emission. I also believe that if we had adequate transit then we would be able to further advance this cause so that people would be directed to a single mode of transportation. Of course for a healthy sustainable community, walking and biking should be viewed as a single most choice of transportation.
What else can you tell us about your commitment to safe, affordable, and clean transportation in Durham?
I am very committed to safe and affordable and clean transportation in Durham as I would continue to uphold and support recommendations from our Environmental Services Board and also other safety citizen-based committees that promote healthy and sustainable living. I would regularly support media campaigns to educate our community about clean systems in place, and support community-interest meetings to gain more influence from citizens on building a clean system. I remain a proponent of this cause.