1. Do you support re-aligning municipal and regional transportation plans and investments to meet the provincial government’s CleanBC target to “reduce distances travelled in light-duty vehicles by 2030 compared to 2020?
Yes, I support aligning municipal and regional transportation plans to meet the provincial government’s Clean BC target. If elected, I will work collaboratively with my fellow elected councillors to put in place more permissive zoning to allow people to live closer to where they work, learn and play. Many of the people I talk to on the street want traffic and parking issues addressed. I will work to make walking and rolling (cycling, wheel chair skateboard, etc…) a safer more enjoyable experience while enhancing accessibility for people with disabilities. I also want to enhance the public transit experience. Information from BC transit indicates that municipalities like Sidney can make the public transit experience much better in a number of ways.
2. Do you support making the default speed limit 30 km/h for streets without centrelines, as Victoria has already supported?
Yes, though I believe enforcement is not the ultimate solution to this. Streets need better delineation between higher speed areas and lower speed areas. Most speeding happens in low speed areas because the road design in the low speed area is indistinguishable from a higher speed zone. I would support using temporary materials to make iterative designs that are acceptable to local residents before committing to final designs.
3. Do you commit to budgeting sufficient funds to accelerate the draft Sidney Active Transportation Network Plan once completed?
Yes. I will work to see that funding is put in place to bring the active transportation plan to fruition.
4. Do you support using neighbourhood-wide traffic calming to create low traffic neighbourhoods with much lower traffic volume with quick build materials?
Yes, I do support using tactical urbanism principles to test concepts and informing public input. I would like to use these to test ideas to make walking and cycling on many of Sidneys streets safer, especially on our many streets that don’t have sidewalks.
5. How would you support making walking safer and more enjoyable in Sidney?
Yes, I would support street redesigns on streets with aging infrastructure to incorporate walking areas on them in addition to adding many street trees that would lend their canopies for shade and rain water absorption. Crosswalk designs have much room for improvement here and I believe we can take lessons from how other jurisdictions such as the Netherlands successfully deploy projects that make walking enjoyable and safe.
6. Do you support building a network of all ages and abilities (“AAA”) bike and roll routes throughout Sidney?
Yes, I would support building a network of AAA roll lanes on major streets in Sidney. In general, I would say that many of Sidneys side streets in residential areas are prime candidates for traffic calmed shared streets. The form that roll lanes would take is undetermined at this time. Many residents I talk to have concerns about how the City of Victorias bike lanes were built, but I would support some form of protected lane for people who roll.
7. Do you support welcoming people who use wheelchairs and mobility scooters to use all ages and abilities (AAA) bike and roll routes?
Yes. These people need safe routes that do not place them in conflict with cars as they do now.
8. Do you support rapidly completing bus lanes at key locations on the Pat Bay Highway for BC Transit’s proposed RapidBus route, as well as effective transit priority measures along all of BC Transit’s proposed RapidBus routes across the CRD?
I do support rapidly completing bus lanes at key locations on the pat bay highway for the rapid bus route as well as measures along all BC transits proposed routes across the CRD. Personally, I see rapid bus as a stepping stone to a rail based transit system and hope that a quick, high frequency bus system can be quickly deployed that will encourage people to walk or cycle to stations. I will work to ensure that rapid bus stations have secure bike storage for commuters who wish to have bikes at both ends of their journey.
9. With the court-imposed deadline of March 14, 2023 to keep the Island Rail Corridor intact, how would you support modern rail service for Vancouver Island?
I am a supporter of the Island rail corridor and support their call for modern rail service on Vancouver Island. I would love to see the province tie the rail corridor in with service to the peninsula somehow. However, since Sidney is not directly connected to the rail corridor it is difficult for the town to directly assist the Island Corridor Foundation in their cause. I would work to encourage Sidney and peninsula communities to support CRD efforts to assist the ICF.
10. Do you support making transit fares more affordable, both by reducing the cost of passes and individual fares and free or discounted passes for youth, seniors, and people living on low incomes?
Listening to residents as well as talking to riders of transit at Sidney bus stops, I don’t believe that fares are a large issue to people. Many folks do wish for more frequency on routes. I therefore believe that having a more functional transit system is of higher value to most folks than reducing fares. Having said that, if asked for free fares for youth less than 20, seniors on low income and people on programs such as EI or social assistance, I would support that.
11. Do you support removing the requirements for off-street vehicle parking from new and infill developments while adding requirements for car share, EV charging, bike and other micromobilty parking, as well as expanding accessible parking?
I do support removing requirements for off street vehicle parking for new and infill developments but only after on street parking issues are addressed through better on street management. I do not support adding requirements for car share or EV charging because of their complexity and large costs to developers which will only ever get passed on to consumers. I do however support adding requirements for charging infrastructure at bike racks and micro mobility parking areas due to their simplicity and relatively low cost. I also support adding accessible parking spaces to all areas of our town.
12. How would you activate and bring more people into public spaces within Sidney, including sidewalks, public squares, streets and parks?
I would actively work with businesses, community associations, Panorama recreation and with live music/ arts promoters to bring more people into our public spaces/parks, etc… Activities like movies in parks, beer garden fund raisers for various causes, street performers and other activities can help bring people out into public places.
13. Do you support adding substantively more accessible public bathrooms across Sidney?
Yes! I believe that folks in wheelchairs and parents with young children need more accessible public washrooms. I would support building more of these in our parks and in other public places. Around 40% of Sidneys population is over the age of 65 and many of them have mobility issues. The great distances between current public washrooms serves as a deterrent to participating in public activities. As well, about 50% of our population is female and for those still enduring their menstrual cycles, a lack of available washrooms can also be a real deterrent to going out in public.
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