2016 District 7 Candidate Ben Matranga

Candidate Facts

7BM BenMatrangaD7    Name: Ben Matranga
   Campaign Website: benmatranga.com

Candidate Questionnaire

All official candidates were contacted and given the opportunity to answer our Candidate Questionnaire. Any candidate responses edited for length and clarity have been marked as such.

1. Do you ride a bicycle in the city?

Yes

If “Yes,” how often do you ride and for what purpose(s)?

I ride my bike fairly often and for all purposes – commuting, leisure and for exercise. I rode my bike solo across the United States from New York to San Francisco, along the California coast from San Francisco to Mexico, and have circled our beautiful city on a 49 square mile loop many times. I imagine that I have logged more miles in the saddle than any other District 7 candidate and acutely understand the joys and challenges.

2. The City has established a goal to at least double the number of bike trips in the next 3 years. Do you support this goal?

Yes

If yes, what would you do as Supervisor to help the city realize it?

I will work with the SFMTA and other City departments to ensure the proper funding is secured.

3. Our City has embraced and adopted Vision Zero, the goal to eliminate all fatalities and serious injuries on our streets by 2024. Do you support Vision Zero?

Yes

If “Yes,” the city has yet to make significant progress since the introduction of Vision Zero in 2014. In fact, fatalities are on the rise. What would you do as Supervisor to help the city achieve Vision Zero?

Project delivery must be prioritized and I will hold agencies accountable to ensure Vision Zero projects are implemented. Furthermore, I will be a champion of funding for needed Vision Zero projects in all aspects of Vision Zero including engineering, education, enforcement, and evaluation.

4. Research and data has shown that building high-quality protected bike infrastructure is the most effective way to increase the number of people who bike. Despite this, there remain very few streets and corridors in San Francisco with protected bike lanes. Do you support the significant expansion of protected bike infrastructure, recognizing that this is often achieved by reallocating space on our streets that may decrease on-street car parking or vehicle travel lanes?

Yes

If “Yes,” what is at least one street or corridor in your District that you think would most benefit from a protected bike facility and why?

Golden Gate Park is on the edge of our District and would benefit greatly. People of all ages and abilities bicycle throughout Golden Gate Park and it is important we prioritize safety in this beautiful, unique civic space.

5. The SF Bicycle Coalition participated in the Mayor’s Transportation 2030 Task Force, which identified significant funding gaps for a safe, reliable transportation system. To continue building out the bike network, the original need until 2030 was $360 million, which has now increased to $660 million, by City estimates. Do you support increased allocation and funding for bike projects to at least match the percentage of San Franciscans who bike?

Yes

6. The Department of Public Health has used data to develop the “high-injury network” to show the 12% of city streets where over 70% of the collisions occur. This map has also shown that low-income communities are disproportionately affected by traffic collisions. If Supervisor, what would you do to prevent collisions in your District at these known locations?

I would focus on project delivery to ensure needed Vision Zero projects along the high-injury network are prioritized and completed on-schedule.

7. Market Street is San Francisco’s most-biked street, with nearly 7,000 trips by bike counted here every day. The City is working on the Better Market Street project, which calls for limiting private automobiles, creating a continuous, protected bike lane for the full length of the project from the Embarcadero to Octavia Boulevard and significantly advancing transit and pedestrian-friendly street design. Do you support this plan?

Yes 

8. Data has shown that the five most dangerous behaviors are all driver-related offenses: speeding, failure to yield to pedestrians, improper right-hand turns, running red lights and failure to stop at stop signs. The San Francisco Police Department has committed to maintaining 50% of their traffic citations to “Focus on the Five,” a goal they have yet to meet citywide. Do you support Focus on the Five and smart, data-driven enforcement?

Yes 

9. As Supervisor, what will you do to ensure SFPD focuses enforcement on Focus on the Five or other known issues that make our streets unwelcome to bike on, such as double-parking in bike lanes, rather than ad hoc, complaint-driven enforcement?

I would focus on fully staffing the SFPD Traffic Company to ensure the needed staffing is in place to enforce our traffic laws.

10. Bay Area Bike Share is in the middle of a game-changing, tenfold expansion of its system to become one of the densest bike share networks in the United States. Do you support the expansion and placement of bike share stations in your District, even if this may mean repurposing of on-street vehicle parking?

Yes

District-Specific Questions

1. The SF Bicycle Coalition has been advocating for better bike connections from Balboa Park Station to Lake Merced for years. As Supervisor, what would you recommend to improve the biking and walking connections to and from this important transit hub along Ocean Avenue?

I support improving biking and walking connections to and from Balboa Park Station. This area is unique because of the volume of students in the area including students from City College, Lick-Wilmerding High School, Archbishop Riordan High School, San Francisco State University, and numerous other schools is considerable. As Supervisor, I would pursue projects that improve safety and access to transportation for students and others in the area.

2. According to the 2009 San Francisco Bicycle Plan, it is legal to ride a bicycle along the sidewalk of 19th Avenue due to the lack of a northsouth bike route here. There is currently a long range planning effort to underground the M Ocean View Muni line and repurpose the on street space to transform this freewaylike street into a people friendly boulevard with dedicated bike lanes. Do you support this effort?

Yes 

 

3. We support a recommendation from the Ocean Beach Master Plan, which calls for a road diet of Great Highway, given the high levels of sand erosion. The result would be to repurpose two lanes of travel to become open streets for people biking and walking. Do you support this recommendation?

Yes [RESPONSE TRUNCATED]

4. The Planning Department led the Ocean Avenue Corridor Design Study, which was completed in 2015 after extensive public outreach. Recommendations in the study included a redesign and plaza treatment for the intersection of Ocean, Phelan and Geneva Avenues as well as the inclusion of a westbound bike lane between I280 and Phelan Avenue. Do you support the study’s findings?

Yes

If “Yes,” what would you do as Supervisor to advance the design and implementation of the Ocean Avenue Corridor Design Study?

I would work to ensure proper funding and on-going community outreach is secured.

Return to November 2016 Candidate Summaries
 

 

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