Candidate Facts
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Name: Scott Wiener Campaign Website: www.scottwiener.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 or in Sacramento?
Yes
If “Yes,” how often do you ride and for what purpose(s)?
I bike occasionally. I use public transit 7 days a week and walk. I champion all sustainable modes of transportation. Every politician professes support for transit. I go to the mat for better transit, biking, pedestrian access. I work locally/regionally on many transit needs. I authored multiple measures to increase investment in transit/bike infrastructure/complete streets, including 2011 streets bond, Prop B (tying transit funding to population growth), expanding transit impact fees paid by developers, transportation sales tax for November (which Jane Kim opposed). I authored legislation to require a Subway Master Plan and Late Night Transportation Plan.
2. One of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s top state legislative priorities is Automated Speed Enforcement, recognizing that speed is the top factor in traffic collision fatalities in San Francisco. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has passed a resolution in support of ASE and it is the SF Municipal Transportation Agency’s top legislative priority in Sacramento. Do you support legislation that would authorize the use of ASE as a pilot in San Francisco?
Yes
If “Yes,” would you sponsor this bill and why? If “No,” what change would make you consider supporting such legislation?
Yes, I would sponsor an automated speed enforcement bill. We need to take bold steps to reduce speeds, improve enforcement, and make streets safer. We will never have enough police officers doing traffic enforcement to solve our speeding problem through police observation alone.
3. What have you learned as District Supervisor in San Francisco that will help inform you if elected State Senator?
- If you’re unwilling to break glass, you won’t get anything done. For example, when I authored Prop B – which ties transit funding to population growth and generates significant funding for transit/bike/pedestrian – there was enormous pressure to back off. I didn’t, and we thus have more funding.
- Working with well-organized, focused, visionary advocates makes it much easier to move an agenda forward. Collaborating with the Bike Coalition, we’ve made significant positive change.
- Transportation isn’t a sexy issue, and most politicians ignore it. But, it matters more to people’s day-to-day lives than just about any other issue.
4. What are your legislative priorities in Sacramento to support San Francisco’s Transit-First policy?
-Increasing investment in transit: The State doesn’t invest enough in transit. Bay Area and LA need to create an urban transportation agenda to grow the pie for sustainable transportation modes.
-Providing regional leadership on transformative transit investments: Senators are in a unique role to advance key priorities, such as a second transbay tube, expanded subway service, extending Caltrain/High Speed Rail downtown, creating a regional bike network.
-Modernizing state law to reflect modern transportation: State vehicle/fire codes are designed for car-first/car-only transportation policies. We must update these codes to accommodate, not inhibit, safe/sustainable street design.
5. 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 State Senator to help the city achieve Vision Zero?
- More state funding for transit and safe street design for both bikes and pedestrians. The more people who take transit, the fewer cars on the street and the fewer collisions and fatalities.
- Automated speed enforcement and more local flexibility around speed limits. Communities know best what works for their streets, and they understand the need for more consistent traffic enforcement.
- Update outdated fire/vehicle codes to allow and promote safe street design rather than inhibit good design.
- Better state law allowing video enforcement against double parking. Double parking forces bikes into traffic and increases risk.
6. The draft California Transportation Plan 2040 calls for a doubling of bicycling statewide. Caltrans has committed to tripling bicycle mode share from 1.5% to 4.5% by 2020. As State Senator, would you support increasing bicycle trips in California?
Yes
If “Yes,” what would you do as State Senator to help grow the number of people biking statewide?
As described in more detail above, I support policies and funding to transition more people out of cars and into transit, cycling, and other sustainable transportation modes. Fewer cars on the street means safer streets and more incentive to bike. I support changes to state law to encourage, rather than inhibit, safe street design. The better we design our streets to be safe and multi-modal, the more people will bike. I support more funding for building out complete bike networks. The more integrated and all-encompassing our bike networks, the more people will bike.
7. California’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund has been used to fund bicycle projects with the goal of reducing state greenhouse gas emissions. Do you support increased allocation and funding for bike projects?
Yes
If “Yes,” what funding opportunities do you see at the state level to get bicycle projects on the ground?
The State should provide funding, including matching funds, for local communities to build out bike networks. We need to provide strong financial incentives for local communities to create complete streets and connected bike networks.
8. The California Air Resources Board recently included bike share in its Car Sharing and Mobility Options pilot program, opening up funding opportunities to expand bike share in low-income areas. Do you support the expansion of bike share and other bicycle infrastructure into low-income areas?
Yes
If “Yes,” how would you address low-income areas’ transportation needs as State Senator?
As a Commissioner on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, I played a key role bringing about expanded bike share to the Bay Area. We must ensure bike share extends to *all* communities, including all geographic areas and low-income communities. Bike share promises to make it easier for people to get around – including people in low income communities who don’t have cars and lack access to great public transportation – and to make people healthier. Low income communities disproportionately suffer from diabetes and other health problems, and the more active we can help people be, the better. [RESPONSE TRUNCATED]
