We endorse Margot Clarke for the June 2005 Place 3 runoff (see the original May 2005 endorsements) We would never suggest that citizens base their decisions on who to vote for on just one issue, like transportation. But we do believe that citizens should consider a candidate's position on specific issues in forming their overall picture of the candidate. It is in that spirit that we offer the following endorsement. We endorsed Clarke in the general election, and endorse her again in the runoff. She was the only Place 3 candidate to respond to our candidate survey in both the general election and the runoff, automatically disqualifying her opponents. But being the only candidate to respond isn't enough to get our endorsement; we have to be convinced that the candidate will be friendly to bicycling and alternative transportation issues, and we're convinced that Clarke fits the bill. Sure, we're disappointed that she won't repeal the helmet law and that she thinks the mess on Shoal Creek Blvd. somehow reflects some sort of successful "compromise". (What exactly did cyclists gain and motorists give up on that one?) But you can't win them all, and it's enough for us that she supports mandated funding for bike/ped facilities, and increase in the city's Bicycle Program budget, and very significantly, a ban on cars parking in bike lanes, which she has pledged to sponsor. That one item alone is more than we've received from the entire last generation of the City Council. Here's our endorsement from the general election: Clarke was the only Place 3 candidate to respond to our survey. Apparently the other Place 3 candidates aren't that concerned about transportation issues, or at least communicating their transportation positions to the people who will decide whether to vote for them. Anyway, Clarke took six of the nine positions we hoped she would take, including supporting a ban of car parking in bike lanes, an increase in the Bike Program budget, reform of CAMPO, opposing CAMPO's road bonds, and allowing City employees to cash in their parking spaces. We're disappointed that Clarke wouldn't repeal the helmet law but that's a difficult proposition for mainstream candidates to support in today's political climate. As for her opponents, Mandy Dealey's website makes little mention of transportation issues beyond opposing the effort to toll existing roads. Jennifer Kim's website goes a little further, supporting carpool lanes and updating the City's zoning policies to allow for higher-density, mixed-use development, but we would have had to see more from her to endorse her, especially since she didn't answer our survey. Gregg Knaupe talks a good talk about writing a bold plan to address transportation issues, but is short on any specifics in the here and now. For those who wonder how our endorsement process works, endorsements are made by either the editor of Bicycle Austin (Michael Bluejay) or the question is put to the entire membership of the Bicycle Austin email forum, which currently has about 200 members. In the general election the editor alone made the call. In the runoff the email forum was polled, which picked Margot Clarke 4 to 1 over Jennifer Kim. Below are Clarke's answers to our survey questions.   Candidates' Answers to our Questions   Place 3 Require bike/ped facilities in new construction (more...) Increase city's Bike Program budget Ban car parking in bike lanes / sponsor the proposal Likes what happened to Shoal Creek Supports car-free bike lanes on Shoal Creek Repeal helmet law Would give financial incentives to City employees to bike, bus, or carpool to work Support reform of CAMPO CAMPO's road bonds Ride in Political Pedal Margot Clarke Yes Yes Yes / Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Oppose Yes Jennifer Kim ( Did not respond. )   Margot Clarke Jennifer Kim How to encourage bike use? We need to continue working on the connection of bike paths/trails to span the length and breadth of the city. For commuting, we will need to address the availability of space on the bus bike racks, and especially be sure that the commuter trains have ample space for bikes (like the CalTrain). (no response) How to deal with cars parking in bike lanes where it's already illegal? This enforcement situation that needs to be improved. We must work with the police to be sure that our priorities in this area are clear. Likewise, I believe it would improve community relations if we started a public education campaign for motorists AND bicyclists to emphasize what the rules are and the consequences for breaking them. In addition, I do think that we should have a city-wide review of the bike lanes to be sure that they are appropriate and useful on streets where we will be forbidding parking. (no response) What else, if anything, would you do to improve conditions for cycling on Shoal Creek? It is clear that the situation on Shoal Creek will have to be looked at again, because so many people are unhappy with the current status. The one thing that I think should be done right away is move any of the planters that are directly across from another - that is an obvious mistake that the enigineer should never allowed to happen. (no response) If you think the current setup on Shoal Creek Blvd. is preferable to what we had before, why is that? The driving lanes on Shoal Crk. previously were wider than those on an interstate freeway. The bicyclists and neighbors worked on a plan for this road for a long time, and, although I think the parking on only one side would have been preferable, the residents were unwilling to accept that option. The compromise that was reached, though not a plan that necessarily entirely pleases anyone, will slow traffic on the street, and the planters will prevent motorists from using the wide bike/park lanes as an extra lane to drive in. I think we should give the new arrangement time to assess its impact on cycling, driving, and neighborhood safety. (no response) How does the Shoal Creek Blvd. result constitute a "compromise"? (see above) (no response) How would you have handled Shoal Creek had you been involved? I don't know what I would have done - not having been involved with this long process, it is impossible for me to speculate on "what if." (no response) The helmet law I would say that this situation reflects an enforcement problem rather than a problem with the helmet ordinance. I believe the ordinance has value , especially as a public education tool, and warnings should be the major enforcement means to encourage protection of children. (no response) How can the bus system best be improved? What role would you take in that? I hope to serve on the Capital Metro board as a city council member, and in that capacity to improve communications and cooperation between the council and Cap Metro. I want the bus system to become more effective offering Austinites transportation alternatives, especially in relation to the coming commuter rail system, so that we can reduce congestion on our roads. (no response) Other comments I did (and will) participate in the Political Pedal. I am very interested in improving our transportation planning and system in Austin, including expanding options for bicycles and pedestrians. (no response) Candidate's campaign website website website  1. CAMPO policy on bike/ped funding Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Design Guidelines require that new arterial construction projects include facilities for bicycles and pedestrians in most cases (as long as the cost isn't greater than 20% of the total cost of the project). The original CAMPO 2030 plan prepared by staff stated that CAMPO would follow these guidelines on new roadways as well as allocate some funds to retrofit previously built roads that didn't meet these guidelines when constructed. But now the CAMPO board has suggested that the plan should be amended so that local jurisdictions can determine themselves what constitutes "excessive cost", thus leaving such facilities out of road construction projects if they simply deem them to be too expensive. Should CAMPO require this facilities as staff proposed and FHWA recommends, or should CAMPO let local jurisdictions decide whether they want to build the facilities or not? Require bike/ped facilities to be built when they'd add 20% or less to the project cost Let local jurisdictions decide whether to build bike/ped facilities or not 2. Bicycle Program funding Do you think the budget for the City's Bicycle Program should be increased, decreased, or remain the same? Increased Decreased Remain the same Uncertain 3. Increasing bike commuting What specifically would you do to encourage more transportation bicycling and bicycle commuting? 4. Parking in bike lanes It is perfectly legal for cars to park in most bike lanes in Austin, rendering them useless for their intended purpose. One supposes that in the rest of the civilized world outside of Austin, people understand that bike lanes are actually supposed to be for bikes, not cars. Yes   No Would you vote for legislation prohibiting cars from parking in bike lanes? Yes   No Would you sponsor such legislation? If you would not vote for such a resolution, do you have an alternative plan for dealing with the problem of cars parking in bike lanes? Please elaborate.   In those few bike lanes where it's illegal for cars to park, enforcement is spotty at best. Many times we've seen a police cruiser pass one or more cars parked in a bike lane, paying no notice. By contrast we know cyclists who have been arrested and gone to jail for minor traffic infractions such as bicycling on the sidewalk, running a red light, or biking without a helmet. How would you improve enforcement of the no-parking in bike lanes rule where it exists?   5. Shoal Creek Blvd. For years Shoal Creek had narrow bike lanes where it was legal for cars to park. Cyclists pushed for a restriping of the road which would have had parking on just one side of the street, so there would be room for car-free bike lanes. But instead the City came in and simply moved the bike stripes closer to the center of the road, put in obstructions (planters) up and down the roadway, and continued to allow car parking. So, what we had before: Bike lanes with cars parked in them. What we have now: Bike lanes with cars parked in them, plus more obstructions. This mess is detailed on our Shoal Creek page. Yes   No Do you believe that the current setup for Shoal Creek is preferable to what we had before? Yes   No Would you support a plan for Shoal Creek to have parking on one side of the road and car-free bike lanes in both directions? What else, if anything, would you do to improve conditions for cycling on Shoal Creek?   If you think the current setup on Shoal Creek is preferable to what we had before, why is that?   If you think Shoal Creek represents a "compromise", then what exactly do you think motorists gave up, and what exactly did cyclists gain?   Had you been involved in this issue during the planning process, what, if anything, would you have done to ensure that we didn't wind up with the result that eventually happened? 6. Helmet ordinance Many people have reservations about the helmet ordinance because the last time anyone checked, over 90% of the no-helmet tickets given to kids were given to black and Hispanic kids, and because many believe that getting kids to wear helmets should be the responsibility of parents, not the police. Yes   No Would you vote for a repeal of the helmet ordinance? Yes   No Would you sponsor such a resolution?    Comments (optional): 7. Bus system How can the bus system best be improved? What role would you take in that? 8. Cashing in parking spaces Would you support financial incentives to City employees who bike, walk, bus, train, or carpool to work? Yes   No 9. CAMPO Reform Are you willing to publicly oppose the current representation of the federally-sanctioned CAMPO body, with its overwhelming share of officials representing areas and districts lying outside Austin, even though Austin has most of the area's population? Yes   No 10. Road bonds The CAMPO 2030 plan proposes to hold a series of $400 million bond elections to pay for expanding road capacity in accord with the growth trends in the plan. Would you support or oppose such bonds? Support   Oppose 11. Would you participate in the annual Political Pedal ride? Yes   No Any other comments?