Office: 3rd District (At-Large)
Candidate: Melba Curls

1. Bicycling and walking account for less than 4% of all trips made in Kansas City. This is less than half the national average.

Question: How would you increase this rate up to the national average?

I think one way to increase awareness would e to make public service announcement stressing the importance of bicycling and walking in saving money on transportation, preserving the environment by decreasing emissions, and the health benefits of the increased physical activity.

2. Since 2002 Kansas City has had a Council-approved plan called BikeKC to create a network of on-street bikeways throughout all parts of the city. To date very little of that plan has been implemented, due to funding and organizational problems.

Question: How would you work to implement the existing plan?

I would need to further investigate the BikeKC plan, paying particular attention to the level of neighborhood input included in the planning process. We would need to prioritize the implementation of this plan along with the other needed infrastructure improvements along our city streets.

3. Since 2003 Kansas City has had a Council-approved walkability plan, which identified several neighborhoods with deficient or non-existent sidewalk networks.

Question: How would you bring sidewalks to all neighborhoods in Kansas City?

Equitable and efficient delivery of city services, such as infrastructure improvements (including street improvements and sidewalks) is one of my priorities as member of the City Council. I would work with neighborhood associations to determine what their needs are with regards to sidewalk installations and improvements. I would also encourage neighborhoods to work through the Public Improvements Advisory Council (PIAC) to get the funding allocated for sidewalks in our neighborhoods.

4. City policy treats sidewalks as the property of the home or business owner. Anyone who wants to, however, can use the sidewalks in front of a home or business.

Question: do you think the city should consider the sidewalk to be a public asset—part of the thoroughfare—or the personal property of the property owner?

I would be willing to investigate the current ordinances as it relates to ownership of sidewalks, but in the meantime, I would not look to change the current regulations.

5. Kansas City's bicycle and pedestrian programs are haphazard and dispersed through many departments, leaving us with no coherent policy and no mechanism to oversee the policy that does exist.

Question: How would you create an integrated transportation system that includes bicycles and pedestrians?

As I become more familiar with the current ordinances and how departments are structured, I would always be looking for ways to promote more efficient government, which may include some sort of consolidation of the programs and policies pertaining to bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

6. The city currently relies CMAQ and Transportation Enhancements for most of its bike/ped funding. This forces us to compete with all of our suburban neighbors for funding.

Question: Would you support the budgeting of city money for bicycle/pedestrian facilities, and if so how would you accomplish it?

I will work with my fellow council members and the community at large to establish the city’s budget priority for the 2008/2009 budget. If there is significant neighborhood and community support for dedicated funding towards bicycle/pedestrian facilities then I would work towards including that in the next budget.