Last night's District 33 debate, in Brooklyn's Automotive High School, was a hit. In an auditorium decked with irony, the candidates engaged in a lively discussion. Paul Steely White (T.A.'s ED) and Ward Dennis (CB1 and Neighbors Allied for Good Growth) officiated.

Participants included: Isaac Abraham (IA), Ken Baer (KB), Jo Anne Simon (JAS), Evan Thies (ET), Doug Biviano (DB) & Ken Diamondstone(KD).

To everyone's disappointment Stephen Levin didn't show (or fill out our candidate survey).

If elected to office, what transportation legislation will you introduce?

IA: Didn't really answer question, but said "let's start with walking"

KB: Make Central Park and Prospect Park car-free, put in residential parking and support tolls on bridges and congestion pricing.

JAS: Help get a bike share program off the ground (although she admitted this might not be a legislative initiative), reduce the speed limit in residential neighborhoods, support the red light camera program, and introduce residential permit parking.

ET: Expand Intro 871 (bike access to buildings), stop parking garages in new developments next to subway stations, pass another home rule in support of congestion pricing, and (like everyone else) get residential parking permits done.

DB: Doug wants "2 Million Trees", better bike lanes, reclaim the right-of-way on the waterfront, and more playgrounds. No specific leg was brought up.

KD: Bike parking in regular parking garages, secure parking for bikes, and better enforcement. No leg was mentioned.

How will you curb traffic on McGuinness Blvd.?.

ET: Evan thinks the City should have "better control of traffic on and off of the Pulaski bridge", leading pedestrian intervals, and a traffic study.

JAS: Jo Anne also supports a traffic study and pointed out that she helped win a traffic study in Downtown Brooklyn

KB: Ken is ready to work closely with the precincts, stop people from using hand held devices while driving, getting more red light cams and, like Evan, adding leading pedestrian intervals.

IA: Issac wants "speed traps" and is frustrated that the lights encourage people to speed.

KD: Ken's ready to see pedestrian infrastructure improvements like neckdowns and larger medians. He's also all about red light cams, improving truck routes and keeping the NYPD's truck enforcement unit on its toes.

Audience Q#1: "As a City Council member would you require cyclists to wear reflective clothing, light up vests and get licenses?"

KB: Ken said he was "in favor of all of those safety measures" and said that "courses in bike safety and licenses" were worth consideration.

JAS: Jo Anne replied that she thought there was already enough rules on the books for cyclists and that requiring special reflective clothing was "overkill". Jo Anne said that she preferred education to encourage motorist and cyclists to "share the road"

ET: Evan wants to start bike safety programs in schools and more money for DOT educational programs

DB: Doug said that "bureaucracy wasn't going to change behavior" and that he would be a leader to follow--right across the Brooklyn bridge as he promised to bike to work at City Hall.

KD: Ken wants "as many bikes on the road as we can get" and the PD to "issue warnings" (rather than tickets).

Audience Q #2:"How did you travel to tonight's debate?"

KD: 1991 K-car
DB: "Beat-up and old" Ford Taurus
JAS: Car-pool
KB: G, train--"of course!"
ET: walked from apartment (2 blocks away from school)

Audience Q #3: "What are your top 3 transit priorities?"

JAS: 1) Implement Bus Rapid Transit 2) Another tunnel for trains to access Manhattan 3) More cars and improved service on the G
KB: 1) More funding for MTA w/income tax surcharge 2) Bike share
KD: 1)MTA funding w/tolls on bridges + pollution tax 2) Bus Rapid Transit 3) Expand the G
DB: 1) Avoid $3 fares 2)Service infrastructure 3) Fund MTA Capitol Plan 4) Not let what happen in the 70s happen again 5) Local leaders need to "step up" to the feds
ET: 1)Congestion pricing home rule message 2)Expand mass transit 3) Eliminate truck traffic

Audience Q #4: "Who will stand with me _against_ congestion pricing?"

KD: "no"
DB: "unintended consequences"...
ET: "no" our neighborhoods are being disproportionately affected by traffic.
JAS: "no" there's "gratuitous traffic" and Brooklyn and Staten Island are
being treated like a "doormat", affecting our health and children. KB: "no" we can't "make light" of the health effects of traffic.



Thanks to everyone who came out last night and especially to the candidates who filled out our survey and attended the debate.

Submitted by: lindsey | September 2, 2009