The official list is out and it is time to meet the candidates! If you are attending a debate, or have them at your door looking for support, consider asking them the following questions as the people elected will have a lasting impact on our transportation options for years to come.

Questions for candidates running for School Board Trustee

1. How would you encourage Calgary’s children (and their parents) to choose active modes of transportation for travel to and from school?
2. How would you work with parents and the City to provide safe routes to walk and bike to Calgary’s schools, including traffic safety measures in the vicinity of the schools themselves?
3. What is your impression of the new congregated bus stops / bell times? Do you have another vision for a long-term sustainable transportation plan for students?
4. Vancouver father who Adrian Crook is car-free and aiming to raise his children as independent humans has been told by the Ministry of Children that he can no longer allow his five children to take a city bus to school on their own. What are your thoughts on his situation?

Questions to candidates running for Council

1. What do you think are the benefits of active transportation (e.g. walking, riding a bicycle)?
2. Research recommends enabling biking and walking for transport as an important public health measure[i],[ii]. What are your thoughts on the current state of the infrastructure for active transportation in the city? How will you increase the convenience and safety of all modes of transportation, including walking/using a wheelchair, riding a bike, and transit[iii]?
3. Lowering speeds to 30 kph in residential areas improves road safety for all users, especially children and seniors[iv].  Calgary citizen groups in many communities are calling on the City to act against speeding. If elected, how will you work to reduce vehicle speeds in residential areas in Calgary?
4. Vibrant communities depend upon everyday people using city streets to shop, eat, linger, and walk. Several factors play into the walkability of communities including: intensity, mixing of different types of uses, connectivity, and quality of the urban realm. If elected, how will you increase the walkability and vibrancy of Calgary’s communities?
5. Bicycle access to amenities (e.g. work, school, commerce, recreation) requires bicycle facilities that extend beyond our pathways. Of its 18,000 lane-km of roads, Calgary currently has 34 km of bike lanes (2020 target of 180 km), 7.1 km of cycle tracks (2020 target of 30 km), 17.8 km of shared lanes (2020 target of 20 km) and 340 km of signed routes or bike boulevards (2020 target of 370 km).[v] Given that 98% of Calgarians are uncomfortable riding in traffic[vi], do you support reallocation of roadway space to provide people on bicycles with equitable, reliable, safe, comfortable, and efficient access to the amenities they need to reach? How would you ensure that 2020 targets are met?
6. Do you believe that construction of further stages of the Green Line LRT should continue to be a top priority of the City of Calgary?
7. How do you suggest the City of Calgary work towards building the Green Line LRT beyond stage 1 so that full build out can be achieved in both north and south east Calgary? A large part of the Green Line LRT project has been the work done to create land use policies and plans to increase the amount of mixed-use development that will also encourage people to make use of alternative modes of transportation, such as transit. How do you feel this policy and planning work can be applied beyond the Green Line corridor in the rest of the city?
8. Rapid transit is an important and well used part of our transit system. Rapid transit is attractive to Calgarians because of it’s efficiency, frequency, and reliability. In recent years, our LRT was expanded to accommodate four cars to meet demand, especially during rush hour along the Red Line. BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) is a new form of rapid transit to Calgary. The four routes that are funded and will be constructed will be an integral part of the transit network.  Do you support investments in BRT in Calgary? If you don’t, why not? If you do, what will you do to ensure funding for future projects?
9. How will you increase the convenience and appeal of transit as a mode of choice, as well as facilitate the possibility of multi-modal trips (e.g. walking & transit, riding a bike & transit)? What would you do to increase the service hours per capita for Calgary, which currently sits at 2 hours per capita and declining.
10. Will you advocate for the prioritization of cold hard cash directed towards alternative transport options, and an urgent move to make on-the-ground changes immediately?

Responses now accepted on an ongoing basis. Please respond to info@calgarians4transportation.org. Responses will be published on our website on an ongoing basis and promoted among our member organizations.