BFOC’s Q&A with Dallas Mayoral Candidate Mike Rawlings

Team BFOC interviewed both of Dallas’s mayoral candidates to learn their positions on bicycling initiatives, and complete streets efforts in the city. Below is our Q&A with Mike Rawlings. Click here to view candidate David Kunkle’s interview. Side note: Both candidates have agreed to join us on our upcoming “Hellhound on My Trail” Blues History Bike Ride on June 12th.

Bicycle & Alternative Transportation:

Q. How often do you use your bike for transportation?

A. Seldom nowadays but in college it was my main form of travel.

Q. As mayor, how would you encourage more people to use bikes for transportation?

A. As President of the Dallas Parks and Rec Board I helped ensure Dallas had 100 miles of bike trails with plans to elevate that to 200, so yes, bikes as transportation is a platform I support.

Q. What infrastructure changes would you prioritize to improve safety for cyclists?

A. I would like to continue the work I did in the Parks and Recreation department and double the amount of bike trail miles in Dallas.

Q. What elements of the bike plan would you give priority to?

A. Safety for everyone has to be my priority.

Q. Would you support bike lanes or transit improvements that might reduce capacity and cause vehicular delay during peak periods if safety was improved for bicyclists and transit riders?

A. Safety is always a concern but changes to major roads would have to be handled on a case by case basis.

Q. Tell us about your favorite cycling experience.

A. While I was attending Boston College and living on the south side of town, I refused to take a car and would instead ride my bike all over town or even take the train but biking was a big part of my college years.

Q.  As mayor, how would you encourage people to use alternative transportation?

A. Making people aware of Dallas’s 100 miles of bike paths and continuing to support our DART system and light rail options.

Q. If gasoline goes permanently to $5 a gallon or more, what do you think will change about how people use transportation in Dallas? What changes would you make personally?

A. With rising gas prices people will inevitably seek other ways to travel; Dallas has invested in opportunities for people to do just that but we must continue to make non-car travel more efficient and effective.

Complete Streets & Livability:

Q. As mayor, how would you improve livability in the city?

A. By strengthening neighborhoods with better schools, more business opportunities and my continued focus on park and recreation development.

Q. Many in Dallas are frustrated with the lack of progress on the Trinity River project. What changes would you consider making to the plan and what priorities do you have for the project?

A. I propose to continue to look for way to minimize the cost of the project while making the levees safe and finishing the park and recreation areas.

Q. If you had $100 to invest in ways to improve neighborhood streets in Dallas how much of it would you spend on:

a. making it safer $30
b. making it easy to park $10
c. putting in bike lanes $10
d. putting in sidewalks $10
e. putting in more businesses and stores $30
f. putting in more greenery $10
g. What other improvements would you invest in?

Q. Thinking about City of Dallas Departments – what will be the biggest challenges for them as the Complete Streets plan is created? And what do you anticipate will be the biggest challenges from an implementation stand point?

A. As Mayor, I plan to help streamline each department to make them more efficient in implementing any and all plans.

Q. What do you like and not like generally about streets in the City of Dallas overall?

A. Most of Dallas’s streets are well maintained but there is always room for improvement.

Q. What are the drawbacks and what concerns do you have about complete streets for Dallas?

A. Balancing the needs of creating complete streets and prioritizing within the budget to be fiscally responsible so that the citizens get more bang for their buck in city hall.

Q.  If you had friends visiting Dallas for the first time where would you take them, what would you show them?

A. I always take my friends to The Bridge, Dallas’s Metro Homeless Shelter, because I am very proud of my work with the homeless. I also enjoy going to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens to showcase this beautiful area of Dallas to my friends. Then off to Al Biernat’s Steakhouse, a great place to finish the night and introduce visitors to Dallas’s great food scene.

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