2016 District 9 Candidate Joshua Arce

Candidate Facts

9JA MW2W2067 (2)    Name: Joshua Arce
   Campaign Website: joshuaarce.com

Candidate Questionnaire

All official candidates were contacted and given the opportunity to answer our Candidate Questionnaire. Any candidate responses edited for length and clarity have been marked as such.

1. Do you ride a bicycle in the city?

Yes

If “Yes,” how often do you ride and for what purpose(s)?

I regularly ride my bike few times a week, both for leisure and transportation purposes. When I am not riding a bike, I usually travel via public transit. As someone who has used a bike my whole life to get around, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to teach my two young boys (almost 1 and 4) to ride too!

2. The City has established a goal to at least double the number of bike trips in the next 3 years. Do you support this goal?

Yes

If yes, what would you do as Supervisor to help the city realize it?

We need to maximize the percentage of trips made via bicycle and public transit to minimize polluting tail pipe emissions which endanger the public health of our residents. As a city that is under threat from rising sea levels, increasing bicycle travel is an essential strategy to decrease our reliance on dirty fossil fuels. As a bike rider and the father of two young children, I look forward to the day when all riders and walkers in San Francisco have safer access to our roads. [RESPONSE TRUNCATED]

3. Our City has embraced and adopted Vision Zero, the goal to eliminate all fatalities and serious injuries on our streets by 2024. Do you support Vision Zero?

Yes

If “Yes,” the city has yet to make significant progress since the introduction of Vision Zero in 2014. In fact, fatalities are on the rise. What would you do as Supervisor to help the city achieve Vision Zero?

I was hit by a car while riding my bike when I was younger; I know all too well the importance of bicycle and pedestrian safety in promoting wider adoption of bicycles. In fact, it took me several years to overcome the fear of being hit and ride my bicycle again. We must redouble our driver education efforts to improve safety for the tens of thousands of people who ride on our streets every day, and pursue all strategies to minimize the need for vehicle travels, including walking, bicycling, and public transit solutions to ease the congestion on our roads. [RESPONSE TRUNCATED]

4. Research and data has shown that building high-quality protected bike infrastructure is the most effective way to increase the number of people who bike. Despite this, there remain very few streets and corridors in San Francisco with protected bike lanes. Do you support the significant expansion of protected bike infrastructure, recognizing that this is often achieved by reallocating space on our streets that may decrease on-street car parking or vehicle travel lanes?

Yes

If “Yes,” what is at least one street or corridor in your District that you think would most benefit from a protected bike facility and why?

“Sharrows” do not make a safety protection measure for cyclists. Our district is lucky to already have a number of dedicated bike pathways, especially in the northern end, such as the dedicated lanes on Valencia, Folsom and Harrison Streets. One corridor that may benefit from a protected bikeway is Valencia, which marks the border of District 9, and is highly used by many of our residents. The biggest transportation problem I see biking along Valencia is vehicle doubleparking in bike lanes, which forces cyclists to dangerously swerve into the motorized vehicle lane, creating collision risks in an already hightraffic area. [RESPONSE TRUNCATED]

5. The SF Bicycle Coalition participated in the Mayor’s Transportation 2030 Task Force, which identified significant funding gaps for a safe, reliable transportation system. To continue building out the bike network, the original need until 2030 was $360 million, which has now increased to $660 million, by City estimates. Do you support increased allocation and funding for bike projects to at least match the percentage of San Franciscans who bike?

Yes [RESPONSE TRUNCATED]

6. The Department of Public Health has used data to develop the “high-injury network” to show the 12% of city streets where over 70% of the collisions occur. This map has also shown that low-income communities are disproportionately affected by traffic collisions. If Supervisor, what would you do to prevent collisions in your District at these known locations?

It’s tragic that city hall knows a small amount of city streets account for the vast majority of traffic related injuries and deaths, and has done little to combat the infrastructural problem. Most of the Mission is affected by high levels of traffic related injury. Places like Valencia and 24th streets desperately need change. We need protected bike lanes, increased traffic enforcement mechanisms, and follow through from city hall on all Vision Zero initiatives. It’s time to end the decade of disappointment in our transit system and work towards safe, reliable streets.

7. Market Street is San Francisco’s most-biked street, with nearly 7,000 trips by bike counted here every day. The City is working on the Better Market Street project, which calls for limiting private automobiles, creating a continuous, protected bike lane for the full length of the project from the Embarcadero to Octavia Boulevard and significantly advancing transit and pedestrian-friendly street design. Do you support this plan?

Yes [RESPONSE TRUNCATED] 

8. Data has shown that the five most dangerous behaviors are all driver-related offenses: speeding, failure to yield to pedestrians, improper right-hand turns, running red lights and failure to stop at stop signs. The San Francisco Police Department has committed to maintaining 50% of their traffic citations to “Focus on the Five,” a goal they have yet to meet citywide. Do you support Focus on the Five and smart, data-driven enforcement?

 Yes [RESPONSE TRUNCATED]

9. As Supervisor, what will you do to ensure SFPD focuses enforcement on Focus on the Five or other known issues that make our streets unwelcome to bike on, such as double-parking in bike lanes, rather than ad hoc, complaint-driven enforcement?

Safe, reliable streets are a priority for my campaign. As Supervisor, I will support all initiatives that help foster streets that work for all of us. SFPD must focus on areas we know carry a high density of bike and pedestrian related injury. Research and data driven traffic enforcement will help us observe and prevent problems in the future.

10. Bay Area Bike Share is in the middle of a game-changing, tenfold expansion of its system to become one of the densest bike share networks in the United States. Do you support the expansion and placement of bike share stations in your District, even if this may mean repurposing of on-street vehicle parking?

Yes [RESPONSE TRUNCATED]

 

District-Specific Questions

1. In December 2015, Franklin Ling was hit and killed while biking at Woolsey and Goettingen Streets, an area that was known for high vehicle speeds through a residential neighborhood. What would you do as Supervisor to prevent such tragedies and ensure people driving through your District slow down in residential neighborhoods?

We need to invest more in bike infrastructure at the southern end of our district. Currently there is no dedicated bike lanes taking people from the Portola to northern parts of District 9. We must also take steps to address speed on residential streets by installing additional road upgrades such as speed bumps or automated cameras

2. District 9 is home to Valencia Street. Despite being one of the city’s most-biked streets with a dedicated bike lane, it remains as one of the most complained about streets given the non-stop issue of double-parking in bike lanes. Do you support the next generation of biking on Valencia Street to plan and design protected bike lanes here?

Yes

What would you do as Supervisor to enforce this known issue of vehicles double-parking and dropping passengers off in the bike lane?

As a long time resident of the Mission I am equally frustrated by Valencia traffic. Our whole community needs to take bike safety more seriously double parking in bike lanes is  dangerous. This problem is especially acute on Valencia street because the limited number of vehicle lanes forces the comingling of bike and car traffic when someone illegally double parks. We need more visible signage to dissuade drivers from double parking, targeted traffic enforcement of double-parking on Valencia, and upgraded infrastructure (protected bike lanes) for local riders.

3. As San Francisco becomes a more expensive city to live in, we know that biking provides an affordable and sustainable way to get around. To increase access to bikes, the SF Bicycle Coalition organizes and leads the Bike it Forward program. We reclaim unclaimed and abandoned bikes from the SFMTA, BART, the SFPD and other agencies, which are then repaired with the help of our volunteers. Neighborhood residents sign up with our partner organizations in advance to participate and receive a bike. As Supervisor, do you support this program and its expansion?

Yes [RESPONSE TRUNCATED]

4. Do you agree that biking is an affordable mode of transportation?

Yes

If “Yes,” what would you do as Supervisor to increase biking in your District?

It is absolutely an affordable mode of transportation that I personally benefit from. We need to place additional bike friendly corridors at the southern part of our district to ensure residents have an easier safer dedicated pathway to the northern part of San Francisco. I’ll also work with local community organizations and the Bike Coalition to increase awareness of bike safety and promote efforts to get more people out of their cars and onto their bikes!

Return to November 2016 Candidate Summaries
 

 

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