Ward 3 – Joe Cimperman Responses

Bike Cleveland Cleveland City Council Candidate Questionnaire

Candidate Name: Joe Cimperman
Council Ward 3 Candidate

Q. What roles do you think city council can play in making cities safe, accessible and friendly for biking?
A.  3 things- 1 Education for motorists and bicyclists about the bicyclist safety and laws, keeping the conversation constant 2- Passing more legislation that expands the use and safety of bicycle lanes, use and safety in the city of Cleveland 3- Creatively coming up with a way for every man woman and child to have a bicycle in the city who doesn’t have one and would like one.

 Q. Funding for bikeways and other bicycle improvements and programs in Cleveland is currently derived from a mix of local, regional, and federal grants. Do you support an increase in dedicated funds in the City of Cleveland capital budget to install a safe, connected network of bike facilities?
A. Yes

Q. Do you have ideas for securing other funding for biking projects in Cleveland?
A.  Any idea that anyone (advocate, resident, etc) brings to us has to be an option on the table for increasing our bike facilities in the city of Cleveland.

Q. In January 2012 the City of Cleveland’s Complete and Green Streets Ordinance went into effect. The ordinance requires implementation of sustainable policies and guidelines in all construction projects within the public right of way. What will you do to ensure that the city incorporates Complete and Green Streets policies and practices into road projects within your ward? How will you measure success?
A. I will ask for every project that we are involved with what our bicycle increase quotient is. I would be willing to support the increase of this quotient from my streets and sidewalk fund as well.

Q. In what ways can enhanced bicycling facilities and opportunities benefit your ward and the city as a whole? Are there any specific projects that you’d like to see accomplished?
A. I would like to see more people riding their bicycles to fulfill the role of Healthy Cleveland. Would also like to see bicycle safety instruction as part of gym and recreation classes in the Cleveland Schools, Private Schools and Charter School’s curriculum to enhance appreciation and love for bicycling at an early age by our youth.

Q. Cities across the United States are installing protected bicycle lanes (a.k.a. cycletracks) to create a stress-free biking environment and to encourage “interested but concerned” people to ride a bike. Do you support the installation of bike infrastructure like buffered bike lanes, protected bike lanes, and bike boxes on Cleveland streets? YES/NO
A. Yes, 100%!!!

Q. Are you in favor of Bike Boxes (i.e. former shipping containers converted to bike parking) being placed in a parking lane on city streets?
A. Yes, 100% and would be willing to introduce legislation to streamline their implementation

Q. In just about every neighborhood throughout the city, one of the top concerns is drivers driving too fast, aggressively, and not safely sharing the road with people on bikes. What ideas do you have to calm traffic and make our neighborhoods safer and more comfortable in which to ride a bike? Feel free to talk about particular problem spots in your ward.
A. W 14th street, ontatrio, Lorain and E 9th street are problem areas- We need to calm traffic through better striping , roads better designed for balanced use between bicyclists and motorists and follow best practices across country.

Q. According to the 2012 Census almost 28% of Clevelanders do not have access to a car, how would you go about re-examining road projects to take into account the transportation needs of all city residents, improve safety, and enhance the livability of Cleveland neighborhoods?
A. By implementing the above mentioned standards as well as making it possible for any individual who would like to have access to a bike to have our assistance in making that happen.

Q. What do you think is the number one risk to people on bikes both in your ward and the city as a whole? What have you done/will you do as an elected official to remedy it?
A. I’ve already introduced bicycle safety legislation to make our ward/ the city safer, I will continue to work on a comprehensive education campaign to make sure pedestrians can feel safe and protected in their communities.

See responses from all candidates at BikeCleveland.org/I-bike-I-vote