PA House 184: Elizabeth Fiedler Response to 5th Square Questionnaire

Candidate Name:

Elizabeth Fiedler

What office are you seeking?

State Representative - 184th District (Incumbent)

Candidate Introduction:

I am the mom of two young children, a strong supporter of public education and a strong advocate for making our streets safe for everyone, and for investing in public space including parks. As an individual and with my family I often travel by foot or by bus. We need to make our streets safer for everyone. A lot of my close friends commute by bike, as I did for 15 years, so I am well aware of the benefits and challenges. I am a strong advocate for safer streets and am committed to doing everything I can to make safety a reality for everyone in Philly and Pa. One of those steps must include sufficient and reliable funding for SEPTA.

Question 1

Some of Philadelphia’s most dangerous streets for pedestrians and cyclists based on injury statistics are PennDOT-owned arterials, many of which are major downtown streets and commercial corridors running through densely-populated parts of Philadelphia. So far, PennDOT has been indifferent to calls from safety advocates for the kinds of engineering changes to these roads that would calm traffic. Would you use your position to support advocates' calls for safer urban arterials? What types of legislative and policy changes are needed to correct this problem at PennDOT? (https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/philadelphia-traffic-fatalities-penndot-20190208.html)

Yes, I will continue to use my position to support advocates' calls for safer urban arterials. Specifically, we need to see PennDot embrace Vision Zero’s goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries and adopt an approach focused on the movement of people -- in all the ways they traverse our city including foot, bike, public transit and car. PennDot’s investments in multimodal infrastructure, coordination with local agencies and speed cameras on Roosevelt Blvd are all good steps. But to truly ensure we are doing everything we can to protect the lives of people in Philadelphia, we need to do more. As mentioned in the article, Philadelphians are six times more likely to be killed or severely injured on a PennDot street. This is a serious problem and it needs serious action.

We need a shift in the state transportation budget to invest in cleaner ways of traveling our city and a renewed focus on creating homes and jobs in walkable locations, along with a fundamental shift in priorities -- starting by making PennDot’s office itself more accessible.

Question 2

Pennsylvania recently passed legislation enabling automated speed enforcement on Roosevelt Blvd and highway work zones. Do you support the expansion of automated speed enforcement cameras to School Zones and on other High Injury Network streets throughout Philadelphia? (https://whyy.org/articles/roosevelt-boulevard-speed-cameras-represent-rare-bipartisan-win/)

☒ Yes
☐ No

Comment:

Yes, and I support having revenues that are generated from the cameras go to funding transportation safety projects. It's unacceptable for nearly 100 people to be killed on our streets every year. That number should be zero.

Question 3

Pennsylvania is the only state in the U.S. that bans local law enforcement from using radar for vehicle speed enforcement. Do you support lifting this ban? (https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/06/is-2019-the-year-local-cops-in-pa-will-get-radar.html)

☒ Yes
☐ No

Comment:

Yes, we need to give local police the tools they need to enforce the law so we can save lives. In addition, using this technology will assist in reducing human and mechanical error when recording drivers' speeds. It is important that this legislation be carefully worded to reduce any potential for misuse.

Question 4

Do you support state enabling legislation to allow Philadelphia and other cities to use cameras for congestion-related enforcement? Areas that should be enforced by camera include bus zones, travel lanes, corner clearances, crosswalks, delivery zones, and non-curb pickups and drop-offs by ride-hailing drivers. Currently, the law allows for enforcement only upon the observation of an officer. Cameras allow a more cost-efficient alternative and are less subject to human and systemic biases. (https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/traffic-congestion-philadelphia-parking-tickets-ppa-20191211.html)

☒ Yes
☐ No

Comment:

Question 5

Act 89 transportation funds have historically been diverted to pay the state police budget, reducing the funds available to pay for public transit and road projects. What is the best way to safeguard this revenue to ensure that Commonwealth residents see all the transportation improvements they were promised when state lawmakers raised the gas tax? (https://www.penncapital-star.com/government-politics/can-you-pay-for-infrastructure-repairs-without-raising-state-taxes-in-new-plan-house-gop-says-yes/)

I support the Governor's proposal to implement a fee on municipalities that rely solely on State Police. This is fair and will allow us to appropriately fund Pa's transportation projects.

Question 6

What are some of your own ideas for enhancing mobility and improving road safety in your district and Philadelphia more broadly?

I support increased and reliable funding for SEPTA, a comprehensive bus network redesign, free SEPTA rides for children under 12, dedicated road space for buses and trolleys, making major arteries safer for everyone (pedestrians, public transit riders, drivers, cyclists) expanding high frequency rapid transit and the investment in more homes and jobs near public transit routes. All of these steps would make a big difference in the lives of people in South Philadelphia.

Question 7

Act 44, which transfers $450 million a year from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to public transit agencies, is set to expire in 2022. What is your plan to safeguard and expand the state revenue dedicated to public transit after this law expires? (https://wskg.org/news/pa-turnpike-escapes-catastrophic-lawsuit-but-remains-heavily-in-debt/)

Reliable and sufficient funding for SEPTA is vital not just to individual people’s lives, but also to our region and state’s economy. We need to put in place policies that facilitate and encourage more transit ridership, and that create sustainable revenue streams through big picture tax reforms: repealing the uniformity clause (legislation I have introduced and championed in the House) and closing the Delaware loophole. This will allow us to bring in increased revenue from big corporations and the very richest Pennsylvanians so we can invest enough in dedicated transit funding.

Question 8

Do you support dedicated transit lanes and legislation enabling “Automated Transit Lane Enforcement” cameras mounted on transit vehicles and on roadsides to deter other vehicles from using these lanes? (https://mobilitylab.org/2018/09/17/automated-bus-lane-enforcement-is-more-effective-than-police-among-other-findings/)

☒ Yes
☐ No

Comment:

Question 9

Do you support state enabling legislation for congestion pricing, permitting municipalities and regions to institute tolls on automobiles entering into the most congested areas, and using the funds for improvements to transit, and for infrastructure for walking and bicycling? (https://www.inquirer.com/transportation/congestion-pricing-new-york-philadelphia-traffic-20190402.html)

☒ Yes
☐ No

Comment:

Question 10

SEPTA has the capability to expand its rapid transit service by simply running its commuter rail lines more frequently and integrating its fares with subways and buses. But to do so, the agency will need to prioritize certain capital improvements and implement some operational reforms. Do you support such an expansion for our city's train service? (https://whyy.org/articles/analysis-how-septa-can-turn-regional-rail-in-philly-into-high-frequency-rapid-transit/)

☒ Yes
☐ No

As a legislator, how would you use the power of your office to advance those changes, instead of retaining the current structure which caters more to professional-class suburban commuters?

Many people in South Philadelphia rely on mass transit to get to work, school, childcare, doctor’s appointments and second jobs. I strongly believe we need to invest more in our public transit, make the SEPTA Key card easier to use, and reduce the cost of using mass transit for working and poor people and children. I am a strong supporter of bringing in more revenue by repealing the uniformity clause, closing the Delaware loophole and other tax changes that will get the very rich to pay their fair share, without increasing the burden on working people.

Question 11

What are some of your own ideas for solutions to improve the quality (frequency, speed, and accessibility) of transit service in your district and Philadelphia more broadly?

We need to invest more money in our public transit system, review the existing bus network to ensure it makes the most sense for moving people to the locations they need to get to, and increase community input and participation in that process.

Question 12

California’s legislature recently introduced a pro-housing bill SB 50, which would preempt local zoning restrictions on dense housing construction near high-quality transit, and in high-opportunity areas with large concentrations of jobs or in-demand school districts. Similar bills have also been introduced by progressive lawmakers in Oregon, Washington, Maryland, and Virginia to preempt local exclusionary zoning policies like apartment bans, parking quotas, and minimum lot size rules from the state level. Do you support amending Pennsylvania’s Municipal Planning Code to preempt local exclusionary zoning policies in this way, with the goal of allowing transit-oriented housing near state-funded transit and commuter rail stations? (https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/01/sb50-california/604786/)

☐ Yes
☐ No
☒ Other: I strongly support zoning to allow for denser development and for housing near public transit. As we know, in Harrisburg, preemption is often used to limit the ability of local (elected) officials to act and to govern themselves. Specifically, it is often used negatively toward Philadelphia. I believe we must thoroughly look into this option and look into its success and struggles elsewhere. I look forward to talking more about how we can facilitate more housing, close to transit, and make sure our neighborhoods are affordable.

Comment:

Question 13

The century-old Separations Act requires multiple bids for all different parts of public construction projects in Pennsylvania, which some state officials believe makes public works projects unnecessarily expensive and inefficient, and precluding Design-Build firms from bidding on public construction projects. Will you support and advocate for repeal of the Separations Act? (https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/opinion/contributors/2017/03/07/oped-s-time-repeal-separations-act-pa/98857412/)

☐ Yes
☐ No
☒ Other: See below.

Comment:

Reform of the Separations Act is needed to more efficiently invest tax dollars in public projects. Allowing for Design-Build contracts in other states has had mixed results and requires a level of project oversight that we would need to ensure the Commonwealth and municipal agencies are prepared to provide. Every public works project should require general contractors adhere to strict prevailing wages, and minority participation requirements for general contractors and sub-contractors. We should work toward the goal of having every worker on public projects be unionized.

Question 14

Governor Tom Wolf has announced his intentions for Pennsylvania to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative—a regional cap and trade program that could push PA to cut emissions more aggressively, while generating revenue for public transit, clean energy, and other priorities. Joining RGGI would likely require an act of the state legislature, and different interest groups within the Democratic Party have taken different positions on this, with some building trades unions on one side and environmental groups on the other. If elected, would you support legislation to join RGGI?(https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2019/10/03/gov-wolf-pennsylvania-regional-greenhouse-gas-initiative/)

☒ Yes
☐ No

Comment:

Question 15

Tell us more about what you bring to the table as an ally for urbanist politics in Harrisburg. What makes you the right person to advance the urbanist movement’s goals politically or substantively at the state level? How would you build support for pro-urbanist policies among your colleagues from outside our region?

As a legislator and as an individual (commuter, mother, neighbor), I am 100% committed to doing everything I can to make it as easy and as safe as possible to traverse our city. I am committed to working with community members and with advocates to this end. I am also committed to making sure that the cost of paying for increased public transit is not put on the backs of working and poor people but instead must be paid by the very wealthiest and by the big corporations that are currently not paying their fair share because of things like the Delaware Loophole.

In just over 1 year in office, I have worked hard to build relationships with lawmakers from across the state and across the aisle, and have had many Republicans sign on to support legislation I have introduced. I am committed to continuing to build those relationships with the goal of building a state budget that reflects all our needs and that prioritizes at a minimum: ensuring we can all live without fear of being injured or killed while trying to get to work, school, the store or daycare.