2023 Election Surveys: District 6
Q1: In 2023, Mayor Mendenhall committed Salt Lake City to Vision Zero, a nationwide effort to eradicate traffic deaths through evidence-based and pedestrian-safe street improvements. Do you support the city’s commitment to Vision Zero? If so, how do you plan to overcome the likely opposition to change from residents in your district? If not, what strategies do you support for mitigating the loss of life on city streets?
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Dan Dugan (Incumbent): I am a strong supporter of Vision Zero and its mission. As a current member of the Salt Lake City Council, it was my honor to be part of those discussions. Street safety has been a priority of mine since I took office in 2020. I often start a dialog with residents and constituents with the idea that we all share a common value of wanting a safe and friendly community. From there, I work to integrate and implement their ideas into outcomes such as calming traffic and intersection safety.
James Alfandre: As a father raising five children in District 6, my commitment to mobility independence for all, especially my own kids, is unwavering. I wholeheartedly endorse the city's commitment to Vision Zero. Prioritizing the safety of our children and all residents far outweighs any minor reduction in car travel times.
Taymour Semnani: I support Vision Zero. I believe in complete streets infrastructure, and I believe that, as our City grows, we need to think about pedestrian safety, public transit, cars, law enforcement, and clean air as an interconnected ecosystem. We can’t be serious about sustainability until we’re serious about walkability and bikeability, and we can’t be serious about walkability and bikeability until we’re serious about pedestrian safety. My District is equipped to serve cars primarily, and pedestrian and bike traffic as an afterthought. Yet, my District also has a diverse mix of housing, retail uses, parks, and schools within close proximity of each other. That means the toughest part of the battle, building amenities that are close together, is already done. By not rethinking infrastructure in a way that safely accommodates pedestrian and bike traffic, we are forgoing low-hanging fruit of reducing our reliance on cars, increasing public transit, making our streets safe to walk and bike on, making policing logistics easier, and best of all, reducing our emissions. Narrowing streets with striping, parking demarcations, and bike infrastructure are some low overhead ways to make streets more safe to walk and bike on.
Adding public transit routes, paying for public transit passes for students and other ID holders of public institutions, and implementing Neighborhood Byways, are some of most efficient ways to reduce the number of cars on the road while keeping people mobile, thereby making our streets more safe. I also believe we need to rethink enforcement. As an example, the driving record penalty for driving 20 MPH over in a 20 MPH zone is the same as the penalty for 20 MPH over in a 65 MPH zone. That makes no sense. Our penalty structure should be adjusted to reflect a weighted ratio of the violation, to make the punishment commensurate with the applicable risk to stakeholders, and the crime. That means low speed violators will not be punished as harshly, while people who are doubling the speed limit in residential areas, will be taken to task. Similar adjustments should be made for drivers using cellphones in neighborhoods. I am particularly concerned with speed, and rolling-stop right turns while drivers are looking left for oncoming traffic, but ignoring the potential for pedestrians entering the crosswalk from the right. A more rational penalty structure representative of the risks to stakeholders will further disincentivize unsafe driving.
Jack Bellows: Did not respond.
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Q2: What city plans, state transportation projects or citizen-led proposals are you most excited about to help residents decrease their reliance on a car to thrive in and navigate the city?
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Dugan: During my 2019 campaign, I campaigned on making Salt Lake more environmentally resilient. During my time on the council, I have been pushing for increased public transportation routes and frequency. I’m very proud to have championed and implemented the “We Move You” program which provides free public transit passes to Salt Lake City School District students, one parent, school faculty, and staff. In addition, I am continuing a dialog with other non-profits to expand the program to all school districts.
Alfandre: What excites me most are the Rio Grande Plan and the neighborhood byway plan. I'm passionate about promoting pleasant, safe and user-friendly infrastructure, encouraging alternative transportation choices and mobility independence for everyone. These initiatives will also foster a more connected, vibrant, and resilient city.
I'm also very excited for the TRAX downtown extension :)
Semnani: Ultimately, I believe Neighborhood Byways are the most imminent and efficient way to reduce auto/pedestrian collisions, and improve air quality. I whole-heartedly embrace adding new public transit routes in mixed use areas, identifying streets that should be made one-way to accommodate other uses, identify streets that can be closed to motorized traffic, improving cyclist infrastructure, and making sure pedestrians feel safe to get out on our streets and walk. There remains a significant population of people who rely on cars for transportation, and I believe we can implement new infrastructure designs that continue to accommodate people who need cars to travel, but also enable a culture shift in our City’s mindset for those who are interested in getting around by public transit, bike, or on their own two feet.
Bellows: DNR
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Q3: In a typical week, how often do you travel by transit, bicycle or exclusively by foot, without the use of a car? Would you commit to riding transit or otherwise going car-free for one week per year?
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Dugan: Biking is one of my favorite activities. You will find me mountain biking many days a week. I bike and walk places as much as possible but transit is limited in my area and I live on the opposite side of Foothill Boulevard. I don’t drive much but when I do, I drive an electric vehicle. I love the idea of going car-free for a week per year.
Alfandre: I commute by bike and foot at least four days a week, if not more. My kids take the UTA 21 bus to school or walk/ bike every weekday. Our company has a “bike to work” day and commutes to work meetings by bike as often as possible.
Helping to create a city that incentivizes its citizens to use alternate modes of transportation is a passion of mine. We can’t have healthy, affordable, resilient cities, if we remain auto-dependent. I would love to commit to going car-free for one week, however, it could be difficult with kids schedules and activities. But for my personal trips, yes :)
Semnani: I walk every day, and we chose to live in close proximity to retail destinations and parks for that reason. I will commit to not just one week car-free, but anytime I can feasibly go car-free, I will.
Bellows: DNR
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Q4: Salt Lake City funds a handful of high-frequency bus routes in partnership with UTA (the 2, 9, 21, etc.). Do you support an expansion of the Frequent Service Network by increasing the amount of city funding paid to UTA for enhanced services?
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Dugan: I support expanding routes and frequency. We need to move from 15 minutes lead time to 10 or even 5 minutes. I believe a higher frequency of service will drive higher usage. I would advocate increasing city funding to expand our service. We should explore working with the county and state to ensure that everyone is contributing to the funding of this expansion.
Alfandre: Yes! Our family loves the 21. My son uses it to commute to Highland High School everyday. We need to make mass transit more frequent and reliable to incentivize ridership.
Semnani: Yes.
Bellows: DNR
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Q5: Streets in Salt Lake City that are owned and maintained by the Utah Department of Transportation are some of the most dangerous corridors in the city. What should the city be doing to improve safety on and around state-owned roads? Do you support the city taking ownership of any UDOT roads in the city?
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Dugan: I live in District 6. Foothill (state-owned) traffic and safety is a top priority of mine. Over the last few years, the City’s relationship with UDOT has improved and we worked together to improve the Sunnyside/Foothill intersection. We are now collaborating on the Kensington byway across Foothill. This past month, the City Council appropriated CIP funds for a Foothill/2500 E/Blaine Street intersection improvement. I am also proud to see the city’s relationship with UDOT improving.
When I took office, I explored the city taking ownership of Foothill but after gathering data I believe the annual cost to the city was prohibitive. I’m open to exploring it again but given the improved UDOT/City communications, the cost still may be ineffective when weighing the pay off.
Alfandre: This is a significant concern. Foothill Drive, currently under UDOT ownership, presents a major issue within my District. It not only creates divisions among our neighborhoods and school districts but also poses safety hazards and ranks as one of the primary sources of air pollution in our community. UDOT's tendency to prioritize car-centric street design is at the root of the challenges we face with Foothill Drive.
I would support the idea of the city assuming control of UDOT roads within our city, provided the city adopts a forward-thinking transportation policy that embraces best practices, including Complete Streets, and demonstrates a commitment to strategically expanding mass transit services.
Semnani: I support taking ownership of UDOT roads if we can accurately forecast and fund maintenance of the roads annexed. If we cannot, I believe we should pursue easements to implement joint infrastructure project on UDOT roads. In either scenarios, I want to see infrastructure improvements to accommodate traffic flows, but make appurtenant pedestrian and bike infrastructure significantly more safe. Pedestrian bridges are not the answer. We need drivers to be more cognizant, not less, of pedestrian and bike traffic around them. Drivers only drive dangerously because they feel safe doing it, not because they want to risk others peoples’ safety. When pedestrian and bike infrastructure is more apparent to drivers, they slow down and are more aware of crosswalks.
Bellows: DNR
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Q6: In 2015, Salt Lake City proposed to build a network of safe, low-speed streets called “Neighborhood Byways” by 2025, with additional plans to expand the network by 2035. These would be streets where residents of all ages could feel safe walking or riding a bike, facilitating healthier lifestyles while still accommodating car travel on major corridors. As of 2023, the city is far below the pace it would take to build this network. Should the city make it a priority to complete its entire network of neighborhood byways ahead of schedule, and if so, how would you propose paying for this work?
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Dugan: I am supportive of the ‘neighborhood byways’ network. The networks will enhance the neighborhood’s quality of living. We also have citywide street calming projects that need attention and continued funding. Completing the Neighborhood Byways network ahead of schedule is a lofty goal for Salt Lake City, and it requires a combination of community involvement and financial management. It's essential to prioritize this city project to promote a healthier, more sustainable, and accessible city for all residents.
Alfandre: Yes, the city should make the neighborhood byway network a priority. The beautiful thing about our grid system is the flexibility to provide updated, safe and pleasant options for all modes of transportation.
The City requires impact fees for new development to offset the impact of new growth. I would propose that these byways get funded through the revenue from these fees.
Semnani: With certain accommodations for the elderly and disabled users, I support Neighborhood Byways. I absolutely believe the City should “make it a priority to complete its entire network of neighborhood byways ahead of schedule[.]” The City should use a combination of funding from new developments, infrastructure money, and money our State’s legislature may appropriate for clean air initiatives.
Bellows: DNR
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Q7: Do you support or oppose the abolition of parking minimums?
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Dugan: This past year, the city council amended the parking minimums. I supported the amendments. The City has too many surface parking stalls. That said, can we completely abolish the minimums? I’m not so sure we can at this time. There are multiple factors and locations we need to review. We need to increase our public transportation frequency and routes, improve bike lanes, and enhance e-bike secure parking which will help to alleviate parking concerns. The parking policy discussion has to be viewed through multiple lenses and take into account creative solutions. I look forward to working with community partners to continue making progress on this issue.
Alfandre: I support the abolition of parking minimums. I firmly believe that the free market, including developers and lenders, should determine the necessary parking amounts for a successful project. Frequently, the city mandates excessive parking, driving up expenses, diminishing affordability, and underutilizing our valuable land resources, which could otherwise be employed to advance more critical city objectives like well-designed attainable housing, local retail space and pocket parks.
Semnani: I support reducing parking minimums to encourage alternate modes of transportation for populations who can reasonably get around by public transit, bike, or on foot. I would still like to see parking accommodations for elderly and disabled populations who rely on cars to get around.
Bellows: DNR
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