House District 22 includes North Star, Limestone Hills, southern Hockessin, and part of Pike Creek extending to Delaware’s border with Pennsylvania. (If you are not 100% sure whether you live in House District 22, you can search here using your address.) If you live in this district your choice on November 5 to represent you in the Delaware House of Representatives is between Representative Mike Smith and Monica Beard. We asked these two candidates to share their views on four questions related to traffic safety in Delaware. Representative Smith did not respond but Ms. Beard’s answers are here:
1)I voted for, or agree with, the Everyone Gets Home resolution (SCR 94 in the 151st Delaware General Assembly), which called for reducing traffic fatalities in Delaware to no more than 100 people each year by 2025 and also affirmed support for the Delaware Strategic Highway Safety Plan goal of no more 60 annual traffic fatalities by 2035.
Beard: “Strongly Agree”
2) I voted for, or agree with, the Everyone Gets Home Act (HS 1 for HB 247 in the 152nd Delaware General Assembly) – Delaware’s first-ever anti-“stroad” law – which authorized DelDOT to acquire property rights along busy, high-speed, multi-lane highways to consolidate commercial entrances or to create new commercial interconnections if DelDOT determines such consolidation or interconnection would likely reduce serious and fatal crashes.
Beard: “Agree”
3) support Delaware establishing a clear public policy that requires that every street, road and highway in the state be assigned to a specific functional category with clear design requirements to either facilitate safe and smooth traffic flow or safe direct access to properties (but not both) in order to help Delaware meet its goal of no more than 60 annual traffic fatalities by 2035.
Beard: “Strongly Agree”
4) I support the construction of multimodal roundabouts that are safer than signal- or stop sign-controlled intersections for people driving, cycling and walking in order to help Delaware meet its goal of no more than 60 annual traffic fatalities by 2035.
Beard: “Strongly Agree”
5) Is there anything else about your record as an elected official, your experience or your views that is relevant to improving traffic safety for the people you wish to represent in the 153rd General Assembly?
Beard: “I am married to a civil engineer from Ireland and so I frequently hear at home how Americans can do so much more to utilize roundabouts! I think we do need to accompany them with education on properly utilizing them, but I am excited to continue to make Delaware more accessible for those who cannot or don’t drive.”
