House District 6 covers the suburban communities immediately north of Wilmington from Foulk Road in the west to the Delaware River. (If you are not 100% sure whether you live in House District 6, 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 the incumbent Representative Debra Heffernan and her challenger Michael Krawczuk. We asked these two candidates to share their views on four questions related to traffic safety in Delaware. Here’s how they answered:
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.
Heffernan: “Strongly Agree”
Krawczuk: “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.
Heffernan: “Strongly Agree”
Krawczuk: “Strongly 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.
Heffernan: “Strongly Agree”
Krawczuk: “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.
Heffernan: “Strongly Agree”
Krawczuk: “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?
Heffernan: “I strongly believe that creating neighborhoods that are not built exclusively for cars is the way to build safer and more interconnected communities. Too often cars feel the ability to speed through residential streets or past at grade crossings without looking for pedestrians, cyclists, or other non drivers. We can curb this behavior with design choices in our built environment and I am hopeful that the passage and signing of HB 247 will lead to an increase in these safety driven design choices.”