Report Title:

Traffic Study; Schools; School Safety

Description:

Enacts a safe routes to school program; requires the department of transportation to conduct a traffic flow study of hazardous traffic conditions at Hawaii public schools and develop a safety plan. Makes appropriation. (SD1)

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1904

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2006

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

relating to traffic safety at PUBLIC schools.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that there are many hazardous traffic conditions that exist at Hawaii's public schools, particularly during the morning when students are dropped off at school and in the afternoon when students are picked up from school. These safety hazards are compounded when egress and ingress at the schools is slow and frustrating for parents, as well as the faculty and students who attempt to find parking at the same time. In instances where students have to walk through a parking lot or congested areas to get to school, the traffic flow is further disrupted, resulting in a dangerous traffic environment. Often, there are not enough school security aides or safety managers to supervise and control the situation, as they are pressed with other duties. Moreover, poor planning and uncoordinated efforts have often hampered attempts to mitigate these traffic hazards.

Title 1, Federal-Aid Highways, Subtitle D – Highway Safety Section 1404 – Safe Routes to School Program provides that the Secretary of Transportation "shall establish and carry out a safe routes to school program for the benefit of children in primary and middle schools." The stated purpose of the program is:

(1) enable and encourage children, including those with disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school; (2) to make bicycling and walking to school a safer and more appealing transportation alternative, thereby encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle from an early age; and (3) to facilitate the planning, development, and implementation of projects and activities that will improve safety and reduce traffic, fuel consumption, and air pollution in the vicinity of schools.

The benefits of safe routes to school include safer roads for pedestrians and bicyclists, fewer and less severe traffic accidents, fewer and less severe child casualties, reducing stress by eliminating battle of traffic congestion during drop-off and pick-up times, encourage use of alternative transportation, giving children greater opportunity to walk and bike with other children in groups, reducing neighborhood traffic congestion, and improving walking and biking safety.

The purpose of this Act is to establish a safe routes to school program to conform to federal requirements.

SECTION 2. Chapter 264, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§264-   Safe routes to school. (a) The department of transportation, with the assistance of the department of education, shall develop and implement a plan for safe routes to school program. The purpose of the program shall be:

(1) To enable and encourage children, including those with disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school;

(2) To make bicycling and walking to school a safer and more appealing transportation alternative, thereby encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle from an early age;

(3) To facilitate the planning, development, and implementation of projects and activities that will improve safety and reduce traffic, fuel consumption, and air pollution in the vicinity of schools; and

(4) Such other traffic measures deemed appropriate by the department.

(b) The department of transportation shall endeavor to obtain maximum federal funding for the safe routes to school program.

(c) For purposes of this section, the department of transportation shall plan and implement, in collaboration with the department of education, Federal Highway Administration, counties, and community organizations, a safe routes to school program."

SECTION 3. Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part VI be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§302A-   Safe routes to school. The department shall collaborate with the department of transportation for purposes of section 264-  ."

SECTION 4. (a) The department of transportation, with the participation of the department of education, shall undertake a traffic flow study for each school, as part of the safe routes to school program under sections 2 and 3 of this Act, for each for elementary, middle, and high school, whether public or private, to mitigate hazardous traffic conditions. The study shall include, but not be limited to, a review of hazardous conditions relating to parking, drop off areas, pick up areas, ingress and egress, and pedestrian safety at schools. The study shall include other factors the department of transportation and the department of education deem appropriate and relevant to decrease safety hazards, with regard to individual schools, such as:

(1) Surrounding communities affected by the school;

(2) Population densities and growth of those communities;

(3) Existing patterns and trends in traffic flows and densities;

(4) Peak capacities of surrounding roads and feeder highways around the affected school; and

(5) Any other factors deemed relevant.

(b) The traffic flow study shall include the recommendations and input of concerned neighbors, parents, faculty, and students. The department of transportation and the department of education, in cooperation with the statewide traffic safety committee, shall determine the order of schools for which the traffic flow study shall be conducted.

(c) The department of transportation shall submit a report of findings and recommendations to the governor and legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2008, and progress reports no later than December 31, 2006 and December 31, 2007, including proposed legislation to implement the study's recommendations in any of the reports.

SECTION 5. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $          , or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2006-2007, for a traffic flow study for each school as provided in section 4 of this Act.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of transportation for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 6. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 7. This Act shall take effect upon its approval, provided that section 5 shall take effect July 1, 2006.