HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1510

TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

relating to traffic safety.

 

 

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

 


     SECTION 1.  With over one million registered cars, trucks, sport utility vehicles, and motorcycles in Hawaii and thousands of lane miles of road, motorized transportation plays a big part in the lives of most Hawaii residents.  From the urban center of Honolulu with a congested interstate highway network to winding country roads, motor vehicles have provided a convenient mode of transportation for Hawaii's residents.  However, with continued population growth in the State and a concomitant increase in vehicular traffic, traffic patterns have drastically changed for all users of Hawaii's roadways, including drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists; unfortunately, accidents do happen.

     Motor vehicle crashes in Hawaii, including those involving pedestrians and bicyclists, occur at a surprisingly high rate, and the statistics are sobering.  According to department of transportation statistics, in Hawaii:

     (1)  Approximately ten thousand serious traffic crashes occur each year;

     (2)  There are between one hundred twenty and one hundred fifty traffic fatalities each year;

     (3)  Between eight thousand and twelve thousand people are seriously injured in car accidents annually;

     (4)  Over five hundred people are seriously injured when hit by a vehicle and between twenty and thirty people are killed each year in pedestrian accidents; and

     (5)  Hundreds of individuals are in accidents involving a motor vehicle and bicycle or motor scooter with between ten and twenty individuals killed annually.

The prevalence of motor vehicle collisions and the resulting injuries do not appear to be subsiding and present a real crisis.  In January 2015, there have already been five fatal motor vehicle crashes and four pedestrian fatalities involving motor vehicles on Oahu's roadways.

     Besides speeding, reckless driving, and driving under the influence of an intoxicant, the major causes of motor vehicle collisions in Hawaii include failing to yield, crossing the yellow line, driving in the wrong direction on a roadway, turning improperly, and distracted driving.  While some collisions may be caused by outdated roadway design, a majority of these collisions result from human error.  Better education for all roadway users, improved roadway design, and increased enforcement of current traffic laws may be some methods of addressing this problem.

     Vision Zero, a framework for reducing traffic fatalities to zero, was first developed in Sweden in 1997.  Vision Zero is guided by the principle that convenience to the users of a city or nation's roadways should never take precedence over human life.  The Vision Zero framework includes strategies to reduce traffic deaths through the design of the transportation system and the education of its users.  In Sweden, initiation of the Vision Zero program has met with success.  In 2009, total traffic fatalities was reduced by thirty five per cent of the total number of traffic fatalities in 1997.  In 2011, Sweden experienced two hundred twenty-seven fewer fatalities on its roadways then it did in 1997.

     The Vision Zero movement has evolved over the years and has now spread to Norway, the United Kingdom, and to several cities in the United States, including San Francisco, New York City, and Charleston, South Carolina.  All of these cities have set goals to reduce traffic fatalities through education, roadway design, and traffic enforcement within the next ten years with the ultimate goal of zero traffic fatalities.

     The city of Copenhagen once had car-centric infrastructure and traffic problems similar to Honolulu today.  However, over the past forty years, Copenhagen has worked to establish goals and has changed policies to diversify transportation available in the city in an effort to reduce the dependency on motor vehicles as a means of transportation.  Today, forty per cent of city commuters travel by bicycle, which has removed motor vehicles from the roads, reduced traffic and commute times, increased roadway safety, and increased health and happiness for local residents.

     The purpose of this Act is to convene a task force in the department of transportation to study issues involved in fatal traffic collisions in Hawaii and develop and recommend a plan to:

     (1)  Reduce the number of fatalities in Hawaii to zero; and

     (2)  Study the issues involved in diversifying transportation alternatives and recommend a plan to reduce dependency on motor vehicles as a means of transportation and significantly increase daily commutes using other alternatives.

     SECTION 2.  (a)  There is established a vision zero task force within the department of transportation for administrative purposes.  The task force shall be composed of the following members:

     (1)  The director of transportation, or the director's designee, who shall serve as the chairperson of the task force;

     (2)  The director of health, or the director's designee;

     (3)  The attorney general, or the attorney general's designee;

     (4)  The chair of the house of representatives standing committee on transportation, or the chair's designee;

     (5)  The chair of the senate standing committee on transportation, or the chair's designee;

     (6)  The prosecuting attorney of the city and county of Honolulu or the prosecuting attorney's designee, who shall also serve as the liaison of the task force to the chief legal adviser and legal representative of the other counties;

     (7)  The director of the department of transportation services of the city and county of Honolulu, or the director's designee, who shall also serve as the liaison of the task force to the directors of transportation of the other counties;

     (8)  The chief of police of the city and county of Honolulu, or a designee of the chief of police, who shall serve as the liaison of the task force to the chiefs of police of the other counties;

     (9)  The chair of the injury prevention advisory committee, or the chair's designee;

    (10)  A member who is a traffic safety expert;

    (11)  A member who is a roadway user; and

    (12)  Any other agency or designee deemed appropriate by the director of transportation.

     (b)  Members of the task force shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for any necessary expenses, including travel expenses, incurred in the performance of duties under this Act.

     (c)  No member of the task force shall be made subject to chapter 84, Hawaii Revised Statutes, solely because of that member's participation on the task force. 

     (d)  The vision zero task force shall study the various issues involved in, and make recommendations for, a plan to address traffic fatalities in Hawaii with a goal of:

     (1)  Reducing the number of traffic fatalities to zero by 2040; and

     (2)  Increasing daily commutes by alternative modes of transportation to thirty per cent of all daily commutes by 2040.

     (e)  The plan shall include the following:

     (1)  Research of all issues involved in fatal traffic collisions in Hawaii, including roadway design and human error;

     (2)  Development of a framework for reducing traffic fatalities in Hawaii including the improved safety of Hawaii's roadway network;

     (3)  Prioritization of capital improvement projects, and other projects, aimed at making Hawaii a safer place for pedestrians and bicyclists, particularly our kupuna;

     (4)  Development of traffic calming measures to encourage slower speeds, particularly in residential neighborhoods;

     (5)  Engineering methods to ensure the safety of streets and intersections including traffic signal modifications, intersection and street configurations, roadway regulations, and traffic signs and markings;

     (6)  Promotion of educational programs informing the public about Hawaii's traffic laws, particularly with regard to pedestrian-rights-of-way;

     (7)  Increased promotion of programs promoting pedestrian and bicycle safety;

     (8)  Increased enforcement of current traffic laws;

     (9)  Promotion of the use of mass transit, walking, bicycling, and other means of transportation other than a motor vehicle;

     (10) Establishment of a connected network of protected walking and bicycling paths in urban and suburban communities;

     (11) Establishment of uninterrupted highways for bicycling in urban areas that connect residential and commercial centers; and

     (12) Any other issues that may reduce traffic fatalities and decrease dependency on motor vehicles for daily transportation needs.

     (f)  The vision zero task force shall submit an interim report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2016.  The vision zero task force shall submit the final report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature by November 30, 2016.

     SECTION 3.  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 2015-2016 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2016-2017 to enable the vision zero task force to carry out the purposes of this Act, including the hiring of necessary staff.

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

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2015.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

 

 


 


 

Report Title:

Traffic Fatalities; Motorists; Pedestrians; Bicyclists; Task Force; Appropriation

 

Description:

Establishes the vision zero task force to study the various issues involved in traffic fatalities and make recommendations for a plan to address these issues with a goal of reducing the number of traffic fatalities in Hawaii to zero by 2025.  Appropriates funds.

 

 

 

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