STAND. COM. REP. NO. 442

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: H.B. No. 1645

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred H.B. No. 1645 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MASS TRANSIT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to begin the process of alleviating traffic congestion on Oahu through a mass transit system. Among other things, this bill:

(1) Establishes a Mass Transit Planning Account (Account) with a cap of $3,600,000;

(2) Requires the state Director of Finance (Director) to transfer $600,000 from the Account to a highway fund account established for each county with a population greater than 500,000;

(3) Requires the county to use, upon receipt from the Director, the $600,000 to develop and finalize a mass transit work plan that includes the use of a fixed guideway mass transit system;

(4) Requires the Director to transfer the remaining $3,000,000 from the Account to the county to execute an environmental impact study and financial plan, if the county council approves the mass transit work plan; and

(5) Provides that a portion of the state gasoline tax shall be paid into the Account.

The Leeward Oahu Transportation Management Association testified in support of this measure. The Department of Transportation Services of the City and County of Honolulu supported the intent of this measure. The Department of Transportation (DOT), Hawaii Transportation Association, and Superstar Hawaii Transit Service opposed this bill. The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, Life of the Land, and a concerned individual commented on this bill. The Department of Taxation offered comments on this bill deferring to DOT on the merits of the measure.

With population growth on Oahu expanding, especially on the Leeward coast of Oahu, and a substantial increase in the number of vehicles using Oahu's roadways, the time has come to look at alternative means of transportation. The current level of traffic congestion island-wide have resulted in lost revenues, lost productivity, and lost family time. Without a long-term, multimodal, mass transit solution, the situation will only worsen.

Your Committee finds that most modern metropolitan areas around the world have a mass transit system to help alleviate traffic congestion and that a mode of convenient and reliable transportation besides the private automobile needs to be offered as an alternative to help resolve traffic problems on Oahu.

Although your Committee understands the concerns raised by DOT regarding the effect this measure will have on the Highway Special Fund, it is imperative that an alternative mode of transportation be seriously studied, especially on the island of Oahu, and this measure would be a first step in the process of looking for solutions to our long-range transportation plans.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1645 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation,

 

____________________________

JOSEPH M. SOUKI, Chair