HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

93

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2006

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO CREATE A COMPREHENSIVE STATEWIDE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ACTION PLAN.

 

WHEREAS, the right to walk is a fundamental human right, the exercise of which in our communities requires responsibly designed public infrastructure; and

WHEREAS, by design, our society depends heavily on motor vehicle transportation; and yet, every day, each of us is a pedestrian who needs and deserves to share the road safely with motorists and other forms of transportation; and

WHEREAS, sidewalks and pathways that link destinations benefit everyone by:

(1) Providing freedom of transportation with dignity to all, regardless of age, disability or income, including those who cannot drive, cannot afford to drive, or choose not to drive;

(2) Providing public right of way and providing safe and accessible way to walk across the public right of way;

(3) Reducing vehicular traffic congestion, energy consumption, and pollution because they make alternate transportation modes more practical for people;

(4) Making our communities healthier, safer, and more pleasant places for residents and visitors to enjoy together; and

(5) Increasing property values, access to jobs, and recreational opportunities;

and

WHEREAS, walking is an increasingly popular transportation option and recreational activity, and as a result well-designed, continuous, connected sidewalks with safe crossings are highly valued; and

WHEREAS, the failure to consider the needs of pedestrians in street and roadway planning has led to less access, faster motor traffic, and greater distances between destinations and in turn to inconvenience, isolation, pollution, needless injury, and death; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii has among the highest rates of pedestrian fatalities in the nation, the highest fatality rate for senior pedestrians ages 65 years and older, and the eleventh highest pedestrian fatality rate for all ages; and

WHEREAS, the predominance of the automobile has led to the devaluation of walking as a normal means of transportation, and contributed to the high levels of physical inactivity and obesity the country now faces; and

WHEREAS, more than two-thirds of the American population is overweight or obese; in Hawaii more than one-half (53.1 percent) of the adult population was overweight (36 percent) or obese (17.1 percent) in 2002, and the rate of diabetes has reached nearly ten percent among adults nationwide; and

WHEREAS, many other diseases are also linked to our sedentary lifestyle such, as coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, osteoporosis, and colon and breast cancer; and

WHEREAS, these statistics are in stark contradiction to Hawaii’s image as an island paradise and healthy state; and

WHEREAS, there is a need to build better communities by conscientiously providing and adequately maintaining a continuous network of sidewalks, pathways and safe and accessible crossings for pedestrians and to make sidewalks and pathways friendly to persons using wheelchairs, strollers or other mobility aids; and

WHEREAS, the failure to promptly and diligently fund, design, build, and adequately maintain urgently needed pedestrian-friendly sidewalks, crosswalks, high visibility warnings and devices, and other traffic calming measures has needlessly led to injury and the tragic loss of many lives; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation is aware of the scope and issues concerning pedestrian safety, is working towards a comprehensive transportation plan that includes pedestrians, and the creation of a pedestrian plan with all key stakeholders is desirable to create a stronger more cohesive and integrated planning effort; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, that the Department of Transportation is requested to complete a comprehensive statewide pedestrian safety action plan with the active inclusion, input, and participation of citizen advocacy groups in all aspects of the development and future implementation and evaluation of this plan; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is requested to take into consideration all other transportation safety planning efforts such as Bike Plan Hawaii; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health, Department of Education, University of Hawaii Department of Urban and Regional Planning, American Association of Retired Persons, Walk Wise Hawaii, Hawaii Bicycling League, Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition, Na Kama Hele, American Planning Association-Hawaii Chapter, Sierra Club, and Kaho‘omiki-Hawaii Physical Activity Council are requested to assist the Department of Transportation in the development of the statewide plan; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation reports on findings and recommendations no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session o0f 2007; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Transportation, Director of Health, Superintendent of Education, University of Hawaii's Department of Urban and Regional Planning, American Association of Retired Persons, Walk Wise Hawaii, Hawaii Bicycling League, Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition, Na Kama

Hele, American Planning Association-Hawaii Chapter, Sierra Club, and Kaho‘omiki-Hawaii Physical Activity Council.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Pedestrian Safety Plan