Archives for February 2016

*Positive Update*

Bill 84 and Bill 8 have been tabled for the time being. Thank you to all those that submitted testimony and reached out to your Councilmember.  HBL is working with a broader group – the Complete Streets Coalition – to work with Councilmembers and the Department of Transportation Services to develop a good alternative to the Bill 84 and Bill 8; one that will strengthen our Complete Streets policy and advance the work of making our roads safer for those that walk and bike.

The rest of this post remains as posted in late February. The concerns about Bill 84 and Bill 8 remain the same and are what we will be working to ensure doesn’t end up in a future bill.

Our Complete Streets policy is making our streets safer for all!

The vision of safer streets for biking and walking is taking shape and changing our community for the better. Unfortunately, the City Council is currently considering two bills that essentially gut our Complete Streets law and will impede work to make our streets safer for biking and walking. While the people of Oahu have said time and time again they want safer streets for walking and walking, these bills will make getting these harder and slower.

Bill 84 & Bill 8 will take us backward

Bill 84 CD1(2015) and Bill 8(2016) are not currently scheduled for hearings and therefore no testimony is being accepted. They may be scheduled for hearings 3/2/16 and 3/3/16, respectively. In which case we will need lots of testimony. Please join the Bike Advocacy Team to receive alerts.

Why Bill 84 is so bad:

Bill 84 CD1 (2015) would essentially REPEAL the fundamental part of our landmark Complete Streets law – that every project should take every opportunity to make a street safer for walking, biking, and driving.

In 2012, the City Council unanimously passed Bill 26 making it the policy of the City to strive to make all of our streets safe walking, biking, and driving. At the core of the Complete Streets law is that “every transportation facility or project, whether new construction, reconstruction, or maintenance, provides the opportunity to implement complete streets policy and principles”. This is crucial to making our roads safe for all users in timely and cost efficient manner.

Bill 84 CD1 would remove this fundamental Complete Streets approach for many of our roads by saying that we will NOT consider Complete Streets on any project unless the Complete Streets improvement is expressly noted in the budget.

When we repave a road is the easiest and cheapest time to make it safer for biking and walking. However, we don’t include the streets that are going to be repaved in the budget. This means NONE of repaving projects would be allowed to make any bicycle and pedestrian improvements.

Why Bill 8 is so bad:

Our Complete Streets law requires that a checklist to used on every project to ensure that bicycle and pedestrian issues are being addressed wherever possible. This step in the process of thinking about those that walk and bike is essential to ensure we take advantage of opportunities to improve our streets (like with Kamehameha IV Road).

Bill 8 (2016) would require every project’s Complete Streets checklist be brought before the City Council for their approval before the project can receive any funding. This would translate into literally thousands of projects being brought before City Council, which would mean delay and many projects simply moving forward without any Complete Streets improvements – the exact opposite of what are Complete Streets law was intend to do.

Your role in the effort!

Bill 84 CD1(2015) and Bill 8(2016) are not currently scheduled for hearings and therefore no testimony is being accepted. They may be scheduled for hearings 3/2/16 and 3/3/16, respectively. In which case we will need lots of testimony. Please join the Bike Advocacy Team to receive alerts.