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REPORT OF THE <br />COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC WORKS AND MASS TRANSIT <br />DATE: October 20, 2020 Re: Comm. No. 1099/Res. No. 746-20 <br />PLACE: Hilo, Hawaii <br />TIME: 10:47 a.m. <br />Council Chair and Members <br />Hawaii County Council <br />Hilo, Hawaii 96720 <br />Your Committee on Public Works and Mass Transit, to which was referred Resolution No. <br />746-20, reports as follows: <br />Resolution No. 746-20, introduced by Committee Chair Susan L.K. Lee Loy via Communication <br />No. 1099, adopts the Hawaii Island Vision Zero Action Plan. <br />The action plan, attached to the resolution as an Exhibit A, establishes a way to eliminate traffic <br />deaths on Hawaii Island streets. It represents a shift in transportation philosophy to prioritize the <br />preservation of human life over the convenience of traveling quickly on streets across the island. <br />Prior to discussion, Tina Clothier, interim Executive Director for Peoples Advocacy for Trails <br />Hawaii (PATH) and a member of the County's Vision Zero Task Force, provided an overview <br />of the action plan. <br />Ms. Clothier in her public testimony recounted the Mayor's proclamation establishing the task <br />force, the Council's Resolution No. 38-19 in support, and the work of the task force in convening <br />interagency meetings, gathering and refining data, and the Planning Department's role in <br />coordinating the effort. The task force intends to develop and submit to the Council an annual <br />report to assess the progress, she said. <br />Planning Director Michael Yee said the plan is the culmination of the multi -modal tours that he <br />and some members of the Council took to sites in Washington and Oregon, during which the <br />concept of Vision Zero was presented. <br />Planner Natasha Soriano reviewed the significant findings with the crash mapping and data <br />analysis, notably the strong correlation of alcohol, drug impairment, and excessive speed with <br />fatal crashes. Native Hawaiians were three times as likely to die in car accident compared to <br />Caucasians, and Hawaii residents comprised most fatalities, as opposed to visitors. The action <br />plan looks at education and enforcement, but also at the engineering of roads to install traffic <br />calming devices. <br />Council members engaged in a lengthy discussion about the merits of Complete Streets policy, <br />and road design, including vehicle -free zones and pedestrian rights, which Ms. Soriano said will <br />be addressed in a future resolution. <br />PWMTC Report No.: 27 <br />