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<br /> <br /> <br /> y <br /> QTY OF <br /> FRED C. HOLSCHUH, M.D. Phone No.: (808) 961-8264 <br /> Council Member Fax No.: (808) 961-8912 <br /> •~~ii os M''+~ <br /> <br /> <br /> HAWAII COUNTY COUNCIL <br /> County of Hawai `i <br /> Hawaii County Building <br /> 25 Aupuni Street ' <br /> Hit(,, Hawaii 96720 ' <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> October 17, 2006 <br /> <br /> J <br /> Stacy K. Higa, Chair <br /> Hawaii County Council <br /> 25 Aupuni Street <br /> Hilo, Hawaii 96720 <br /> <br /> RE: A Bill for an Ordinance Amending Chapter 24, Article 10, Division 8, Section 24-293, Schedule 41, <br /> Hawaii County Code 1983 (2005 Edition, As Amended), Regarding Vehicles and Traffic, to <br /> Restrict the Use of the Waipi`o Valley Access Road to Four-Wheel Drive Vehicles. <br /> <br /> Enclosed is a Bill seeking to amend the Hawaii County Code 1983 (2005 Edition, as amended), <br /> Chapter 24, Vehicles and Traffic, Traffic Schedules, Article 10, Schedules, Division 8, Restrictions on <br /> Certain Vehicles, Section 24-293, Schedule 41, Use of certain streets by certain vehicles restricted. <br /> <br /> I have received several concerns and complaints from residents of the Waipi`o Valley area <br /> regarding All-Wheel Drive (AWD) vehicles entering the valley but unable to exit the valley's extremely <br /> steep slope or being incapacitated in the lower portion of the valley. It has been brought to my attention <br /> that on several occasions AWD vehicles have required towing from the valley at different points along <br /> the access road and within the valley. According to a resident of the area, on one occasion, a rented <br /> AWD vehicle was left in the middle of the roadway for a significant period of time after the driver was <br /> unable to extricate it from the valley. <br /> <br /> According to research conducted by my office, the "all" part of all-wheel drive is a bit <br /> misleading since the majority of AWD vehicles use the front wheels primarily, and only direct power to <br /> the rear wheels when a sensor detects front-wheel slip. There are also many derivations of AWD <br /> vehicles currently on the market. Some may be better equipped to deal with the harsh steepness of the <br /> valley, but I do not believe that any of these vehicles have the full capacity to deal with the many <br /> adversities encountered when traversing the road down into, and perhaps more importantly, up and out <br /> of Waipi`o Valley. Furthermore, there are other severe conditions within the valley itself, such as high <br /> water areas, muddy and rocky roadways, fallen trees, etc., that require true Four-Wheel Drive to be <br /> successfully navigated. 3._Q-~\ Comm. No. 11444 <br /> <br /> <br /> Ref. To: 7wi <br /> Ref. Late OCT 17 2006 <br /> <br /> Hawai `i County Is An Equal Opportunity Provider And Employer <br />