2024-09-03 PL-INT-2024-008546 GP 2045 Draft Comments - Hilo Bayfront Trails

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o g3, F�o September 3, 2024 Honorable Mitchell Roth, Mayor, County of Hawai'i Honorable Heather Kimball, Chair, Hawai'i County Council Mr. Zendo Kern, Director, Hawai'i County Planning Department Coming soon... Dear Mayor Roth, Chair Kimball and Director Kern: to a park near you! Thank you for the County's effort in finalizing the Hawai'i County General Plan 2045 (GP 2045). The refinements, expansions and modernizations in the proposed goals, objectives and actions relative to the 2005 Plan set a good course for managing the Hilo Bayfront Trails,Inc. actions of our County to improve the life of its citizens and protect what is important Board of Directors: to U5. President: Matthias Kusch The Board of Hilo Bayfront Trails, Inc., appreciated the opportunity to comment on Vice President: the draft GP 2045. Our non-profit is now 12 years old, and we meet nearly every Andi Ellis month to advance the Trail and extensions of it. We are pleased that over half of the Treasurer ambitious Trail project has already been built, and we look forward to assisting the James Eller County on the remainder. As you know, we have expanded our mission beyond Secretary: completing the Trail to advancing the utility and safety of pedestrian and bicycle Ron Terry facilities throughout East Hawai'i, in keeping with Complete Streets, Vision Zero and Directors: Smart Growth principles. We know from talking with each of you as well as the Natasha Soriano projects this administration advances that you share our basic goals. Alan Ryan James Leonard We also know you would agree that there is ample room for improvement. We have Jesse Domian very little in the way of urban multimodal trails. Most of our County's streets lack Kehaulani Costa bike lanes and many lack even sidewalks. Our streets are unappealing and hazardous Leonard Bisel to bike or walk. There are also very few safe pedestrian or bicycle facilities connecting our scattered communities. The vicious circle of no facilities<*no walking/biking contributes to Hawai'i's epidemic of obesity, poor cardiovascular health and diabetes, along with isolation of the large proportion of the population that does not drive. The national surge in speeding and aggressive driving during the pandemic has not abated, and drivers in Hawai'i are killing or injuring pedestrians and bicyclists at alarming rates. While we cannot control the attitudes of individual drivers, through thoughtful design we can greatly influence their behavior. It has been demonstrated throughout the world that funneling cars is not the primary way that city streets contribute value to a community. Instead, the great social and economic wealth of our streets is because they host homes, foster businesses, and support people on the ground walking and biking, accessing parks and services, shopping and patronizing restaurants. If town streets are designed like highways, with the goal of moving cars as fast as possible, i.e., if they have wide lanes, uniform profiles, large turn radii, timed signals, no street trees, no curb extensions, and PO Box 10702 , Hilo , Hawai'i 9 6 7 2 1 www.hilobayfronttrails.or2 Our Mission: To create a multi-use trail through scenic downtown Hilo for the health and well-being of its people and visitors now and into the future.