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

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inadequate or missing sidewalks and bike lanes, they become the hazardous, unappealing hybrid called a "stroad". These detract from the wealth of our streets and by extension, our towns. We need to avoid the bad design that leads to stroads and to convert existing ones to safe, vibrant streets that protect our citizens and promote real community value. Back to the General Plan. Upon review, we see that many of our suggestions were taken, and some were not. We appreciate the wording that you added in various places at our suggestion to move the Plan towards better accomplishing multi-modal goals. Rather than detail each section where we feel the Plan could have further advanced these goals, we would like to discuss the implementation actions in Section 6.4.4. After all, these are the most important part of the plan. We are intimately familiar with the fate of most government plans, which sit on the shelf or are very unevenly implemented. We urge the County to emphasize implementation of the following, AND WE WOULD LIKE TO HELP: 16a. Develop a comprehensive, island-wide multimodal transportation plan that identifies the location and operation of automobile, mass transit, bicycle, and pedestrian systems, in coordination with appropriate federal and state agencies. This is a critical element of any future transportation planning. It will be crucial to incorporate and build on the Downtown Hilo Multimodal Master Plan as part of this effort. 16c. Amend the County Code, Chapters 22, 23, and 24 to increase active transportation and accommodate emerging micro-mobility solution. Micromobility devices such as E-bikes, E-scooters, E-skateboards, etc. are rapidly increasing on the Big Island, as they are throughout the country. It will be good to get ahead of regulatorily accommodating this generally positive trend. 17.a Develop and adopt a program to establish public access to historic and modern active living corridors and facilities that provide an island-wide route and connect to major destinations. We strongly support this for residents and as part of sustainable tourism. 17.b Explore the potential of multimodal trails to serve as evacuation routes during emergencies. We are pleased that the GP 2045 was amended to incorporate this measures, as suggested by our partner Saman Dias of the Maui Bicycling League in her comment letter. It is unfortunate that long-planned multi-modal infrastructure was not yet ready during the August 2023 fire in Lahaina. The Maui wildfires have much to teach us, including how multi-modal trails can contribute to safety and resilience to disasters. These lessons are readily applicable to communities such as Waikoloa, PO Box 10702 , Hilo , H a w a i`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.