HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0843.006 2020-2022 Ipi
III
Connecting People and, Places
July S, 2022
Good Morning County Council Members,
My name is Paul Burke and I am the Program Director of PATH-People for Active
Transportation Hawaii. PATH is a Hawaii County based nonprofit and our mission is
to safely connect people and places on Hawaii Island with pathways and bikeway
We administer bike and pedestrian education programs for adults and keiki
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administer the HIBIKE bikeshare system, and work with local and state-wide parti6rs
to deliver on the promise of safe, accessible, and equitable active transportation �m, ;�
systems.
First of all, a sincere Mahalo Nui for your service to the peoples of Hawaii. Ln
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I am honored to be here to testify on behalf of the URGENT need to implement _.:
Hawaii County's Complete Streets road design manual and award-winning Vision
Zero Master Plan.
We cannot move forward without knowing where we have been. To that end, the
following is a brief summary of the Complete Streets and Vision Zero initiatives on
Hawai'i Island.
Complete Streets
o On May 6, 2009 Governor signed the landmark bill SB 718 into law. This law
required all state and county roads to implement complete streets.
o Oct 19, 2011 County of Hawaii passed a resolution committing to the creation of a
Complete Streets policy.
o In December 2020, County of Hawaii approved resolution 779 to move forward with
the Complete Streets Design Manual and.
o There has been 0 community outreach, despite repeated requests.
Vision Zero Master Plan
o A Vision Zero Action team was convened by the County. This taskforce was an
interdepartmental group working with external stakeholders, including PATH, to
develop an evidence-based, data-driven approach to implementing changes.
o November 6, 2020 County of Hawaii passed Resolution 746 which adopted the
Vision Zero Master Plan
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The Complete Streets initiatives and Vision Zero Action Plan specifically address
transparency and community engagement as focal points. Communities KNOW what
is needed to make the roads they travel safer: more connected bike, pedestrian and
other multimodal facilities, road diets (narrower roads), slower speeds, etc...
As of this date, none of the recent road improvements have
included connected bikeways or road diets outlined in Complete Streets road design
manual, the Transit and Multi Modal Master Plan, or the Vision Zero Master Plan. In
fact, the recent Kilauea Ave, Waidnuenue Ave, and Alii Drive resurfacing did not
include any connected striping for bicyclists or transparent community engagement.
We are still waiting for public announcements regarding community input on Keawe
and Kalaniana`ole Street pedestrian and bicycling facilities.
To be clear. We have REPEATEDLY asked for Complete Streets and Vision Zero
Master Plans to be implemented. Leadership at the County has been receptive to the
ideas. However, when the rubber meets the road (or paint, in this case), there is no
Director-level coordination of this work. Plans cannot get implemented if the same
plans are ignored. We need strong leadership from the County to make the necessary
changes happen.
Sincerely,
Paul Burke
Program Director
PATH
848-464-9101