HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0843.014 2020-2022 P/oNwc-
James M. Leonard
Hilo Bayfront Trails COUNTYCLERK
Board of Directors COUNTY OF HAWAFI
RECEIVED
ate__ tJ L 0 1 2
July 1, 2022
Re: Comm 843, Update on Wainuehue Avenue Rehabilitation Project
To; Honorable Susan Lee Loy, Chair
Honorable Matt Keneali'i-Kleinfelder, Vice Chair
Members of the Hawaii County Council Comittee on Public Works and
Mass Transit
Chair Lee Loy, Vice-chair Keneali'i-Kleinfelder and Committee members:
I understand that you have heard from many community members who are active
in promoting the integration of modes of multimodal transportation as part of our
planning for and implementation of upgrades and improvements to our roads and
streets.
Our County has done an extensive amount of planning in the past along these
lines, including the Hilo Downtown Multimodal Master Plan, the Hawaii Island
Vision Zero Action Plan and development of a new Street Design Manual for the
County of Hawaii. The County Council also adopted Resolution 171-11, in 2011,
supporting the establishment of a complete streets policy for the County of
Hawai'i and, more recently, passed Resolution 799 to adopt the new Street
Design Manual for the County of Hawaii.
As you well know, all this planning is certainly not done in a vacuum. It has
involved countless hours of participation from dedicated members of the
community who are anxious to see an improvement to the community we live in;
to broaded the modes of transportion throughout out towns and communities, to
provide greater accessiblity for people of all ablities; to provide safe routes for our
children to get to school; to make our transportation network safer for all users
including bicyclists and pedestrians; and to support a multi-modal transportation
network that broaden our active transportation options and decreases our
Comm No IWA
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dependence on the automobile as the sole means of getting to school, work,
shopping and play.
The bottom line, however, is that all this involvement in the planning from the
community and encouragement from the County Council is of little value unless
there is a commitment from those agencies tasked with following and
implementing these plans to do so. In this respect, the Department of Public
Works can take a leadership role as it has done in the other counties of Hawaii, in
furthering the goals expressed in such resolutions and plans.
In this respect and in relation to the purpose of this hearing with the Director of
Public Works, I would encourage you to ask the Director what specific plans and
procedures does the Department have in place to, in the words of the Complete
Street Policy, see that our roadways are "designed, constructed and maintained
to enable safe, efficient, comfortable and economical mobility and access for all
users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and
abilities" and "promote non-moterized travel as alternatives".
As we have seen in the other Counties, the Department of Public Works can be a
leader in this respect. Frankly, 1 feel like we will be fighting an uphill battle in
implementing these plans and policies, without that same level of action and
leadership from the Department. I would guess that you, too, as Council
members would like to hear of that commitment of the part of those responsible
for implementation of the policies adopted by the Council.
Thank you for this opportunity to provide this testimony.