HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0679.021 2022-2024 pi pcpLuo
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From: Jon Luft
Sent: Sunday,January 21, 2024 10:20 AM
To: Council TestimonycD
Subject: Testimony in opposition to Bill 125, Policy Committee meeting 1/23/24
Aloha Hawaii County Council and Committee members; "-
I offer this written testimony to express my opposition to the proposed Bill 125 meant to prohibit bicycle tours from operating
on a few specific roadways in the Kohala area.As an avid cyclist on the Big Island and advocate for bicycle safety,proper
infrastructure planning and development to encourage multiple forms of transportation including bicycles on all our
public roadways,and a proponent of Complete Streets to which Hawai County is committed,the proposed legislation
appears to serve a limited few while ignoring any opportunity or commitment to improve our roadway systems for
the betterment of all. The following are just a few of the reasons I ask the Committee to take a broader view of this opportunity
and reject the simplistic proposal of simply cutting off certain roadways to a small class of uses.
• Is there an island-wide study based on actual data to identify the most dangerous roads,and only then then apply
possible restrictions on the basis of merit rather than a select few examples?
• Has the Committee reach out to any or all of the local,state,and federal organizations who focus on bicycle mobility
and safety,to consider all recommendations and options available?
• Selecting these 2 roads out of all the others speaks loudly of local citizens'frustration with having to cede safety to
the public who enjoy other forms of recreation and transportaiton
• Myopic reliance on auto travel superseding other forms of transport is short-sighted and in direct conflict with
modern day multi-modal transportation planning
• The County's adoption of Complete Streets applies to all of the County,and North Kohala is not immune from
adopting these standards
• Cycle tours and tourists of all kinds provide a viable source of employment and tax revenue for the County and State
• Bicycle tours attract and reinforce a diverse tourism base.Where is the Aloha?
• Drivers of any vehicle always have the option of slowing down and waiting until there is a clear path to pass, instead if
getting angry.
• There is nothing in the law that says people in cars are more entitled to get somewhere safely(or faster)than a cyclist
• Bicycle tour guides can and should be aggressively trained and possibly licensed under County or State mandate to
follow specific laws and regulations
• Public roads are public.Cyclists paythe same taxes to support road infrastructure as motorists do
• Kohala is a unique and special place but is not a private enclave with laws of its own to limit access to public rights of
way
• The County and State should be encouraged to enact more funding to widen roadways and shoulders,erect signage,
and provide education to motorists and cycle tourists and tourism of all kinds.
• Public roadways are there for other purposes than to get to and from private residences and businesses.
I am in favor of public debate,data-driven findings,and public commitment to improving conditions for everyone,not just
a select few.As a local cyclist I have ridden the 2 roads in question and appreciate the potential safety risks. Please take
the time and effort needed to reach into the broadest sections of the community, develop strategies
that respond to all the commitments the County has already made, and find solutions that make things
better. Simply closing off public roadways due to perceptions and concerns of a small group is not a
recipe for building a strong civic commitment that works for everybody.
Ma halo,
Comm. No
Jon Luft Ref. To:
2 3 2024
73-4540 Iki Place Ref. Date A
1
Kailua Kona 96740
619 921-3419
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