HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0679.042 2022-2024 p/ PcPWD
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From: Jon Luff
Sent: Tuesday, February 6, 2024 7:56 AM cry.
To: Council Testimony m
Subject: Written Testimony in Opposition to Bill 125 -G.—
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Aloha Hawaii County Council and Committee members; >
I offer this written testimony once again to express my opposition to the proposed Bill 125 meant to prohibit bicty e tolfts
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.I again point out the following as 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.
• Where is the actual data to identify the most dangerous roads across the island,and how do these 2 roadways
compare?
• What is the Committee doing to reach out to legitimate 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 pay the 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 support data-driven findings,and public commitment to improving conditions for everyone,not just a select few.As a local
cyclist I have ridden these 2 roads in question and appreciate the potential safety risks.Please reach into the entire
community, develop strategies that respond to 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.
Mahalo,
Jon Luft
73-4540 Iki Place j �U i
Kailua Kona 96740 Comm. N•
619 921-3419 Ref. To: !I U
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