HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0267.009 2006-2008 Murashige, Laura
From: fames Weatherford [gardengreen@hawaiiantel.net]
Sent: Saturday, October 20, 2007 3:48 PM
To: counciltest[mony@co.hawaii.hi.us ~ ,i ~
Subject: Bill 79 ~t~ ~ 2-
C
Aloha kakou,
Comment Regarding Bill 79
My knowledge of the Hawaiian language is minimal; however, I do know that 'ua mau ke ea o
ka aina ika pono' does not mean, 'pave Paradise...cut down the trees and put up a parking
lot.' This is a problem with Bill 79.
Furthermore, Bill 79 is an example of the conflict between good intentions and unintended
consequences.
2n a central area with concentration of commercial and public services, an increase in
parking space provides a short-term increase in access for private motor vehicles and
impedes long-term development of mass transit.
An alternative and more progressive policy successfully employed in other jurisdictions
sets a limit on the number of parking spaces associated with each business, with an
allowance for loading/unloading and handicapped parking, as well as a minimum of two
regular parking spaces plus addition spaces based on the size of the business.
Typically, parking spaces above the limit are allowed, and a fee is levied on each of
these 'excess' parking spaces. The revenue collected is put directly into free mass
transit 'loop routes' for buses in the central area. Critically, the public's access to
commercial centers is not inhibited; rather it is accomplished in a different way that
results in fewer motor vehicles moving in the central area, which in turn improves access
for pedestrians.
Generally, the above policy has been used for urban centers. Some version might be usable
in Hilo, Kailua-Kona, and/or Waimea; and, in my opinion, would work well in my community,
Hawaiian Paradise Park. Of course, in all cases, a `business district loop' bus service
must actually exist.
Bill 79, as currently drafted, would add yet another obstacle to a seriously functional
mass transit system in the County as a whole and especially in urban areas.
The forthcoming Puna Community Development Plan will be recommending, as a matter of
priority much higher than highway widening, the development of commercial and service
centers in Puna. These would include one or more on the 20-acre parcel(s) zoned for such
use in Hawaiian Paradise Park where the population is 10,000 and increasing faster than
anywhere in the state.
Approved as now drafted, Bill 79 would be a one-size-fits-all policy that mandates a
County-wide deterrent to driving less. A deterrent to driving less even as there is a
growing need to be able to do exactly that.
Akahele
Mahalo nui loa
James Weatherford, Ph.D.
PO Box 2017
[15-1888 6th Avenue, Hawaiian Paradise Park] Kea~au, Hawaii 96749
Telephone: 808-982-5549
Comm. No. ~ ~ 7'
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