REP PWPC 054 07/22/1997 1996-1998

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REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC WORKS AND PARKS DATE: July 22, 1997 RE: COMM. NO. 373 PLACE: Councilroom TIME: 10:32 a.m. Chair and Members Hawaii County Council Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Your Committee on Public Works and Parks, to which was referred Communication No. 373 and attached Bill No. 104, reports as follows: The purpose of Bill No. 104 is to amend Chapter 24, article 10, to prohibit parking along the entire mauka side of Kalanianaole Street. Bill No. 104 would amend Chapter 24, article 10, division 5, section 24-280, schedule 28 (No parking at anytime), subsection (c) South Hilo, by adding the following item: Kalanianaole Street, mauka side, from Kamehameha Avenue to its eastern terminus." Communication No. 373 is a letter from Chief Engineer Donna Fay K Kiyosaki, dated June 19, 1997, which transmits Bill No. 104 to the Council for its consideration. Your Committee received testimony in support of this bill from Donna Saiki, Chair of the Leleiwi Community Association, Ron Reilly of the Mayor's Advisory Committee on Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety, and Bob Wilkins, a resident of the area. In addition, Your Committee heard from Officer Dexter Chaves and Richard Nishimura, of the Department of Public Works Traffic Division. Officer Chaves informed Your Committee that the mauka side of Kalanianaole Avenue has not traditionally been used as a parking area because the roadway shoulders are narrow in most areas. He explained that recent road improvements have striped the road and smoothed out the shoulder area, resulting in more parking in the area. A motion to defer was defeated. Committee members cited the following reasons for moving the matter forward to the Council: this is a public safety issue; this measure does not eliminate a traditionally used parking area; the Community Association supports this measure; and it was felt that the Committee has dealt with this comprehensively.