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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0642.001 2008-2010 William P. Kenai Mayor Nancy E. Crawford Director Deanna S. Sako Deputy Director County of Hawaii Finance Department 25 Aupuni Street,. Suite 2103 . Hila, Hawaii 96720 (808) 961-8234 . Fax (808) 961-8248 December 28, 2009 (") PO _t"'"' 2'-' -I.!;~ <."-01<,:. ~ c:::::;;> c:::::;;> ~ t::l rn C"? N CD J Yoshimoto, Council Chair and Members of the Hawai'i County Council Hawai'i County Council 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawai'i 96720 N -u ::::3 "":'~':: nl C,l N N Re: Bill No. 182 - Amending Hawai'i County Code On December 15, 2009 the Public Works and Intergovernmental Relations Committee considered the referenced bill to amend Section 24-167 of the Hawai'i County Code by including additional safety requirements for towing vehicles and trailers. The bill was sent forward with a positive recommendation and is scheduled for first reading at the Hawai'j County Council meeting on January 6, 2010. At this time we are requesting that the bill be changed to remove the term "emergency" from both the existing County Code language and the proposed new language in Section 24-167(a). We wish to clarify that the safety requirements apply to all connections to towed vehicles or trailers, and are not limited to emergency connections. We also wish to add the term "or towed vehicle" in Section 24..167(c), as it was inadvertently omitted. The language from Bill No. 182 is shown below with the two instances of the term "emergency" to be deleted and the proposed additional term "or towed vehicle" highlighted. Attached is the full section we request be considered for a draft 2 of the bill. Section 24-167. Towed vehicles [.J and trailers. (a) (b) When one vehicle is towing another, the drawbar or other [emerg~nc)~] connection shall be [of sufficient strength to pull all 'vveight to'vved.] equipped with an additional safety chain or chains (stay chain or cable) adequate to hold such vehicle to the towing vehicle in the event of tow bar or other r~fuergencyl connection and/or coupling failure. Each chain or cable and its accompanying coupling and mounting devices shall have an ultimate strength equal to at least the gross weight of the vehicle. No person shall operate a train of vehicles when any trailer, semi-trailer, or other vehicle being towed whips or swerves from side to side dangerously or umeasonably or fails to follow substantially in the path ofthe towing vehicle. Hawai'i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer Comm. No. ~l.1 Ref. To:Y I c..1r Ref. Date ,JAN 0 6 2.G16!. Amend Bill 182 December 28, 2009 Page 2 of 2 W Every trailer 5-rtowe-dvehlcTe' to be operated upon a public highway shall, in addition to a tow bar, be equipped with a safety chain or chains (stay chain or cable) adequate to hold such vehicle to the towing vehicle in the event of tow bar and/or coupling failure. Each chain or cable and its accompanying coupling and mounting devices shall have an ultimate strength equal to at least the gross weight of the trailer. Thank you for your assistance in making the requested adjustments to improve Bill 182. If there are any questions, please do not hesitate to call me. ~D~ Nancy E. Crawford Director of Finance Enclosure cc: Lee Lord, Vehicle Registration and Licensing Craig Masuda, Corporations Counsel AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 24, ARTICLE 7, SECTION 24-167 OF THE HA W AI'I COUNTY CODE 1983 (2005 EDITION, AS AMENDED), RELATING TO OPERATION OF VEHICLES. BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAW AI'I: SECTION 1. Purpose. The purpose of this measure is to amend the requirements for towing of vehicles and trailers. SECTION 2. Chapter 24, article 7, section 24-167, Hawai'i County Code 1983 (2005 edition, as amended) is amended to read as follows: Section 24-167. Towed vehicles [.] and trailers. (a) When one vehicle is towing another, the drawbar or other [emergency] connection shall be [of sufficient strength to pull all weight towed.] equipped with an additional safety chain or chains (stay chain or cable) adequate to hold such vehicle to the towing vehicle in the event of tow bar or other connection and/or coupling failure. Each chain or cable and its accompanying coupling and mounting devices shall have an ultimate strength equal to at least the gross weight of the vehicle. (b) No person shall operate a train of vehicles when any trailer, semi-trailer, or other vehicle being towed whips or swerves from side to side dangerously or unreasonably or fails to follow substantially in the path of the towing vehicle. W Every trailer or towed vehicle to be operated upon a public highway shall, in addition to a tow bar, be equipped with a safety chain or chains (stay chain or cable) adequate to hold such vehicle to the towing vehicle in the event of tow bar and/or coupling failure. Each chain or cable and its accompanying coupling and mounting devices shall have an ultimate strength equal to at least the gross weight of the trailer. SECTION 3. Material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New material is underscored. In printing this ordinance, the brackets, bracketed and stricken material and underscoring need not be included. SECTION 4. If any provision of this ordinance, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the ordinance which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end, the provisions of this ordinance are declared to be severable. SECTION 5. This ordinance shall take effect upon its approval.