STAND. COM. REP. NO.  362

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 562

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred H.B. No. 562 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CROSSWALKS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to improve pedestrian safety by requiring that any plan or design for a newly constructed, reconstructed, resurfaced, or renovated intersection of two crossing arterial streets shall include a marked crosswalk at each border of the intersection.

The Department of Transportation testified in opposition to this measure.

     Pedestrian fatalities in Hawaii remain at an unacceptably high level.  While the provision of marked crosswalks across intersections all newly constructed, reconstructed, resurfaced, or renovated intersection of two crossing arterial streets would appear to promote pedestrian safety, your Committee notes the concerns raised by the Department of Transportation that requiring crosswalks to be placed on all sides of an intersection may actually decrease pedestrian safety.  According to the Department, adding crosswalks to all sides of an intersection between arterial streets may create new pedestrian and vehicle conflicts, especially where there are significant amounts of turning vehicles. 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by requiring that one marked crosswalk be included in any plan or design for an intersection rather than requiring a marked crosswalk at each border of the intersection.

     Technical, nonsubstantive amendments were also made for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 562, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 562, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation,

____________________________

HENRY J.C. AQUINO, Chair