Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 99 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the Department of Transportation (DOT) to convene a traffic advisory task force to study Oahu traffic congestion issues and recommend solutions.

Your Committee received testimony from the DOT and the Department of Transportation Services of the City and County of Honolulu in support of the intent of this measure, but opposing the study as unnecessary and redundant.

Despite the fact that every resident of Oahu agrees that the automobile traffic congestion here is unbearable, your Committee finds that our island still lacks any viable, broad-scale mass transit system.

Your Committee is aware that the City and County of Honolulu has accelerated plans to implement the Bus Rapid Transit system, but there is much disagreement in the transportation engineering community about whether such a system is practical for Oahu, and whether such a system will actually decrease traffic congestion.

Therefore, your Committee supports this measure, which will create a task force to examine the traffic issue and hopefully propose solutions. Your Committee is aware that numerous task forces have studied this issue in the past to no avail, but hopes that the outcome this time will be more productive.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 99 and recommends its adoption.