STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1469

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 155

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Transportation and International Affairs, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 155 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING A KAPAA QUARRY ROAD SAFETY TASK FORCE TO CONDUCT A STUDY TO DEVELOP AND RECOMMEND TRAFFIC SAFETY MEASURES FOR KAPAA QUARRY ROAD IN ORDER TO ALLEVIATE DANGEROUS ROAD CONDITIONS AND REDUCE HAZARDOUS DRIVING PRACTICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to establish a Kapaa Quarry Road Safety Task Force under the Department of Transportation to recommend traffic safety measures for Kapaa Quarry Road.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Department of Transportation Services of the City and County of Honolulu (DTS).

     On February 15, 2007, two young women were killed in a crash while traveling on Kapaa Quarry Road, and five others were injured. Other accidents on Kapaa Quarry Road in recent years include a 1998 crash attributable to speeding, which resulted in the death of a teenage girl; a 2000 incident involving an overturned vehicle, which resulted in the hospitalization of three people; and a 2001 crash that left a teenage boy hospitalized in critical condition.  Although the speed limit on Kapaa Quarry Road is twenty-five miles per hour, drivers frequently drive much faster and use the road for entertainment, such as going fast over a sudden and steep dip in the road to simulate a rollercoaster.

     The Kapaa Quarry Road Safety Task Force would be composed of a broad spectrum of representatives of the Legislature, government agencies, and private stakeholders, including the Department of Transportation; the Department of Transportation Services of the City and County of Honolulu; the Department of Land and Natural Resources; the Honolulu Police Department; the Department of Environmental Services of the City and County of Honolulu; the Kailua Neighborhood Board No. 31; the Senate of the State of Hawaii, to be selected by the President of the Senate; the House of Representatives of the State of Hawaii, to be selected by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and surrounding businesses, schools, and property owners, to be determined by the Department of Transportation.

     Your Committee believes that the formation of a task force is the most expeditious and efficient means of addressing the hazard road conditions and unsafe driving along Kapaa Quarry Road.

     Your Committee has amended this measure on the recommendation of the DOT and the DTS to have both serve as co-chairs of the task force since the Kapaa Quarry Road is under the jurisdiction of the City and County of Honolulu.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation and International Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 155, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 155, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation and International Affairs,

____________________________

J. KALANI ENGLISH, Chair