HCR275.DOC

WHEREAS, according to section 291C-221, Hawaii Revised Statutes, a high occupancy vehicle lane means a designated lane of a laned roadway where the use of the designated lane is restricted to school buses, vehicles carrying at least the minimum number of persons designated by the Director of Transportation on official signs and other official traffic-control devices, and other vehicles as provided by rules or by county ordinance; and

WHEREAS, according to section 19-108-2, Hawaii Administrative Rules, a zipper lane means a barrier-separated high occupancy vehicle lane; and

WHEREAS, the original minimum number of persons required to be carried in a motor vehicle while traveling on a high occupancy vehicle lane was three persons, but was reduced to two in 2005 after residents complained that these lanes were being underused; and

WHEREAS, in July 2008, the Department of Transportation increased the minimum number of required persons allowed in the zipper lane from two passengers to three due to the increased cost of gasoline and in order to remove cars from the general purpose lanes by incentivizing travelers to carpool; and

WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii and island of Oahu have limited lane miles thereby making it critical that each lane, including the zipper and high occupancy vehicle lanes are carrying the maximum number of cars during rush hours; and

WHEREAS, although overall travel times for those vehicles now permitted to use high occupancy vehicle lanes have decreased, the large number of motorists and their passengers who have been forced to return to the general purpose lanes have experienced significantly increased travel times; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Transportation is requested to change the required minimum number of persons carried in a motor vehicle from three passengers to two while traveling on a high occupancy vehicle lane; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is requested to provide to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2010, a traffic count of the number of vehicles using the zipper lane from July 2008 to March 2009, and July 2007 to March 2008; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Transportation.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

HOV/Zipper Lanes; Increase Minimum Number of Persons to Two

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	275
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009
STATE OF HAWAII