HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	32
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

Urging the city and county of Honolulu and oahu transit services to construct public restroom facilities at the Alapai Transit Center.

     WHEREAS, TheBus has twice been recognized as America's Best Transit System, is the primary public transportation service on Oahu and has an annual ridership of approximately seventy-five million passengers; and

WHEREAS, TheBus uses a multi hub-and-spoke route configuration implementing ten transit centers as hubs for riders to transfer buses; and

WHEREAS, TheBus is privately managed by the Oahu Transit Services under a public-private partnership with the Department of Transportation Services of the City and County of Honolulu; and

WHEREAS, Oahu Transit Services has long-recognized the public's desire for public restrooms at transit centers, as reflected in the statement "They'll especially appreciate the restrooms", made by Oahu Transit Services President and General Manager J. Roger Morton at the August 13, 2007, dedication of the Mililani Transit Center; and

WHEREAS, the Middle Street/Kalihi, Waipahu, and Wahiawa Transit Centers also provide public restrooms; and

WHEREAS, after long rides and earlier transfers, bus riders often find restroom facilities at transit centers not only convenient, but necessary; and

WHEREAS, on July 13, 2010, the City and County of Honolulu broke ground for the Alapai Transit Center and issued a press release stating, "[t]he $5-million Alapai Transit Center will feature . . . public restrooms . . . ."; and

WHEREAS, in May 2012, the Alapai Transit Center opened without public restrooms and with two single-toilet restrooms designated for bus drivers only; and

WHEREAS, Alapai Transit Center and the surrounding immediate areas still lack public restrooms and it has been reported that defecation and urination has occurred in nearby bushes; and

WHEREAS, the Alapai Transit Center is quickly becoming one of the busiest transit centers on Oahu, with many commuters and riders boarding buses departing the Alapai Transit Center after having walked to the transit center from connecting buses at bus stops located on nearby Alapai, King, and Beretania Streets; and

WHEREAS, the bus-riding public has voiced their desire for restroom facilities at the Alapai Transit Center in many ways, including submitting a five-page petition to the Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu requesting restroom facilities at the Alapai Transit Center; and

WHEREAS, on September 12, 2012, the City Council of the City and County of Honolulu unanimously adopted Resolution No. 12-202, Urging the City Administration to Construct Restroom Facilities at the New Alapai Transit Center; and

WHEREAS, restrooms at the Alapai Transit Center are a matter of public health and safety and not merely a convenience for riders; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2013, the Senate concurring, the City and County of Honolulu and Oahu Transit Services are urged to construct public restroom facilities at the Alapai Transit Center; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City and County of Honolulu and Oahu Transit Services are urged to ensure that all future transit centers have adequate public restroom facilities; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, the Managing Director of the City and County of Honolulu, the Director of Transportation Services of the City and County of Honolulu, and the President and General Manager of Oahu Transit Services.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

City and County of Honolulu; TheBus; Public Transportation; Alapai Transit Center; Oahu Transit Services