STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1541

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 727

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred H.B. No. 727, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MOTORCYCLES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to allow the operator of a motorcycle or motor scooter to proceed cautiously between stopped lanes of traffic, known as "lane filtering", on certain roadways as determined by the Department of Transportation.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Street Bikers United Hawaii and ninety-six individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Transportation.

     Your Committee finds that allowing motorcycles and motor scooters to filter through same-bound lanes of stopped traffic, when safe to do so, on main roads, highways, and freeways may reduce the risk of motor vehicle rear-end collisions with motorcycles and motor scooters, lessen overheating problems associated with air-cooled motorcycles and motor scooters, and alleviate traffic congestion.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Allowing shoulders as designated by the Department of Transportation to be used by operators of motorcycles and motor scooters for lane filtering;

     (2)  Requiring the Department of Transportation to submit written reports regarding the impact of lane filtering on traffic safety to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Sessions of 2020 and 2021;

     (3)  Inserting a sunset date of June 30, 2021; and

     (4)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 727, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 727, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Labor,

________________________________

GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair