STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2155

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2529

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation and Energy, to which was referred S.B. No. 2529 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO BICYCLES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to provide protections to bicyclists by requiring vehicles that are overtaking a bicycle proceeding in the same direction to allow at least a three-foot separation between the vehicle and the bicyclist.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation, Honolulu Police Department, Hawaii Bicycling League, Maui Bicycling League, Peoples Advocacy for Trails Hawaii, Hawaii Cycling Club, Blue Zones Project, American Diabetes Association, Hawaii Strategic Highway Safety Plan, Sustainable Transportation Coalition of Hawaii, and eighty-one individuals.

Your Committee finds that bicycling is a healthy activity and alternative to commuting by vehicle and prevents exposure of harmful greenhouse gas emissions to the environment. In order to encourage individuals to bike, providing ample protections to bicyclists is of utmost importance. Requiring drivers to provide a defined space between the driver's vehicle and a bicyclist when the vehicle is overtaking the bicyclist is one step in ensuring bicyclists are safe when they bike on the side of the road.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation and Energy that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2529 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation and Energy,

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LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair