STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1320

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 756

H.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred H.B. No. 756, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Department of Transportation, upon consulting with the counties, to adopt rules prescribing uniform standards and specifications for all official traffic control devices placed pursuant to the Statewide Traffic Code; and

(2) Specify the factors the Department of Transportation and the counties must take into account when setting maximum speed limits on a road.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation and Hawaii Strategic Highway Safety Plan.

Your Committee finds that uniform standards and specifications for official traffic control devices are important to provide consistency throughout the State and to ensure the safety of Hawaii's residents and visitors. Your Committee further finds that Hawaii is ranked the fourth worst state in the nation for speed-related driving fatalities and over the past 10 years, 46 percent of traffic fatalities in the State have been speed-related. Your Committee believes that more needs to be done to reduce speed-related fatalities in the State. This measure will improve traffic conditions throughout the State by providing clarity in traffic control devices and address the increasing number of speed-related fatalities in the State.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 756, H.D. 1, 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,

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LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair