STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3619

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 68

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 68 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THAT THE CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU PROHIBIT ELECTRIC SCOOTERS, ELECTRIC BICYCLES, AND ELECTRIC TRIKES ON SIDEWALKS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request that the City and County of Honolulu prohibit the operation of electric scooters, electric bicycles, and electric trikes on sidewalks.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation; Hawaii Bicycling League; Skip, Inc.; and fifteen individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from two individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Transportation Services and one individual.

Your Committee finds that electric scooters, electric bicycles, and three-wheeled electric trikes have become widely available for personal transportation and very popular with commercial tour operators and are often ridden on Oahu's sidewalks where they mix with pedestrians and motorists. Your Committee further finds that these devices can seriously injure or kill pedestrians in a collision and operators of these devices are at risk from motorists who do not expect a small, quiet, and fast-moving motorized device to appear in pedestrian rights-of-way. Additionally, your Committee finds that within the past several years, pedestrians and motorists have expressed safety concerns to policymakers about the increasing number of individuals and tour operators riding electric scooters, electric bicycles, and electric trikes on sidewalks and bike paths. This measure is necessary because it requests that the City and County of Honolulu, Honolulu Police Department, Honolulu Department of Transportation Services, and state Department of Transportation work with the Honolulu City Council to prohibit the operation of electric scooters, electric bicycles, and electric trikes on sidewalks through county-level ordinances. Your Committee finds that another measure currently being considered by the Legislature specifically excludes electric scooters, electric bicycles, and electric trikes from the definition of "mopeds."

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by removing the provision requesting that electric scooters, electric bicycles, and electric trikes be classified as mopeds or motorized devices.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 68, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Judiciary, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 68, S.D. 1.

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

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LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair