SR132 SD1

WHEREAS, auto-related costs such as gas, electricity, insurance, maintenance, and vehicle ownership costs are rapidly rising, including a twenty-three per cent increase in the last twelve months; and

WHEREAS, a 2021 report by the Ulupono Initiative found that transportation costs averaged between $8,000 and $13,000 per individual, and $20,000 and $25,000 per two-car families; and

WHEREAS, public costs from local, county, state, and federal governments to build, repair, and maintain public roads, regardless of vehicle ownership amount to $15,000-$24,000 per household; and

WHEREAS, according to the United States Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration calculations, taxpayers pay indirect costs around $3.3 billion annually for injuries and fatalities, in addition to other costs such as congestion, parking subsidies, and emissions; and

WHEREAS, according to a 2022 Bureau of Labor Statistics report, households in auto-dependent communities devote twenty percent more money to transportation than those with complete streets and car-based infrastructure without other modes of transportation discriminates against youth, elderly, disabled, and others who cannot afford to drive; and

WHEREAS, a 2021 report by the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization found that county and state expenditures on pedestrian and bike infrastructure result in safe bike, pedestrian, and public transit infrastructure being largely unavailable for most families; and

WHEREAS, lack of bike, pedestrian, and public transit infrastructure disproportionately hurts lower income communities, particularly in urban areas; and

WHEREAS, if safe bike, pedestrian, and public transit infrastructure were more widely available to make commuting more flexible for families then many families with three cars could get by with two cars, and families with two cars could get by with one car, saving tens of thousands of dollars for each family per year; and

WHEREAS, electric vehicles are cheaper than gasoline-powered vehicles to fuel and maintain, and are increasingly cheaper to buy; and

WHEREAS, new modes of cheaper transit are now available, including e-bikes, e-scooters, and other similar modes of transportation; and

WHEREAS, places around the world already provide free public transit; and

WHEREAS, the lowest economic quintile in in the United States spends thirty per cent of its income on transportation costs while the lowest economic quintile in Europe spends only eight per cent of its income on transportation; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii can learn from other places that have successfully modernized and reduced the cost of transportation for local residents; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2022, the House of Representatives concurring, that a task force is requested to be convened to determine how the Department of Transportation can lower the cost of transportation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to:

(1) Evaluate modern best practices and successful examples of transit that reduce the cost of transportation in other places;

(2) Evaluate relevant studies;

(3) Evaluate current Department of Transportation priorities, processes, and outcomes; and

(4) Conclude and report findings and recommendations; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to consist of the following members or their designees:

(1) A Committee with jurisdiction over transportation in the Senate which will serve as chair;

(2) The Director of Transportation;

(3) The Director of the State Energy Office;

(4) The Superintendent of Education;

(5) The Director of Health;

(6) The Chief Energy Officer;

(7) A representative from the Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice;

(8) A representative from AlohaCare;

(9) A representative from the Hawaii Children's Action Network Speaks!;

(10) A representative from the Ulupono Initiative;

(11) A representative from the American Association of Retired Persons Hawaii;

(12) A representative from the Hawaii Bicycling League; and

(13) One member with expertise addressing cost of transportation in other jurisdictions; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the co-chairs of the task force may invite other interested parties to join the task force; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that members of the task force are requested to serve without compensation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to submit:

(1) An initial report to the Legislature no later than December 1, 2022; and

(2) A final report to the Legislature no later than December 1, 2023; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Transportation, Director of the State Energy Office, Superintendent of Education, Director of Health, Chief Energy Officer, President of the AlohaCare Board of Directors, Executive Director of the Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, President of the Hawaii Children's Action Network Speaks!, President of the Ulupono Initiative, Director of the American Association of Retired Persons Hawaii, and Director of the Hawaii Bicycling League.

Report Title:

Rapidly Escalating Costs of Transportation

THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	132
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII