THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	176
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

urging the state to adopt a zero net vehicle growth policy to reduce traffic congestion.

 

 

        WHEREAS, traffic congestion is a major issue that costs the State millions of dollars annually and negatively contributes to the health and welfare of residents; and

 

        WHEREAS, Honolulu consistently ranks among the worst cities nationally for traffic congestion; and

 

        WHEREAS, the average commuter on Oahu spends sixty-four hours each year sitting in traffic congestion; and

 

        WHEREAS, the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism estimates the cost of traffic congestion, including time lost and the excess fuel consumed sitting in traffic, at more than $753,000,000 annually; and

 

        WHEREAS, there are currently more than 1,275,000 motor vehicles registered in the State, including cars, trucks, motorcycles, and scooters; and

 

        WHEREAS, as of December 2019, there are only 944,159 residents with a valid driver's license, which means there are approximately 330,841 more vehicles than drivers in the State; and

 

        WHEREAS, there are only 4,476 miles of roads, paved and unpaved, in the State; and

 

        WHEREAS, the State spends on average $82,000,000 annually on road repairs; and

 

        WHEREAS, between 1995 and 2017 Oahu added one hundred ninety miles of new roadways and during that same time period Oahu added 190,000 more registered vehicles while the population on Oahu only grew by approximately twelve percent; and

 

        WHEREAS, between 1993 and 2017, the nation's one hundred largest urbanized areas added 30,511 new freeway lane-miles, an increase of forty-two percent, and over that same time period the population in those regions increased by thirty-two percent while traffic delays and congestion exploded by one hundred forty-four percent, proving that "widening the freeways" won't solve the traffic problems in the State; and

 

        WHEREAS, the only guaranteed way to reduce traffic in the State is to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads; now, therefore,

 

        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, that the State is encouraged to establish a zero net vehicle growth policy, which would ensure that the total number of vehicles in the State does not exceed the vehicle threshold for the State based on the number of registered vehicles in the State as of January 1, 2022; and

 

        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is requested to convene a working group to determine the feasibility and best course of action for the State to adopt a zero net vehicle growth policy; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group be comprised of the following members, or their designees:

 

        (1)   The Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Transportation, who should serve as co-chair of the working group;

 

        (2)   The Chairperson of the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation, who should serve as co-chair of the working group;

 

        (3)   The Director of Transportation;

 

        (4)   The Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism;

 

        (5)   President of the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association; and

 

        (6)   Any other members as may be necessary, as invited by the co-chairs; and

 

        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that members of the working group serve without compensation; and

 

        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the Regular Session of 2022; and

 

        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following categories of vehicles should be exempt from counting towards the zero net vehicle growth policy threshold:

 

        (1)   Emergency vehicles;

 

        (2)   Military vehicles; and

 

        (3)   Official federal, state, and county vehicles; and

 

        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation, to the extent possible, should coordinate State efforts to develop markets for recycled vehicles; and

 

        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that every vehicle dealership should be required to submit proof of compliance with the zero net vehicle growth policy in their monthly reports required under section 238-9.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

 

        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor; Director of Transportation; Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; and President of the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:  

Zero Net Vehicle Growth Policy; HADA; DOT