State lawmakers and safety advocates are celebrating the passage of two legislative bills aimed at decreasing the number of traffic-related deaths.
"The state passed a law in the last couple of years, which says we want to have a vision for zero fatalities on our streets, and we want to get there," said Sen. Chris Lee, chair of the Senate transportation committee.
"No longer can we afford to tolerate 100 plus fatalities each and every year," Lee said.
House Bill 600 expands the state transportation department’s Safe Routes to School program. It creates a new committee and requires the development of a statewide plan. The measure also gives $20 million to the program to improve road infrastructure.
"I'm really hopeful that this piece of legislation signals a commitment that will be furthered in future years to ensure that everyone can responsibly get from point A to point B, which seems like a very simple and elementary thing, but we've really failed to properly provide for here in our state," said Rep. Chris Todd, chair of the House transportation committee.
Senate Bill 1086 renames the state Highway Safety Council to the Highway Safety and Modernization Council. It adds new stakeholders and expands its duties to include advising the Legislature and DOT. That includes reviewing programs, plans and strategies from the DOT, ensuring transparency and submitting an annual report to the Legislature and DOT.
"By leveraging both 1086 and 600 together, we've created a legal framework," Lee said. "It is sort of the gateway to really solving our long-term massive problems that we have on every island."
The bills pass on the heels of several significant traffic fatalities in recent years near schools. Earlier this year, a woman was crossing Keolu Drive near Kaʻelepulu Elementary in Kailua, when a vehicle struck her. The victim was transported to a hospital, where she later died.
A month later, 16-year-old McKinley High School student Sara Yara was killed by a speeding hit-and-run driver on Kapiʻolani Boulevard.
"It's a shame that such a tragedy was needed to drive this," said Will McGuire, vice principal at McKinley High School.
"Even less than a week after Sara's death, I would still see people speeding and running red lights within one week. So God bless the community and the legislators for putting this forward — but it takes a lot of personal responsibility."
Both measures now go to Gov. Josh Green's desk for final approval.
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