traffic

State lawmakers are considering increasing the tax on registering large vehicles to fund the Safe Routes to School Program. For cars over 4,000 pounds — like a 2025 Toyota Tacoma — it would cost 3 cents a pound instead of 2 cents.

The detour through Kailua Beach Park during phase eight is no longer necessary, and parking has been restored in the lot makai of Kalapawai Market.

A local advocacy group is calling on the state Department of Transportation to spend more of its budget on building out alternatives to cars. But HDOT says its priority is to spend what it takes to keep roads safe. HPR’s Savannah Harriman-Pote has more.

The 10 red-light cameras currently installed in urban Honolulu have issued over 900 citations. The chosen intersections, such as King Street and Ward Avenue, have a history of high crash rates.

The closures on Likelike Highway in alternating directions will take place on Jan. 7 and Jan. 16, weather permitting. Alternating lane closures on Farrington Highway in Nānākuli are needed to continue bridge replacement work.

Oversized vehicles like semi-trucks that are moving slower than traffic can no longer be in the left lane of Hawaiʻi freeways.

Honolulu could be on its way to lower residential speed limits. By default, residential speed limits are 25 mph, but Honolulu City Council Vice Chair Esther Kiaʻāina wants it reduced to 15 mph.

Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos Tam has introduced a bill to expand a program that requires permits for street parking in Kalihi in an effort to ensure parking for area residents, support safer streets and reduce crime.

The state Department of Transportation's red-light safety program will run for two years to see whether or not the cameras reduce crashes and injuries caused by running red lights. They installed their final camera on the corner of South King Street and Ward Avenue on Oʻahu.

Cars can be an expression of personality, and lawmakers are considering ways to limit the noise. This session saw several bills to quiet mufflers and reduce noise on the islands, including Senate Bill 588.