Bill Text: HI HCR29 | 2022 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Encouraging The Department Of Transportation To Work With Stakeholders To Develop A Holistic Management Plan That Will Ensure Hana Highway Is Properly Maintained And Is Safe For Residents And Visitors.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 13-0)

Status: (Passed) 2022-04-29 - Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 937). [HCR29 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2022-HCR29-Introduced.html

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	29
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

encouraging the department of transportation to work with stakeholders to develop a holistic management plan that will ensure hana highway is properly maintained and is safe for residents and visitors.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, in 2000, in recognition of its status an internationally renowned roadway, former U.S. President Bill Clinton designated Hana Highway as the Hana Millennium Legacy Trail; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2001 Hana Highway was listed on the National Register of Historical Places; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Tourism Authority is tasked with attracting "responsible high-value mindful travelers" who will value the natural resources of Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hana Highway is fifty-two miles long, with six hundred seventeen switchbacks, fifty-six one-lane bridges and several drops of more than one thousand feet, however it lacks adequate guard rails; and

 

     WHEREAS, approximately a half mile past the six-mile marker is a sharp U-curve in the road, going uphill along one-lane, with a brick wall on one side, with virtually no space to safely maneuver around other vehicles on the roadway and often steep drop offs; and

 

     WHEREAS, emergency medical technicians working at station medic six in Hana have testified as to the "extreme increase in the number of cars" that have led to delays for the only ambulance in East Maui, which is responsible for transporting patients to Maui Memorial Medical Center or responding to emergency calls in the community; and

 

     WHEREAS, these delays have been associated with increased visitor traffic, a lack of visitor knowledge, and rental cars not pulling over to make way for the emergency vehicles; and

 

     WHEREAS, the increase in traffic in Hana has also led to an increase in the need for emergency services for visitors, who reportedly need rescuing because they are wearing improper footwear or they have no idea how to manage the trail, which increases the number of patients requiring emergency evacuation utilizing Hana Highway; and

 

     WHEREAS, between June 1 and June 23 of 2021, the Maui Police Department issued three hundred eighty-nine parking citations and eighty-three warnings to violators on Hana Highway, between the towns of Haiku and Hana; and

 

     WHEREAS, during Maui County Council meetings in 2021, a majority of those who testified expressed support for increased law enforcement on Hana Highway; and

 

     WHEREAS, despite the community call for increased law enforcement, Maui Police Department reported that the Department is operating with fewer officers; and

 

     WHEREAS, Maui Police Department has asked for assistance from the Sheriff Division of the Department of Public Safety and Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement of the Department of Land and Natural Resources; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Chief of Police of the Maui Police Department has publicly stated that the Maui Police Department is "over-taxed and short-handed"; and

 

     WHEREAS, due to the lack of law enforcement, much of the daily enforcement and safety efforts are being conducted by a civil volunteer group of residents, commercial ground transportation carriers and activity providers, referred to as the Hana Highway Regulation; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hana Highway Regulation civil volunteer group has been engaged in efforts to maintain and ensure roadway safety on Hana Highway since 2016; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hana Highway Regulation civil volunteer group published a "Code of Conduct" in 2017; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2018 the Hana Highway Regulation civil volunteer group initiated the Hana Pono Visitor Pledge and Hana Pono Commercial Operators Certification Program; and

 

     WHEREAS, based on the five years of data gathered by the Hana Highway Regulation civil volunteer group, a report entitled "Road to Hana Problems and Solutions" was published, highlighting the group's progress and what they consider to be actions necessary to ensure the long-term viability of Hana Highway; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2021 the Hana Highway Regulation civil volunteer group engaged in a pilot project with the Office of Economic Development of the County of Maui, referred to as the Road to Hana Visitor Information Personnel Pilot Project; and

 

     WHEREAS, since the Hana Highway pilot project has been implemented, the Hana Highway Regulation civil volunteer group reports a ninety-six percent decrease in illegal parking and trespassing on private lands; and

 

     WHEREAS, there has been historic difficulty in maintaining Hana Highway due to physical location, as well as the multiple parties owning adjacent lands; and

 

     WHEREAS, in order to improve road safety for residents and visitors, it is necessary for the Department of Transportation to work with all stakeholders to ensure that Hana Highway is properly maintained and to ensure the safety of residents and visitors; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2022, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Transportation is encouraged to work with the following to develop a holistic management plan that will ensure Hana Highway is properly maintained and is safe for residents and visitors:

 

     (1)  The Department of Transportation of the County of Maui;

 

     (2)  Hana Highway Regulation civil volunteer group; and

 

     (3)  All large landowners whose properties are traversed by or accessible as a result of Hana Highway, including:

 

          (A)  The Department of Hawaiian Homelands;

 

          (B)  East Maui Irrigation Company, LLC;

 

          (C)  Hana Ranch Partners, LLC;

 

          (D)  Kingdom Come, LLC; and

 

          (E)  Saint Mary's Church of the Roman Catholic Church of Hawaii; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Transportation; Chairperson of the Hawaiian Homes Commission; Director of the Department of Transportation of the County of Maui; Administrator of the Hana Highway Regulation; President of the East Maui Irrigation Company, LLC; Ranch Manager of the Hana Ranch Partners, LLC; Manager of Kingdom Come, LLC; and Pastor of Saint Mary's Church of the Roman Catholic Church of Hawaii.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

DOT; Hana Highway; Management Plan