Bill Text: HI SCR116 | 2011 | Regular Session | Introduced

Hawaii Senate Concurrent Resolution 116 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Task Force; Citizen Road Watch Program; Speeding

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-03-21 - (S) Referred to TIA/PGM, WAM. [SCR116 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2011-SCR116-Introduced.html

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	116
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE CONVENING OF A TASK FORCE TO RECOMMEND A PROCESS TO CREATE A CITIZEN ROAD WATCH PROGRAM.

WHEREAS, according to the City and County of Honolulu Police Department, as of November 2010, traffic fatalities on Oahu exceeded the number of traffic fatalities that occurred on Oahu in all of 2009; and

WHEREAS, as of November 2010, speed was a factor in over forty per cent of traffic fatalities on Oahu; and

WHEREAS, in 2010, Oahu experienced almost two times the number of pedestrian deaths than in 2009; and

WHEREAS, many of these pedestrian fatalities involved individuals using a marked crosswalk; and

WHEREAS, in an effort to reduce speeding in residential areas, a number of communities in other states have established programs to engage local residents in changing driver behavior on their neighborhood streets; and

WHEREAS, for instance, neighborhood speed watch programs in communities in Arizona, Florida, Maryland, Utah, Washington, and Ontario, Canada train residents on how to use radar equipment and collect speed data in their neighborhoods; and

WHEREAS, participating residents record the speed and license plate information of speeding motor vehicles and send this information to the owner of the vehicle, informing the owner of the violation and encouraging the owner or driver of the vehicle to drive at or below the posted speed limit; and

WHEREAS, the Road Watch program in Richmond Hill in Ontario, Canada gives residents an opportunity to report aggressive and unsafe driving in their neighborhoods to the police through the use of Citizen Report forms; and

WHEREAS, this information assists the police in identifying unsafe driving acts or "hot spots" that are traffic problem areas; and

WHEREAS, a similar initiative in Hawaii could help deter speeding in local neighborhoods by raising public awareness of the issue and educating drivers about the negative consequences of speeding; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, the House of Representatives concurring, that the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives are requested to convene a task force to recommend a process to create a Citizen Road Watch program; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force be composed of:

(1) One member of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate;

(2) One member of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House;

(3) The Director of Transportation or the Director's designee;

(4) The Director of the Honolulu Department of Transportation Services or the Director's designee;

(5) The City and County of Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney or the Prosecuting Attorney's designee;

(6) The State Public Defender or the Public Defender's designee;

(7) The City and County of Honolulu Police Chief or the Police Chief's designee;

(8) The Executive Director of the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization or the Executive Director's designee;

(9) One representative of the Oahu Neighborhood Boards appointed by the President of the Senate; and

(10) One representative of the Oahu Neighborhood Boards appointed by the Speaker of the House; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2012; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Director of Transportation, the Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney, the State Public Defender, the Honolulu Police Chief, the Director of the Honolulu Department of Transportation Services, and the Executive Director of the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization.