STAND. COM. REP. NO.1446

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.R. No. 77

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations, to which was referred S.R. No. 77 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING A STUDY TO DETERMINE THE ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY OF CONSTRUCTING A FIXED RAIL SYSTEM AROUND THE ISLAND OF HAWAII,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to determine the economic feasibility of constructing a fixed rail system around the island of Hawaii.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Transportation and a concerned citizen.

Your Committee finds that urban planning requires the foresight to anticipate future transportation needs of a growing population. For example, Honolulu and the surrounding area developed haphazardly and no effective mass transit system was instituted to accommodate the large number of people concentrated on Oahu. That lack of foresight has had a devastating effect, as it is much more difficult to construct a fixed rail system once the population has grown so dramatically. Therefore, your Committee supports this measure, in an effort to prevent the same sort of problems on the island of Hawaii that currently exist on Oahu.

Your Committee amended this measure to include Oahu in the feasibility study. Your Committee finds that Oahu's traffic woes have been reviewed and discussed often in the past. Although no broad-scale mass transit system has been implemented, your Committee believes that a viable mass transit system is long overdue. Therefore, your Committee believes that it is appropriate to include Oahu in the feasibility study.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 77, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 77, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations,

____________________________

CAL KAWAMOTO, Chair