There is a bill under consideration by the Honolulu City Council that will effectively undo the Complete Streets ordinance enacted by the council in 2012.  Bill 84 (2015) would require any money to be spent on bikeways or complete street improvements to be specifically identified as a project in the executive capital budget ordinance.  This would severely limit the options of the city for adding improvements, since many recent complete street projects have been accomplished within the existing operating budget.  Since the whole point of the “Complete Streets” policy is to look for opportunities in every transportation project, this bill would negate Honolulu’s “Complete Streets” ordinance.

I heard about this proposed bill from Hawaii Bicycling League.  They also provided some necessary details you need in order to submit testimony, such as the meeting date (2/10/16), the committee (Budget), and the agenda item (10/Bill 84).  I figured I’d give a shot at providing some written testimony opposing the bill:

Dear Members of the Committee,

This letter is to voice my opposition to Bill 84/2015 (“A Bill for an Ordinance Relating to the Execution of Budget Ordinances”).

In 2012, the City Council unanimously established a Complete Streets policy in Chapter 14, Article 33, Revised Ordinances of Honolulu 1990. With this addition, “the city hereby expresses its commitment to encourage the development of transportation facilities or projects that are planned, designed, operated, and maintained to provide safe mobility for all users. Every transportation facility or project, whether new construction, reconstruction, or maintenance, provides the opportunity to implement complete streets policy and principles.”

The proposed bill is in direct contradiction to the Complete Streets ordinance. Improvements to walking and bicycling infrastructure are easiest and cheapest to accomplish when conducted at the same time as other maintenance. As the law says, every transportation project is an opportunity, and many of those opportunities will be lost if every one must be outlined in the budget as a separate and specific project.

A number of significant improvements have resulted from the Complete Streets ordinance. This is important, because there are many vulnerable users already using our streets. According to commuting data published by the U.S. Census Department, 11 percent of the population in urban Honolulu either walk or bicycle to work. In addition, over 12 percent use public transportation, which means they also walk or bike to and from bus stops. (These numbers don’t include students, retirees, or visitors.) However, many of our streets still aren’t “complete” and don’t consider the needs of all users. We need to take every opportunity we have to at least ask the question of whether we can make a road safer. The proposed bill would take away that option.

Thank you for considering my reasons for opposing Bill 84 (2015).