RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION.

HB1471

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1471

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to transportation
.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

Part I

����
SECTION 1.
�
The
legislature finds that roadway safety is a top transportation priority.
�
Pedestrians, bicyclists, and other vulnerable
roadway users are disproportionately impacted by traffic fatalities and
injuries.
�
Between the periods from 2009
to 2013 and 2014 and 2018, pedestrian fatalities across the State rose by twenty-six
per cent.
�
Decades of automobile
‑
centric planning and development have created formidable mobility barriers,
including the lack of safe and accessible bicycle and pedestrian
infrastructure.
�
As part of the
settlement agreement under
Navahine v.
Hawaii Department of Transportation
, the State committed to completing its
multimodal bike and pedestrian network within the next five years.

����
The legislature further finds that a
disproportionately high number of pedestrian injuries occur at signalized
intersections.
�
To address these issues,
some localities have been pursuing leading pedestrian intervals programs.
�
Leading pedestrian intervals programs
typically give pedestrians a three to seven second head start when entering an
intersection with a corresponding green signal in the same direction of travel.

�
Leading pedestrian intervals programs
enhance the visibility of pedestrians in the intersection and reinforce their
right-of-way over turning vehicles, especially in locations with a history of
conflict.
�
Where installed, leading
pedestrian intervals programs have been shown to reduce pedestrian-vehicle
collisions as much as sixty per cent.

����
The purpose of this Act is to:

����
(1)
�
Require
and appropriate funds for the department of transportation to install traffic
actuated signals, including leading pedestrian interval and accessible
pedestrian signals and detectors; and

����
(2)
�
Impose
an additional fee of $5 for a certificate of registration, to be deposited into
the safe routes to school program special fund.

Part II

����
SECTION 2.
�
Chapter 291C, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as
follows:

����
"
�291C-
�
Traffic-actuated
signals; leading pedestrian interval; accessible pedestrian signal and detector.
�
(a)
�
Upon the first placement or replacement of a
state owned or operated traffic actuated signal, a traffic actuated signal
shall be installed and maintained to have a leading pedestrian interval and
shall include the installation, activation, and maintenance of an accessible
pedestrian signal and detector.

����
(b)
�
The department of transportation shall
install a leading pedestrian signal on no less than twenty-five existing
intersections with traffic actuated signals on an annual basis.
�
In installing a leading pedestrian signal,
the department of transportation shall prioritize installation of leading
pedestrian signals at intersections with high collision rates.

����
(c)
�
An existing state owned or operated traffic
actuated signal capable of being implemented with remote installation or
in-person programming shall have a leading pedestrian interval programmed when
maintenance work is done on the intersection in which the traffic actuated
signal is located if it is located in:

����
(1)
�
A residential
district;

����
(2)
�
A business
district;

����
(3)
�
A business
activity district;

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(4)
�
A safety
corridor;

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(5)
�
A school zone;
or

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(6)
�
An area with a
high concentration of pedestrians and cyclists, as determined by the department
of transportation.

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(d)
�
For purposes of this section:

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"Accessible
pedestrian signal and
detector" means an integrated device that communicates information about
the "WALK" and "DON'T WALK" intervals at signalized
intersections in nonvisual formats, including audible tones, speech messages,
and vibrotactile surfaces, to pedestrians who are blind or have low vision.

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"Intersections with high collision
rates" means intersections where one or more collisions with a pedestrian
or bicyclist, resulting in a serious injury or fatality, has occurred in the
last ten years.

����
"
Leading pedestrian interval" means an
official traffic control signal that advances the "WALK" signal for
three to seven seconds while the red signal halting traffic continues to be
displayed on parallel through or turning traffic.
"

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SECTION 3.
�
There is appropriated out of the general
revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $599,000 or so much thereof as may
be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much thereof as
may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the installation or replacement
of state-owned or operated traffic actuated signals with leading pedestrian
interval and accessible pedestrian signals and detectors.

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The sums

appropriated shall be expended by the
department of transportation for the purposes of this Act.

Part III

����
SECTION
4
.
�
Section 286-51,
Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

����
"
�286-51
�
Registration, expense.
�
(a)
�

The certificate of registration for each motor vehicle in the counties
of the State shall be renewed on a staggered basis as established by each
county.
�
The director of finance of each
county may adopt rules to carry out the purposes stated in this section and
shall expend the funds from the director's operating funds as may be necessary
for these purposes; provided that if the director has ascertained as of the
date of the application that:

����
(1)
�
The registered
owner has not deposited or paid bail with respect to any summons or citation
issued to the registered owner for stopping, standing, or parking in violation
of traffic ordinances within the county;

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(2)
�
The registered
owner of a motor carrier vehicle, as defined in section 286-201, has not
resolved any outstanding federal operations out-of-service orders issued by the
United States Secretary of Transportation; or

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(3)
�
The registered
owner has outstanding charges and fines owed to the county
relating to the
disposition of an abandoned vehicle, including for costs related to towing,
storage, processing, and disposal,

the director

may
require, as a condition precedent to the renewal, that the registered owner
deposit or pay bail with respect to all such summonses or citations, resolve
all federal operations out-of-service orders, or pay all outstanding charges
and fines relating to the disposition of the abandoned vehicle.
�
The payment of all outstanding charges or
fines relating to the disposition of the abandoned vehicle shall not be a
condition precedent to the transfer if the abandoned vehicle was stolen or
taken from the registered owner without permission or authorization and a
police report for the abandoned vehicle is filed within a period of time, to be
determined by the director of finance of each county, after

discovery
of the abandoned vehicle.
�
The
certificates of registration issued hereunder shall show, in addition to all
information required under section 286-47, the serial number of the tag or
emblem and shall be valid during the registration year only for which they are
issued.
�
Any certificate of registration
belonging to a motor carrier shall be suspended or revoked when that motor
carrier has been issued any federal operations out-of-service orders by the
United States Secretary of Transportation and that certificate of registration
shall remain suspended or revoked until all the federal operations
out-of-service orders are resolved.
�
The
certificates of ownership need not be renewed annually but shall remain valid
as to any interest shown therein until canceled by the director of finance as
provided by law or replaced by new certificates of ownership as hereinafter
provided.

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(b)
�

This part shall be administered by the director of finance in
conjunction with the requirements of sections 249-1 to 249-13 and shall entail
no additional expense or charge to the person registering the ownership of a
motor vehicle other than as provided by this section or by other laws; provided
that for each new certificate of ownership issued by the director of finance
under section 286-52, the director of finance may charge a fee which shall be
deposited in the general fund.
�
The fees
charged to issue a new certificate of ownership shall be established by the
county's legislative body.

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(c)
�
In addition to any other fee collected for a
certificate of registration, there shall be imposed a fee of $5.
�
Moneys collected pursuant to this subsection
shall be deposited into the safe routes to school program special fund
established pursuant to section 291C-4.

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(d)
�
Notwithstanding any other law to the
contrary, an additional fee of [
not
]
no
more than $2 for each
certificate of registration for all motor vehicles may be established by
ordinance and collected annually by the director of finance of each county, to
be used and administered by each county:

����
(1)
�
For the purpose of
beautification and other related activities of highways under the ownership,
control, and jurisdiction of each county;

����
(2)
�
To defray the
additional cost in the disposition and other related activities of abandoned or
derelict vehicles as prescribed in chapter 290.
�

For the purposes of this paragraph, other related activities
shall include but need not be limited to any and all storage fees that are
negotiated between each county and a towing company contracted by the county to
remove and dispose of abandoned or derelict vehicles; and

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(3)
�
To mitigate and
address the impacts of tourism-related traffic congestion.

The $2 fee established pursuant to this subsection
for certificates of registration for all motor vehicles may be increased by
ordinance up to a maximum of $10.
�
The
moneys so assessed and collected shall be placed in a revolving fund entitled,
"the highway beautification, abandoned vehicle, and tourism-related
traffic congestion revolving fund"."

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SECTION 5.
�
Section 291C-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
amended by amending subsection (d) to read as follows:

����
"
(d)
�
The department of transportation shall expend
funds from the safe routes to school program special fund
established
pursuant to section 291C-4
in coordination with the safe routes to school
advisory committee to be used [
for
]
:

����
(1)
�
For
the implementation of the
safe routes to school program plan and projects pursuant to section 291C-6(b)(2)
and (3)[
.
]
; or

����
(2)
�
To match any federal funds received
by the State for costs related to sidewalk and other infrastructure planning,
development, and construction.

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No
later than twenty days prior to the convening of each regular session, each
county shall submit to the legislature an annual report on the status and
progress of its county safe routes to school program, including an accounting
of all grants provided through the program and a timeline for future grant
awards.
"

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SECTION 6.
�
Section 291C-4, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
amended to read as follows:

����
"
�291C-4
�
Safe
routes
to school program special fund; establishment.
�
There is established in the state treasury
the safe routes to school program special fund, into which shall be deposited:

����
(1)
�
Assessments
collected
for speeding in a school zone, pursuant to section 291C-104; [
and
]

����
(2)
�
Safe routes to
school program surcharges collected in accordance with sections 291-16 and
291C-5[
.
]
; and

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(3)
�
Moneys
collected pursuant to section 286-51(c).
"

PART IV

����
SECTION
7.
�
Statutory material to be repealed is
bracketed and stricken.
�
New statutory
material is underscored.

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SECTION 8.
�
This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Traffic
Actuated Signal; Leading Pedestrian Interval; Accessible Pedestrian Signal and
Detector; Motor Vehicle; Certificate of Registration; Additional Fee; Safe
Routes to School Program Special Fund

Description:

Requires
and appropriates funds for the Department of Transportation to install traffic
actuated signals, including leading pedestrian intervals and accessible
pedestrian signals and detectors.
�

Imposes an additional fee of $5 for a certificate of registration for
motor vehicles, to be deposited into the Safe Routes to School Program Special
Fund.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.