Across the country, road safety is an issue plaguing every community, and lawmakers stepping up to ensure drivers and pedestrians are safe on the roadways. That's why in Hawaii, lawmakers want to make sure that road fatalities near schools are a thing of the past.
On Thursday, state lawmakers announced the passage of two bills to hopefully stop road fatalities near schools. Senate Bill 1086 and House Bill 600 will let community members and legislators work towards safer streets and offer funding for infrastructure improvements.
Senate Bill 1068 allows a committee to be appointed annually, where House Bill 600 aims to transform Hawaii's infrastructure to prioritize "walking, rolling, bicycling, and public transit", stating that they are the "nexus of the State’s commitments to public health, public 5 safety, economic vitality, and environmental sustainability."
“One of the ways that we rethink this is by changing our roads and the way we build our streets and putting money into doing things that separate cars from people, from people on bicycles, so that even when people drive and speed and drink while driving or text while driving or get themselves into a dangerous situation, when they’re fallible and they screw up, that that’s not going to kill someone,” explained Senator Chris Lee.
One solution to help pedestrians and lower the road fatality rate is adding barriers to the sidewalks.
The funding won't just be going to road safety projects. The bills aim to bring advisory committees with members of public health and transportation groups, as well as kupuna advocates and homelessness experts for more collaboration and transparency when it comes to safe streets.
------------------------------------------
Source: KITV.com
