Bill Text: HI SR35 | 2020 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Requesting That The City And County Of Honolulu Prohibit Electric Scooters, Electric Bicycles, And Electric Trikes On Sidewalks.
Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 13-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-05-21 - Report adopted, as amended (SD 1) and referred to JDC. [SR35 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2020-SR35-Amended.html
|
THE SENATE |
S.R. NO. |
35 |
|
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2020 |
S.D. 1 |
|
|
STATE OF HAWAII |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
||
SENATE RESOLUTION
REQUESTING THAT THE CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU PROHIBIT ELECTRIC SCOOTERS, ELECTRIC BICYCLES, AND ELECTRIC TRIKES ON SIDEWALKS.
WHEREAS, electric scooters, electric
bicycles, and three-wheeled electric trikes have become widely available for
personal transportation and very popular with commercial tour operators and are
often ridden on Oahu's sidewalks where they mix with pedestrians and motorists;
and
WHEREAS, while electric scooters, electric bicycles, and electric trikes are convenient, affordable, and more environmentally-friendly than automobiles, they are a safety hazard when ridden on sidewalks; and
WHEREAS, electric scooters, electric bicycles, and electric trikes can weigh more than forty pounds and can be upgraded with additional motors that allow the devices to reach speeds of eighteen miles per hour, which is nearly six times faster than the average walking speed of a person; and
WHEREAS, electric scooters, electric bicycles, and electric trikes can seriously injure or kill pedestrians in a collision and operators of these devices are at risk from motorists who do not expect a small, quiet, and fast-moving motorized device to appear in pedestrian rights-of-way; and
WHEREAS, in 2003, the Legislature passed
Act 180, which defines an "electric personal assistive mobility device"
as a self-balancing, two-wheeled, non-tandem-wheeled device, designed to
transport only one person, using an electric propulsion system that limits the
maximum speed of the device to twelve and one-half miles per hour or less; and
WHEREAS, Act 180 states that unless
otherwise prohibited or regulated by a county ordinance, electric personal assistive
mobility devices may be operated on sidewalks at a speed no greater than eight
miles per hour and on bicycle paths in the State; and
WHEREAS, many electric scooters and
electric bicycles are allowed on sidewalks and bike paths as electric personal assistive
mobility devices in the absence of county regulations and, although three-wheeled
electric trikes do not necessarily fall within this definition, they are
frequently used by individuals and tour operators on pedestrian paths; and
WHEREAS, within the past several years, pedestrians
and motorists have expressed safety concerns to policymakers about the increasing
number of individuals and tour operators riding electric scooters, electric
bicycles, and electric trikes on sidewalks and bike paths; and
WHEREAS, because of safety risks to
pedestrians, motorists, and operators of electric scooters, electric bicycles,
and electric trikes, these devices should be prohibited on sidewalks and bike
paths; and
WHEREAS, policymakers must balance the advantages of useful, emerging mobility device technology with public safety, particularly in crowded transportation environments such as Oahu's business districts and urban core; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2020, that the City and County of Honolulu, Honolulu Police Department, Honolulu Department of Transportation Services, and state Department of Transportation are requested to work with the Honolulu City Council to prohibit the operation of electric scooters, electric bicycles, and electric trikes on sidewalks through county-level ordinances; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Honolulu Department of Transportation Services is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations for regulation of electric scooters, electric bicycles, and electric trikes, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2021; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Transportation, Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, Chairperson of the Honolulu City Council, Chief of the Honolulu Police Department, and Director of Transportation Services.
Mopeds; Electric Personal Assistive Mobility Devices; Electric Scooters; Electric Trikes; Electric Bicycles
