| 41 | | - | WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the State to reduce the cost of living and cost of transportation for public employees and residents of public housing; and WHEREAS, Hawaii has the highest cost of living in the United States; and WHEREAS, the single fastest growing contributor to an increasing cost of living in the State is now the rising cost of transportation; and WHEREAS, Hawaii residents already pay among the highest cost to commute in the country due to increasingly expensive fossil fuels and lack of cheaper transit options; and WHEREAS, ensuring future access to electric vehicle charging stations and secure bicycle storage in public facilities will reduce the cost of transportation for public employees and residents of public housing; and WHEREAS, many people are opting to drive electric vehicles, which are significantly cheaper to operate and maintain than gas vehicles, and many major manufacturers have already committed to cease the production and sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2030 and 2035, respectively; and WHEREAS, the infrastructure for charging those vehicles in public facilities does not exist despite the demand, which will continue to increase significantly; and WHEREAS, due to lack of secure storage options, bicycle theft at public facilities is a pervasive problem even when they are locked in racks; and WHEREAS, this limits the ability of public employees to save, on average, nearly $13,000 each year by commuting to work by bicycle rather than by car; and WHEREAS, in order to save money, public employees who commute by car and pay for parking at their workplace are inclined to split the cost of sharing a single stall with colleagues while carpooling in different cars on different days; and WHEREAS, the Department of Accounting and General Services currently prohibits public employees from sharing parking stalls at their workplace; and WHEREAS, the collaboration of the Department of Transportation, Department of Accounting and General Services, and Hawaii State Energy Office is required to resolve these issues, which will reduce the cost of transportation for those who work or live in public facilities; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, that the Department of Transportation, Department of Accounting and General Services, and Hawaii State Energy Office are urged to collaborate to develop, implement, administer, and manage various transportation system programs at public facilities that include but are not limited to construction or conversion of parking stalls to accommodate electric vehicle charging, secure bicycle storage lockers, and parking stall sharing between public employees; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation, Department of Accounting and General Services, and Hawaii State Energy Office are requested to consider transportation options for neighbor island public employees; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation, Department of Accounting and General Services, and Hawaii State Energy Office are requested to ensure that available electric vehicle charging infrastructure exceeds expected demand; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Transportation, Comptroller, and Chief Energy Officer. Report Title: Department of Transportation; Department of Accounting and General Services; Hawaii State Energy Office; Transportation System Programs; Public Facilities; Electric Vehicle Charging Parking Stalls; Bicycle Storage Lockers; Public Employee Parking Stall Sharing |
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| 41 | + | WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the State to reduce the cost of living and cost of transportation for public employees and residents of public housing; and WHEREAS, Hawaii has the highest cost of living in the United States; and WHEREAS, the single fastest growing contributor to an increasing cost of living in the State is now the rising cost of transportation; and WHEREAS, Hawaii residents already pay among the highest cost to commute in the country due to increasingly expensive fossil fuels and lack of cheaper transit options; and WHEREAS, ensuring future access to electric vehicle charging stations and secure bicycle storage in public facilities will reduce the cost of transportation for public employees and residents of public housing; and WHEREAS, many people are opting to drive electric vehicles, which are significantly cheaper to operate and maintain than gas vehicles, and many major manufacturers have already committed to cease the production and sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2030 and 2035, respectively; and WHEREAS, the infrastructure for charging those vehicles in public facilities does not exist despite the demand, which will continue to increase significantly; and WHEREAS, due to lack of secure storage options, bicycle theft at public facilities is a pervasive problem even when they are locked in racks; and WHEREAS, this limits the ability of public employees to save, on average, nearly $13,000 each year by commuting to work by bicycle rather than by car; and WHEREAS, in order to save money, public employees who commute by car and pay for parking at their workplace are inclined to split the cost of sharing a single stall with colleagues while carpooling in different cars on different days; and WHEREAS, the Department of Accounting and General Services currently prohibits public employees from sharing parking stalls at their workplace; and WHEREAS, the collaboration of the Department of Transportation and the Department of Accounting and General Services is required to resolve these issues, which will reduce the cost of transportation for those who work or live in public facilities; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, that the Department of Transportation and Department of Accounting and General Services are urged to collaborate to develop, implement, administer, and manage various transportation system programs at public facilities that include but are not limited to construction or conversion of parking stalls to accommodate electric vehicle charging, secure bicycle storage lockers, and parking stall sharing between public employees; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to Director of Transportation and the Comptroller. OFFERED BY: _____________________________ Report Title: Department of Transportation; Department of Accounting and General Services; Transportation System Programs; Public Facilities; Electric Vehicle Charging Parking Stalls; Bicycle Storage Lockers; Public Employee Parking Stall Sharing |
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