Mayor signs bill preventing lying down at bus stops

Community website by MBC/Ernest Abrams. Call 808-739-9797 for advertising/sponsorship#KaimukiHawaii Community website by MBC/Ernest Abrams. Call 808-739-9797 for advertising/sponsorship#KaimukiHawaii

Kaimuki, Hawaii
News Item
Powered by MBC NewsMaker
Mayor signs bill preventing lying down at bus stops
Tweet

Mayor signs bill preventing lying down at bus stops

Honolulu -- Mayor Kirk Caldwell has signed into law Bill 99 (2017), CD1, which was introduced by Councilman Trevor Ozawa and makes it illegal to lie down in a designated bus stop area between the hours of 4 a.m. on one day and 1 a.m. the following day.

"Just as our sidewalks are meant for the movement of pedestrians, our covered bus stops are meant to provide shelter for riders of TheBus and need to be kept free and clear," said Mayor Caldwell. "An average of 214,000 trips are taken on TheBus every weekday, and we need to ensure that public transit is accessible, safe and reliable."

The new law defines a bus stop area as the area at a bus stop occupying the entire width of the sidewalk that extends 20-feet before a bus stop sign or bus stop route sign, or for bus stops furnished with a shelter or shelters, the footprint of the shelters and the entire width of the sidewalk that extends 10-feet before and 10-feet after the footprint of the shelter. The footprint of a shelter is defined by vertical planes, perpendicular to the ground, extending down from the outermost edges of the shelter overhang or roof.

"Bill 99 was never a sit-lie measure, it was about ensuring accessibility and safety for our city bus riders," said Councilmember Ozawa. "Our constituents should feel safe and comfortable as they wait for a ride on any public transit system."

The new law goes into effect on June 14, 2018, or 120 days after Mayor's Caldwell's approval on February 15, 2018. The Honolulu Police Department and the Department of Transportation Services will enforce the new law.

Under the new ordinance, a law enforcement officer may not cite someone for lying down in a bus stop area without first issuing a warning. In addition, the ordinance does not apply to anyone under the age of six who is lying down in a baby carriage, stroller, or carrier, or is lying down while being held or carried by a person who is not lying down.

Questions? Ready for an appointment?

Like Our Facebook

Kaimuki, Hawaii News Item

Kaimuki, Hawaii
News Item