Speed limit change flawed
Sen. Lorraine Inouye was one of the co-sponsors of the legislation to increase the speed limit on the Daniel K. Inouye Highway to 60 mph between mile marker 12 and mile marker 51 — except for the segment by Mauna Kea State Park. I had reservations about this bill because HDOT should have sole authority to set highway speed limits. The state Legislature shouldn’t be politicizing what the highway speeds are on a certain highway.
I emailed Inouye’s office three amendments to SB2375 despite my reservations. The first amendment would change the east side start of the speed limit increase from mile marker 19 to mile marker 12. This change was included in the final bill transmitted to the governor. However, she disregarded the other two amendments I suggested.
These proposed amendments would’ve obligated the HDOT to review the current speed limits at mile marker 18, mile marker 36-40, and mile marker 39, and increased the speed limit on mile marker 6 to mile marker 11 segment after the highway is improved to federal highway standards by Aug. 27, 2017.
Inouye stated this bill wouldn’t pass the Legislature if these amendments were added, which doesn’t make any sense. She didn’t want to infringe on the HDOT’s obligation to follow federal highway standards. I pointed out to her that requiring the HDOT to increase the speed limit on the Daniel K. Inouye Highway already infringed on the HDOT’s obligations, so her argument doesn’t hold water.
I strongly believe the sole purpose of this legislation was to appease her constituents, who probably complained about the county police’s incessant speed traps up on the Daniel K. Inouye Highway. This legislation shouldn’t be the way the speed limits are set up there.
Aaron Stene
Kailua-Kona