Community meetings scheduled for input on potential road usage charge for Hawaii

Posted on Mar 12, 2019 in Main, News

Online community presentation also being held April 18, 2019

HONOLULU – The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) will hold 14 community meetings across the state to get public feedback on the concept of a road usage charge (RUC) to fund upkeep of roadways and bridges. Community meetings are currently scheduled for the following dates and times:

OAHU

  • Wednesday, March 20 (6 – 8 p.m. at Kapolei High School Cafeteria, Kapolei)
  • Tuesday, April 16 (location TBA, check hiruc.org)
  • Wednesday, April 17 (location TBA, check hiruc.org)

KAUAI

  • Friday, March 22 (5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Wilcox Elementary Cafeteria, Lihue)
  • Saturday, March 23 (10:30 AM – 12:30 PM at Koloa Neighborhood Center, Koloa)

MAUI

  • Monday, March 25 (5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Lahaina Intermediate School Cafeteria, Lahaina)
  • Tuesday, March 26 (Prince Kuhio Day) (5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Baldwin High School, Wailuku)
  • Wednesday, March 27 (5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Paia Community Center, Paia)

MOLOKAI

  • Tuesday, April 2 (5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Kaunakakai Elementary School Cafeteria, Kaunakakai)

LANAI

  • Thursday, April 4 (5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Lanai Community Center, Lanai City)

HAWAII ISLAND

  • Tuesday, April 9 (5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Natural Energy Lab, Kona)
  • Wednesday, April 10 (5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Waimea School STEAM Center, Waimea)
  • Thursday, May 9 (TBA, check hiruc.org)

Hawaii residents can also provide input and ask questions via an online community meeting on Thursday, April 18. More information about all meetings will be available on the project website www.hiruc.org

“The reality is fuel tax revenue, which provides a third of state highways funding, continues to decrease as cars become more fuel efficient,” said Ed Sniffen, HDOT deputy director for Highways. “We need to look at a long-term replacement for the gas tax that is sustainable and fair to all road users.”

In an RUC system, vehicle owners pay for actual miles driven versus a gasoline tax system where owners pay by the amount of fuel their vehicle consumes. Hawaii is one of a dozen states including California and Oregon that is investigating whether the switch to a pay-per-mile-driven charge is feasible and how it might be implemented.

Hawaii’s study looks at a RUC system as a revenue neutral replacement to the current 16 cents per gallon state fuel tax. As a part of this study, important factors such as sustainability, fairness, information and privacy protection, and other topics will be addressed.

The scheduled meetings are important to share information with Hawaii residents about road usage charges and gather community feedback.

About HiRUC

The Hawaii Road Usage Charge Demonstration is a three-year project to investigate the use of a per-mile fee to fund upkeep of roads and bridges instead of a system where drivers pay at the pump. The demonstration will allow Hawaii drivers to experience what a road usage charge (RUC) system could be like and provide their feedback, opinions, questions, and concerns to Hawaii Department of Transportation. More information is available on the website at www.hiruc.org

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