Traffic-calming initiatives blocked

By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Neighborhoods won't see new speed bumps, bulb-outs or roundabouts for the next two years unless their traffic-calming projects are in the pipeline, under a resolution passed by the City Council yesterday.

The two-year moratorium will not affect 25 projects that have been incorporated into city plans.

Councilman Charles Djou, who called the controversial traffic calming projects "an experiment that was not working," said he proposed the moratorium as a compromise with council members who did not take as strident a position against the speed-deterring obstacles.

Councilman Mike Gabbard was the only member who opposed the moratorium. "I truly believe each traffic-calming project should be decided on a case-by-case basis," he said.

The council gave final approval to several other measures yesterday, including a real property tax exemption for thrift shops run by nonprofit organizations starting next year. The issue came before the council when the Salvation Army and Goodwill Industries of Hawai'i for the first time received bills totaling $200,000.

As the city looks for a site for a new dump, drinking water aquifers will be protected under a resolution that says municipal landfills cannot be located over underground drinking water sources.

The council also passed a resolution urging the administration to enter into partnerships with private organizations to construct, operate and maintain public swimming pools. The YMCA has expressed interest in such a partnership.

In new business, the council moved forward a resolution that would increase the number of council districts from nine to 21 and a bill that would lift a $200 cap on gifts to city officials from a single source. Both measures will be discussed further in the Executive Matters Committee.

The council also sent the Budget Committee a revised version of a bill that would allow the parks director to set user fees at certain parks and recreational facilities. In response to concerns that the original bill would allow fees to be charged at any city park, the new version limits the director to charging fees for special events only at the Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Park, the Central O'ahu Regional Park and Hans L'Orange Baseball Facility.

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.