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Committee debates bill to remove jaywalking fines tied to countdown timers
Summary
Supporters said HB1523 would stop fining pedestrians up to $130 for entering crosswalks after countdown timers begin; DOT warned the statutory change could cause confusion or require infrastructure work. Committee passed the measure with comments to Judiciary.
A Senate transportation committee hearing on March 17 produced a close look at HB1523, a proposal to change the statewide traffic code so that pedestrians who step into a crosswalk after a countdown timer begins would no longer face a citable violation.
Malia Bockzanski of Hawaii Appleseed told the committee the bill “does not change the existence of countdown timers. It really just removes, that restriction as a citable violation.” She argued the current $130 fine imposes “a significant financial burden for some of our residents who are simply trying to navigate our community.”
Committee members pressed witnesses on the bill’s practical effect. The chair and several senators asked whether…
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