Over 25 HAPI members and invited guests enjoy the company, lunch, and program at the Pearl Country Club on July 21st.. Following his tradition, executive director Jon Young started the program with a drawing for his appreciation gift to the members and guest. Donald Kaulia was the lucky winner of a potted Pink Quill plant.
Richelle Takara, Division Administrator, FHWA Hawaii Division was the guest speaker. She did two presentations.
Her first presentation discussed how life is a marathon, and not a sprint when going for the finish line. Getting to the finish line means zero fatalities on highways, net-zero emissions by 2050**, and improve conditions of the federally funded portion of the nation’s transportation system (by 2030) thru Data Driven Decision Making.
She discussed “What’s Needed to reach the Finish Line?” The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (a.k.a. Infrastructure Investment and Job Act (IIJA)) will help us get to the finish line. It has been described as a once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure, which will grow the economy, enhance U.S. competitiveness in the world, create good jobs, and make the U.S. economy more sustainable, resilient, and equitable.
The second presentation focused on safety being the top priority. She posed the following question to the group: “What do you think is an acceptable number of fatalities for 2023?” Click here to watch a 1-minute video that answers that question.
There is a multi-national effort with a goal to achieve a highway system with zero fatalities or serious injuries involving road traffic called Vision Zero. Vision Zero recognizes that we are all human and we make mistakes so there will always be crashes, but what we are striving for is that those mistakes do not lead to a loss in life.
Higher speed results in more serious injuries. For example, in Hawaii, nine out of 10 pedestrians survive when they are hit by a vehicle traveling at 20 mile per hour (mph). At 30 mph, the statics drop to 50% surviving and at 40 mph only 10% survive. Click here for a 9-minutes video that shows the dramatic difference between a vehicle driving at 70 mph versus a vehicle driving at 100 mph. You may be surprised!
We all left the meeting with a clearer vision of the future!
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**”The Road Forward” is NAPA’s vision for net zero carbon emissions during asphalt production and construction by 2050. Click here to learn more about this program.
Photos
HAPI Giveaways 
Lunch Time! 
Thank you Richelle! 
Appreciation Gift
