(BIVN) – The Hawaiʻi County Council this week will consider whether or not to prohibit pedestrian traffic on Waipiʻo Valley Road.

A new bill going before the council’s Committee on Public Works and Mass Transit seeks to amend a section of the Hawaiʻi County Code by adding a portion of Waipiʻo Valley Road “running from the Waipiʻo Valley lookout to a point near its entry upon the valley floor” to the subsection on roads closed to pedestrian traffic.

Bill 217 was introduced by Hāmākua councilwoman Valerie Poindexter.

Public use of the Waipiʻo Valley Road has long been an issue for the small community that lives in the valley. Bill 217 is seeking to improve safety on the road.

The Committee on Public Works and Mass Transit meets in Hilo on Thursday, November 5. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting is not open to the public. “The public may provide oral testimony via WebEx,” the council agenda states. “To register to testify, please email jeanette.aiello@hawaiicounty.gov or call (808) 961-8255 no later than 12:00 noon on Wednesday, November 4, 2020.”