A state lawmaker on Oʻahu wants to carve out “buffer zones” around city bus stops where people would be barred from sleeping or storing their belongings. Backers say it is about keeping benches and shelters usable for riders, while critics warn it edges toward criminalizing people who have nowhere else to go.
Rep. Ikaika Olds introduced the proposal, which would prohibit domiciling or leaving property within a set distance of bus stops, require officers to give warnings before issuing citations, and, after repeated violations, allow police to clear the area. The bill is part of a trio of companion measures aimed at keeping entryways, business fronts and waterways free of encampments, and the whole package is headed for committee hearings. KITV reported on the push.
The concept is not new at the Capitol. Similar enforcement-minded bills have surfaced in recent sessions. A 2025 draft that would have made loitering within 20 feet of a bus stop a disorderly conduct offense drew warnings from the state Office of the Public Defender that such laws could create a “revolving door” of arrests, as lawmakers wrestled with how to balance public safety concerns and criminalization fears. Hawaiʻi Public Radio documented that earlier debate…