[§279A-1]  Statement of purpose.  Thelegislature finds that continued growth in transport demand and increasingmobility requirements indicate a need for innovative, as well as improved,transportation systems which, while serving local needs, are integrated on astatewide basis.  The State Transportation Plan of 1961 is no longer responsiveto the needs of the people of Hawaii.  A comprehensive, multi-modal statewidetransportation planning process should be established which involves all levelsof government in a cooperative process to develop coordinated transportationplans.  Coordination of such a statewide planning process should be the primaryresponsibility of the department of transportation.  However, to ensure thatstatewide transportation planning involves the continuing involvement of countygovernments in the production of a statewide transportation plan, there is aneed to establish a statewide transportation council consisting ofrepresentatives of the state government and each of the four counties.  Thereis no intent to diminish or pre-empt the existing authorities andresponsibilities of county governments for the planning and implementation oftransportation systems.  It is the purpose of this chapter to provide a meansof coordinating the State's existing responsibilities for inter-island andmajor highway transportation planning and development with counties'responsibilities for intra-island surface transportation system planning anddevelopment, in order to facilitate the ultimate production of a statewidetransportation plan which optimizes intra-island and inter-island systemintegration. [L 1975, c 179, §1]