Why this law exists: public access to shorelines

The legislature finds that miles of shorelines, waters, and inland recreational areas under the jurisdiction of the State are inaccessible to the public due to the absence of public rights-of-way; that the absence of public rights-of-way is a contributing factor to mounting acts of hostility against private shoreline properties and properties bordering inland recreational areas; that the population of the islands is increasing while the presently accessible beach, shoreline, and inland recreational areas remain fixed; and that the absence of public access to Hawaii's shorelines and inland recreational areas constitutes an infringement upon the fundamental right of free movement in public space and access to and use of coastal and inland recreational areas. The purpose of this chapter is to guarantee the right of public access to the sea, shorelines, and inland recreational areas, and transit along the shorelines, and to provide for the acquisition of land for the purchase and maintenance of public rights-of-way and public transit corridors.