PUHI — Some motorists stopped. Others were oblivious to the new traffic pattern involving a three-way stop at the intersection of Nuhou and Kaneka streets fronting the Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School and the Regency at Puakea Monday. Pastor Wil Galiza
PUHI — Some motorists stopped. Others were oblivious to the new traffic pattern involving a three-way stop at the intersection of Nuhou and Kaneka streets fronting the Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School and the Regency at Puakea Monday.
Pastor Wil Galiza of The Aloha Church officiated over a brief blessing of the three new stop signs and the overall change in traffic pattern attended by Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., Kaua‘i Police Chief Darryl Perry, the county’s Public Works Department, including County Engineer Larry Dill, Deputy Engineer Lyle Tabata, Get Fit Kaua‘i Island Coordinator Bev Brody, and Debra Badua, principal of the CKMS and also representing the Department of Education.
Concerns over pedestrian safety prompted the county to revise the traffic pattern in front of the middle school and since the traffic pattern revision, which took effect Thursday, there has been a lot of public notice through the news media and radio stations.
“A lot of people have commented they read about it in the newspapers,” Tabata said. “Because of the urgency of the situation where students were involved in some of the incidents, we had to act quickly.”
The most significant change is the conversion of the Nuhou and Kaneka street junction to a three-way stop, states a release from the county.
Drivers heading in either direction on Nuhou Street must now come to a complete stop.
Northbound motorists on Kaneka Street must also come to a complete stop at the crosswalk before reaching the Nuhou Street intersection, and also at Nuhou Street crosswalk.
Signage depicting the new traffic pattern was installed last week including new stop signs, stop bars and stop-ahead signs.
The traffic pattern changes were put into effect in response to a recent accident in the area where a pedestrian in the marked crosswalk was struck by a vehicle, states the release.
Motorists are urged to exercise caution while driving through the area.
Despite the publicity surrounding the new traffic pattern and the appearance of the KPD Traffic Safety Unit, there were motorists oblivious to the new changes, or not coming to a complete stop, several resulting in traffic citations while Pastor Galiza officiated the blessing of each of the new stop signs.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
