Limiting vehicles the only solution
Regarding Larry Larruda’s letter (TGI, Jan. 9).
You wish visitors were here for only a “day,” as you stated in your recent letter. I would say it’s more like five to 14 days. You also went on about “shutting down illegal B&Bs/vacation rentals” as to deter people from visiting in the hopes that these establishments would then be used as “long-term rentals.”
Looks good on paper. However, once these tenants get situated, how will they commute? Carabao, bike, moped, donkey? No! They’ll use a car, just like the tenants would if it were still a B&B/vacation rental. So what did we solve? Nothing!
The only way to solve the traffic problem is to limit the influx of transplants that usually ship their vehicle(s) here, and to cap the amount of rental vehicles that each agency can operate with.
We don’t need to waste money “widening” any roads (because that’ll just turn into more vehicles). Also, some people have suggested utilizing the “cane haul roads.” Once again, sounds good, however, most of or possibly all of it belongs to a private owner or a conglomerate, so now it becomes a liability issue.
My understanding is that Bette Midler owns the Wailua bypass land area and allowed the county to utilize the area as well as local ranchers to control the vegetation. That doesn’t mean that other owners will follow suit.
So back to square one, the infamous “Kapaa crawl.” It’s to the point that I don’t even bother going that way. I go all the way around. Yeah, it may be out of the way, but at least I’m moving. No copy me, heh, I no like more “traffic” going that way. Au’rai!
Ka‘aona Kipuka, Lawai
New taxes won’t solve road woes
We are so lucky to live on a small island where so many people, locals and transplants alike, have good, common sense solutions to problems that have faced us for many years.
These problems did not start yesterday as each new mayor and council want us to believe. Traffic, solid waste, low income housing, roads paving and homeless people have been on going for years with little to no pro activity taking place to alleviate it. Why have these “leaders” not been capable of seeing that the mass of the people will never abandon their vehicles for buses, bikes, walking or any other means of transportation and make our island vehicle friendly?
Yes, Steve Kyono or someone in authority had the vision to build the Kapaa by pass road (took nine months to build and finish!!) and put in the contraflow witch have worked well. But why did we not continue in that direction by adding more lanes and paving in our cane haul roads to give tourist and residents alternate ways to get around our island?
Two recent outstanding letters in TGI by Ruta Jordans and Larry Arruda have emphasized what citizens have been saying for years with no action being taken. Jordans said “Past time to open the cane roads” and Arruda’s said “An alternative to traffic congestion and homelessness.”
Since we spend thousands of dollars hiring consultants who have not solved a thing why not listen to free advice from your citizens, many who have experience in these matters.
Citizens who read these writer suggestions wholeheartedly agree that they should be used but why are the decision makers not taking action?
The suggestion that this new regressive excise tax is the answer is not true. Instead of solving the problem by first finding out where the funds are going, appropriated for these projects, we simply go the easy route by raising our taxes where it is hidden from the people if by property or by an excise tax.
Hopefully our new mayor and council will take positive action to see that these long unaddressed problems are physically eliminated and stop the talking.
Glenn Mickens, Kapaa
For many years we were able to use the cane haul road between Koloa and the old mill where the coffee plantation is now. There is zero reason why McBride can’t or shouldn’t open the road or give it to the county as an alternative route. Don’t let McBride develop any other projects until the have done exactly that. Then there’s the alternative route from Lihue/Puhi that could easily be paved through black mountain into Koloa. Were not talking taking land that might otherwise be used for something else. It’s already being used as a road.
Action? Take action to fix a problem, especially traffic?
All of the council people running for office in the past, and just recently, said they were going to fix the problem, and nothing has been done. Yet, we keep electing them.
Shame on them. Shame on us!
In the early 70s I recall politicians like Joann Yukimura talking about an island population of 90k by the 21st century and how we needed to prepare for the traffic. That’s almost five decades ago…and what have we?
The reason for this is simple: government is generally an incompetent, bumbling thief. It produces nothing of marketable value; therefore it must force those under its control to give up a substantial proportion of what they earn, which it then wastes on useless social programs and other inefficiencies. Of course, the politicians and and bureaucrats have no incentive to economize and make wise economic decisions with other people’s money…they simply do not bear the cost of their mistakes.
Don’t hold your breath waiting for these pandering incompetents to “fix” anything.
RG DeSoto
Criticize government as pandering incompetents unable to solve problems while seizing a substantial porporation of what you earn?
What problems can be solved without money? Roads, buses, housing cost money.
Our island got into this dilemma with its laissez faire policy that encourages unlimited tourism because of the job creating opportunities.
If tourism is the chief cause of our problems, our political leaders should look there to raise the revenue to solve these problems.
Still, it won’t be enough. The problems have become so big, it will also require the government to take a bigger bite from what you earn. Especially if you are a top earner.
BS, Ginger. They’ve been taking for years and what have they done? Pretty much nothing. So you can suck up to the politicians and make excuses for them all you want.
You are absolutely incorrect about the island economy being one that can, or ever could, be characterized as laissez faire (aka free market). Hawaii is in general one of the most over taxed, over regulated states in the union and consistently receives bad grades for economic freedom. Here: https://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/24/worst-state-for-business-hawaii-is-americas-paradise-lost.html
Go learn some real economics…try Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt. Download it here: https://fee.org/media/14946/economicsinonelesson.pdf
RG DeSoto
Aloha Ka’aona, if you come over here from Lawai, then you are adding to the traffic in Kapa’a, the by-pass, and now Kamalu a former neighborhood road now speed track.
LIHUE should be more restrictive in issuing visa passes to come or go this or that side of the island, after all they are effectively limiting access to the North Shore already.
And a friend who is TSA at LIHUE Airport is going to keep,working but file funemployment since he is being cheated out of his wages by the rich Republicans and the rich poolside on vacation Democrats, and he’ s gonna take it all,the way to the Supreme Court…so I told him I would help him pay his way there.
Charlie
Joann Yukimura had the right mindset but the wrong solutions, she focused on the path and the bus system thinking that people would abandon their cars (they never do) instead of addressing the road situation as she should have. Had she addressed the roads, she would have been everyone’s hero right now.
Aloha Kakou,
How about an affordable wall…have Mexican workers in Mexico build the wall at 10% cost in pesos.
Make the wall only 3’ feet high showing the short sightedness of any wall as 4’ and even 51’ ladders are able to scale any wall…and tunnels already exist…and while the Great Wall of China has deterred Mexicans and Hondurans from entering China by the caravan load, it sure did not keep out the Mongel Hordes and Genghis Khan who made it all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
Besides if the bricks for the wall are not glued together for the 3’ wall, after President Trump is finished as President, the Mexicans can use the bricks for affordable housing already in logistical place from Tijuana to Brownsville, Texas…the bricks could be even built into delicious healthy vegan taco stands.
1.) clearly the king needs a fact tune up…illegal immigration into the US is at an all time 45 year low…who needs the wall except a government contractor.
2.) There’s more than TSA workers suffering no paycheck, and Gary isn’t it a little ridiculous giving someone a free lunch at the Marriott or McDonalds whose losing their mortgage and home? You’re starting to sound like the President hisself…out of tune.
3.) in some countries, even in Latin America, if you even look like, or have the passport or name that originates from terrorist countries, you are practically strip searched before using the airlines…but here an 85 year old Tutu must remove here rubber slippers to board a flight from LIH to HNL with GAS on board only enough to make it to Kona.
New York World Trade Center plane attacks with the 30 story World Trade Center Building #7 collapsing on its own with the pop pop pops of a Pre-set professional demolition, cast doubt on foreign terrorism and casts light on an”inside job”, and coincidentally setting up the creation of the TSA, a whole new industry for seniors and the retired and unemployed to continue or double their income.
3.) And with pun intended, if much of US sales of goods are based on foreign $3 a day wages, maybe TSA could be run by the Mexicans too. At great annual savings. They are very good workers.
4.) And, as unheard of unemployment rates are so,low, there are Very many Help Wanted signs in the US, looks like we need the Mexicans and Hondurans more than Mexico and Honduras needs them.
5.) seems a little capitalistic that the former head of TSA is a head of the airport TSA scanner private company…
6.) And while TSA gives us a (Fake) sense of security, isn’t it like the tide…do we really need it? After all, planes are still highjacked even by despondent pilots…!
Mahalo,
Charlie