Too many rental cars
There are too many rental cars around Kaua‘i. Rental car companies should be limited on purchasing cars for rent.
We workers who use the roads to accomplish our mission on a timely schedule are being slowed by too many tourists driving vehicles. They (tourists) need to realize that we are not on vacation like them. For example, I drive up to Koke‘e area four times a week and only have a small window to get my job done. While travelling up there I always run into strings of tourists driving vehicles. They hold up traffic by going under the speed limit.
With that said, car rental companies should have less cars to rent out.
We should have tourists use the tour-bus services. Or, have a shuttle service for these tourists traveling around Kaua‘i who share the roads with Kaua‘i workers.
Howard Tolbe, ‘Ele‘ele
Too many letters to the editor
I read the Garden Island newspaper 4 times a week. The paper is clogged up by letters and opinion pieces from the same three guys over and over.
Please limit the amount of stuff you publish from these whiners.
Lawaibob, “why not write you opinion(s) in the TGI letter?” I’m sure it will bee interesting to read your opinion!
Maybe limit the amount of people going to work in Kokee
Oh Boy! Here he goes again…..take away those speed bumps and get those tourists off the roads, especially when Mr Tolbe has somewhere to be! There are many ‘entitled’ folks on island but he takes the cake!
ruthann jones, like you want safety for pedestrians walking in Waimea Town.
When I drive up in Koke’e to work and run into stings of cars driving bumper to bumper. I can only imagine if the car in lead should stop sudenly.
So, with that said, “what so wrong to suggest less cars and tourist should be shuttled up and down the hill.
It’s a safety issue for both tourists and workers driving up and down the hill.
That is good to hear. You have a full time job. And not for fame and popularity, like the sports guy in politics.
Vampire!
My wife and I are planning our 4th trip to Hawaii, and in fact we are arriving in Kauai next Wednesday, and we are renting a car. So does this mean we are not welcome?????????
Don’t put words in my mouth! No-one said you aren’t welcome. It would help us who have work to do our jobs in the time allowed . Not to be slowed down by your vacation mind set. Go the speed limit and or, pull on the side if you’re going to slow to site seeing. There are a lot of view points on Kauai to stop at to see the site.
I mean, would you want your little residential town overrun with outsiders, clogging the two-lane highway, exacerbating traffic, occupying houses in your close-nit neighborhood meant for residents, not transients, treating the place you grew up in like their own elitist playground, looking down their noses at all the unsightly locals…?
Unfortunately, it is what it is. But we’re already at the breaking point. This little island can’t support anymore rises in tourist visits without decimating the current infrastructure, culture and local people’s livelihoods. Not really your fault, but the county’s, due to their inaction at setting reasonable thresholds and limits to all facets of tourist impact.
But, I hope you enjoy your vacation… just remember, it’s HOME for us.
Don’t be silly! You know there’s not enough rental cars on Kauai. That’s why it’s so expensive to rent.
Nice sentiment but legally impractical. How exactly do you propose to limit the number of cars that rental companies can buy? Didn’t really think it through or provide any kind of solution for your idea. What would the wording of your proposed County law look like? Don’t rental car companies ship the cars over from the mainland? How would the County prevent that? The better, more practical solution is to aggressively enforce illegal vacation rentals, which is a legal avenue for the County, and is already being done to some degree. This would lead to fewer tourists and fewer rental cars on the roads. If you are aware of an illegal TVR, contact the County Planning Department, ask to speak to an inspector.
Try look at who’s in those cars during the rush hours. The population of Kauai is growing, and our “residents” usually travel with one person per car. When you want to see who is clogging the roads, try looking for them in a mirror.
What they need to do is widen the “choke points” around the island so traffic flows, which they have been promising for years. How long have we had the cone system??!!! Even if they had only done a little stretch of road each year, by now they would have a decent highway through Kapaa (take little bites as my mom used to say). Instead we use cones and sit on our hands as traffic worsens. Until the powers that be resolve the traffic issues, Howard is right, we need to restrict the rental cars. What other solutions are there?
too many transplants.
too much jealousy.
What’s needed are sensible, efficient updated and safer roads—principally 2-lane divided highways. Please stop bashing visitors. Whether directly or indirectly, your income and prosperity are tied to the visitor industry. More often than not, for what it’s worth (and based on 33 yrs of observation) the ones out there slowing highway traffic turn out to be vehicles driven by locals.
Some of us locals cruise’um going up that hill too.
It’s more about safety then sightseeing alot of twist and turns up kokee road.
I bet you would grumble if you saw tourist speeding I know I would.
Slow down Howard.. your on island it will still be there when you get there.
Howard,
I’m a little late to the discussion but here is what I would like to offer: maybe your guardian angel is looking out for you. After the tragedy on 9/11 some of the most thankful people were the ones that were late for work. They never made it into the building. A now famous animated TV producer – Seth MacFarland, missed his flight that morning and never made it on the plane that was driven into WTC. I for one, once got “stuck” behind a slow car with my brother in law – only to have someone blow a stop sign at high speed at the intersection we would of been in. We looked at each other in dis-belief. You never know when someone is looking out for you.
I live on Kauai part time and near Yosemite part time and have some of the same issues, people wandering all over the road, U turns in the middle of the State Highway, people from different countries that are obviously lost. It used to cause some distress, now I just chuckle.
I take solace that the beauty I enjoy everyday gives joy that the tourists can only experience it for a short time. Is it a pain in the butt, of course. Is it cool to see them enjoying it, you bet.