• Some coastal-path history • What happened to ‘protect and serve?’ Some coastal-path history What started with Pete’s “Path popularity” (July 2), then Glenn’s “Necessary project?” (July 11) and Kurt’s follow up “Public road access” (July 13) was putting the
• Some coastal-path history • What happened to ‘protect and serve?’
Some coastal-path history
What started with Pete’s “Path popularity” (July 2), then Glenn’s “Necessary project?” (July 11) and Kurt’s follow up “Public road access” (July 13) was putting the puzzle together on the bike path. Here are some more pieces but remember the more you dig the more skeletons are uncovered. The Kaua‘i Bicycle Club filed for the ICE-TEA federal funds under the Rails to Trails Program (started by JFK Jr.) through RC&D in 1993 not by Tim Bynum. The old haul-cane-train track ran from Anahola through Kapa‘a to Lihu‘e. The initial funding was two million dollars. This converted rail bed was only intended for bike and pedestrian pleasure not transportation. No dogs are allowed, Mel Rapozo is right in that Kaua‘i county law cannot override federal law. Another reason for the KBC was the preservation of once-beautiful ironwood forest that stretched from Anahola to Kealia, now lost to the gated community so they could have their ocean views, sad. Whenever the path connects to a road federal funding is available as Kurt noted. There are no bicycle lanes on the highways of Kaua‘i. Those small lanes are for car repairs. A bike trail is not a bike lane. A bicycle lane would be four feet wide with a two-foot buffer when possible, total six feet. The bike-lane signs were supposedly taken down when the state and county found out they were responsible/liable for accidents, also for the maintenance — painted lines and the cleanup of broken glass after an accident too. No need for Kimo to carry his dustpan and broom. Our second phase was through Kapa‘a and Waipouli to the condominiums along Wailua Beach. The third phase was to get pass Wailua. The kids during their three-month summer vacation from school were riding their BMXs to Lydgate and the moto-track at Wailua down suicide alley. A car trying to cross to the beach at Kuamo‘o road hit Don Ho’s grandchild. The state was going to build an overhead crosswalk over Kuhio Highway connecting to the old haul-cane bridge. Therefore, the path would have used the light at Haleilio Road, gone behind Coco Palms through the zoo and tennis courts to the public boat ramp, crosswalk, bridge, and hook up with the old road through Lygate Park. Never would KBC’s path desecrate the beach at Wailua.
We the KBC were too small and lost control of the project as it grew from $2 million to $100 million. We did manage to pave the two stretches of sidewalk, either side on Kawaihau Road from the Kapa‘a Elementary School up. So the kids could use the Walking School Bus program and we built the bicycle/pedestrian walkway on the new Waikoko Stream bridge at the Koloa Landing.
Bobby Ritch, President, Kaua‘i Bicycle Club
Chairman, Garden Island Bicycle Association, Kaumakani
What happened to ‘protect and serve?’
Unnecessary encroachment by military and local police personnel upon our citizenry in separate instances recently sounded an alarm in our communities.
Two stories that appear on www.islandbreath.org (“Police Block Public Access” July 8, 2010 and “Hands across the sand Westside” June 27, 2010) now raise a red flag as to these institution’s priorities. Please read these stories and view the video.
Two weeks ago, the publisher of the aforementioned website describes in his article a demonstration he attended on a Westside beach (for further information on related events see The Garden Island article: “Kauaians urged to gather for ‘Hands Across the Sand Events’” June 22, 2010) to bring attention in peaceful protest to offshore drilling and its ill-effects in the wake of the British Petroleum Deep Water Horizon oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. To his surprise and discomfort he soon discovers that the “band of old hippies” collecting for the event is surveilled by U.S. military personnel in unmarked vehicles (see photos).
More recently and perhaps in an even worse scenario is the apparent harassment by police of a well-known contributor to the Forum section of this newspaper. This unsuspecting gentleman was approached at his home by three KPD officers with their patrol cars to deliver a written warning document for him to sign while one officer videotaped the event. Why? He is a regular user of an age-old, unimproved foot path in Kapa‘a on state property that connects the makai side of Kawaihau Road up to Samuel Mahelona Hospital near a newly-acquired building (the old Civil Defense post) by KPD for Kaua‘i Police Athletic League use.
I have used this trail myself as have many hundreds of residents and visitors to Kapa‘a over decades. Anyone knows that the alternate route along Kawaihau Road is dangerous.
It appears that the cops do not want people using this trail any longer though it is traditional use on state land and by far safer than the road. If intimidation was not enough, according to the article our police department also had gone as far as blocking the topside trail head with earthen debris.
Decide for yourself if this is what you want from your military and police. As for me, I think some folks need a break. Times are rough and appear to be getting rougher — and now, furthermore from the guys who are supposed to be protecting us?
Rolf Bieber, Kapa‘a
