• Don’t waste time, resources planning for bus expansion • Be a positive force in the world Don’t waste time, resources planning for bus expansion The county is proposing to put more buses on our roads to keep the rural
• Don’t waste time, resources planning for bus expansion • Be a positive force in the world
Don’t waste time, resources planning for bus expansion
The county is proposing to put more buses on our roads to keep the rural style of Kauai in place and to alleviate our traffic problems.
The Short-Range Transit Plan was outlined in a 9/19 article in TGI (“County looks to bolster use of The Kauai Bus”), followed by having a three-hour presentation at the Sept. 20 council meeting. That was interesting, but with no finality, just a deferral.
Do we need buses? Certainly we do, for those who cannot drive or have a disability. Do we need a far more efficient use of the bus system now in place? Yes! And do we need to put more buses on our roads as a solution to alleviating our traffic problems? No!
Since our tax dollars are subsidizing the bus system, costing $8 million a year, why would we even think of doubling down by adding more buses when the pilot program that was done showed that this was not the answer to our traffic woes?
On Jan. 30, 2013, the council adopted the Multimodal Transportation Plan. The county illustrated pie charts in 2010, 2020, and 2035, showing transportation usage. In 2010, 93.1 percent of the driving public used their private vehicles. Another 0.4 percent used the bus, 4.5 percent walked, and 2 percent used a bike. In 2020 their projected numbers were 87.5 percent using their vehicles, 1.3 percent were using the bus (a 0.9 percent increase in 10 years), 7.6 percent were walking, and 3.6 percent used a bike.
By 2035 projections are that 77.3 percent will still be using private vehicles, 3.6 percent will use the bus, 7.6 percent will bike and 11 percent will walk.
We must stop this insanity of wasting time, money and energy playing around with dream-world scenarios with more buses, bikes, walking and paths and ignoring making our island more vehicle friendly for locals and visitors alike.
The cane haul roads can immediately be opened as was the Kapaa bypass road to alleviate much of our traffic. As the contra-flow system proves and with added lanes with up-to-date synchronized signals (per Larry Arruda’s fine editorial in TGI Sept. 25 revealed), we can also alleviate traffic.
As TGI said, by 2035 the population is predicted to increase 31 percent and the number of visitors to the island is expected to grow 28 percent. Those who expect Kauai to maintain its character or ambiance or rural style of the past are only dreaming.
Proper planning, zoning and land use restrictions can prohibit our island from becoming another Maui, but as long as people are free to come here those in authority have to make sure that our infrastructure is in place before allowing overdevelopment and problems that go with it to happen.
Glenn Mickens, Kapaa
Be a positive force in the world
May we all strive to do good works, today and every day.
To bring balance to those who would do otherwise!
Jim and Harvest Edmonds, Kilauea
