Rice Street drivers lacking aloha
Rice Street drivers lacking aloha
To those who want to make Rice Street in Lihue a walking-friendly downtown street, I would like to comment.
I often walk my dog on Rice as I also live on Rice. Rice Street is very pedestrian-unfriendly. First of all, the street is a thoroughfare, a pass-through, a means of getting from one place to another.
The 25 mph speed limit is a farce. Trying to cross the street, either at a traffic light or a mid-block crosswalk, is a venture in taking your life in your own hands. Even at the crosswalk by Lihue Townhouse, where there is a flashing light, it is pedestrian-beware.
Just this morning I was attempting to cross, light flashing, and an SUV drove right past me and my dog. We were not invisible.
I was trying to cross at the Umi Street light and left-turn drivers, including a Kauai Bus, were turning in front of us, even though we had the “walk” light. By making the street “walking-friendly” you are inviting an increase in the pedestrian fatalities in the county.
I will continue to walk my dog on Rice, but I will be ever-vigilant and not expect any aloha from the drivers.
Dave Stokley, Lihue
I see your point. I don’t use Rice street that much, but I did use it today by chance. Saw a man who was trying to use the crosswalk near Lee’s Furniture but had cars whizzing by him. He was able to gingerly cross the street only because I stopped and the car in the lane next to me stopped, and once he made it halfway the cars on the other side of the street stopped, otherwise the other drivers were oblivious or ignoring him.