You probably know that Germany has a famous and excellent highway system called Autobahn. On the Autobahn there is no speed limit unless there is construction. Some miraculous thing might have happened a few years ago and part of the Autobahn moved here onto Koloa Road between the Lawai traffic light and the 25-mile speed limit sign at the Kaneshiro ranch.
Make no mistake, there is another 25-mile speed limit sign at the Kaumualii Highway end of Koloa Road too, but the Autobahn-ghost has occupied the one mile stretch in the residential area with houses and even a private school very close to the road.
And this ghost is up to no good. It has a spell on most vehicles traveling on this section of the road forcing them to go pedal-to-the-metal. This includes visitors’ cars, Jeeps, local cars transiting on this road, trucks, cement trucks, even fully loaded double-trailers.
That means a constant flow of vehicles traveling at 60 to 90 miles per hour endangering anything that is alive on and around the road. And this goes on all day from 4 a.m. to midnight, with the heaviest traffic on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. The noise of the high-speed traffic makes hearing or conversation almost impossible in the houses close to the road.
There must be another mischievous ghost present, too, who misdirects the Kauai Police Department to go somewhere else, because there are no police stakeout or radar checks on this section. A few years ago, we had some at least once or twice a week, but the situation has become much worse and that seems to scare away the police from this area.
Earlier this month, TGI had an article about the new campaign of KPD to catch unbuckled drivers and passengers.
Nice effort, but the expected result is far less than catching insane speeders on the described section of Koloa Road.
If they’d measure the speed of vehicles from an unmarked car just for an hour the results will support a plan to fine about 100 violators per hour provided, they have the skill and the manpower to control both ends.
Oh, I forgot another TGI article recently indicating a shortage of police officers on Kauai. Well, here is the solution: From the fines collected in one day on this section of Koloa Road they can easily finance the monthly salary of three policemen. If KPD is not interested, they can sell the 25-mile speed limit signs for scrap or as collectibles as the most inefficient traffic signs in the world.
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Margit Samu is a resident of Koloa.
Mahalo Margit, and I’ll tell you: that ghost really gets around. My specific area is Anahola, between the post office, and the second Aliomanu Rd, just over Aliomanu stream heading north. There are lots of residents that live 100 feet or so from that very busy and dangerous part of Kuhio Highway. Now the speed limit changes from 35 to 50 just as you pass Hokualele Rd ( again heading North). And, boy do drivers put the pedal to the metal, including the 18 wheelers who find they must use their ( illegal) “Jake” brakes just before crossing the stream. The speed limit really should be 35, all the way past the second Aliomanu Rd: visibility is very limited, and people cannot seem to stay in their lanes, as the rumble strips are always working overtime: 24/7. But, of course, this is a “state” road, and judging from the 10 years it took the state to fix Kuhio Hwy ( Anahola to Moloaa), we will probably not see any change in the speed limit to something more appropriate and safe in any of our lifetimes..Who Ya Gonna Call?
Aloha!
Yes Anahola is another very troubling portion of Kuhio Highway.
If you respect the speed limit people will dangerously tailgate yo. Visibility is limited here, you often have people walking on the side of the road, the road narrows, there is often debris from small landslides and there is no cross walk to the bus stop across from the post office… Yet people feel like it is their duty to endanger the life of others because they might get wherever they are planing to be a few seconds earlier…
And yes absolutely no enforcement of rules in this area. In fact I have witnessed the police tailgating and speeding on this portion of the road (without emergency lights it goes without saying). And they are supposed to lead by example?
Next you can send the invisible cops to wailua by the golf course and also to Kapaia hill…It’s anything goes there too…Do the police even read the paper? Doubt it or they would have gotten to work on it by now…It is a CASH COW for them!
Yes, people go much too fast on Koloa Road. Even if you travel at 35 mph, people will ride your bumper like you are a turtle holding up a fast hare. Sometimes I think the potholes are a good thing because they act like speed bumps to keep the speeds down! People need to slow their roll on that road!
The problem IS that people just don’t seem to want todo the speed limit.
whoever reads this has been stuck behind a car in the 50mph doing 39mph to 42 mph break lights come on 39 mph.Ioften wonder if the police can give a ticket for mph over the limit how about 5 mph under the limit.
But after living here 20 plus tears absolutely nothing will change.
The speed limit is precisely that: a limit. One must drive according to actual road conditions which means factoring on visibility, state of the road and other vehicules. There are designated portions of the highway were you can overtake slower vehicules but only when it is safe.
The few seconds you are worried about saving on your daily commute or visit to other parts of the island are not worth the stress you are imposing on yourself and other drivers.
If you find yourself behind a slower vehicle, turn up the radio, take a deep breath and respect safety distances. Your driving experience will be relaxing instead of rage-full. On top of that you will magically transform yourself into a respectable citizen who doesn’t endanger the lives of others for their own selfish pursuits.
With warm Aloha,
Eric
MASS discrimination and Kauaian resident hatred for the “Haoles”, creates frustration. You voted yourselves into US Statehood so you need to become a part of the United States infrastructure and allow the future into your lives. You are failing to allow the future in for designing proper transportation corridors on Kauai. Do not blame anyone else but yourself.