Bus stop is needed
Mayor Kawakami and Kauai County DOT. We need a bus stop to go eastbound from Eleele off of Kaumuali‘i Highway. As it stands, to go to the east to upper Eleele (above the shopping center), residents have to walk down to Port Allen housing to catch the bus to travel eastbound.
They have to cross the highway at McDonald’s and go to the housing. It’s dark at night, which makes it double the risk to catch a bus there, especially without the pedestrian overhead walk bridge.
Please choose a location and build the bus stop that’s needed, soon!
Howard Tolbe, Eleele
Per meeting, traffic will be better in a few years
TGI missed a huge opportunity to inform the entire island about one of its most important problems: the future of the Kapaa crawl. In the past, TGI always had a reporter in attendance at the Eastside’s most important public meetings.
A full room of interested people learned that traffic solutions are actually being put out to bid and, in a few years, after much more construction making congestion, we’ll have an easier traffic life.
Even the power line road got discussed with no negative hysteria.
The WKNA (Wailua Kapaa Neighborhood Association) does not do frivolous meetings … please schedule a reporter next time.
Helena Cooney, Kapaa
Mahalo for removing abandoned vehicle
I am writing this letter on behalf of my kindergarten class at Eleele School to publicly thank the mayor’s office for helping my students with a community effort.
Last week, I took our class on a walk to see a broken-down car that had been abandoned on land adjacent to our school’s driveway. The students made observations and commented about the broken glass, trash in the car, flat tires, and finally decided that it was a potential danger for our students.
When asked how we could help with this problem, they decided to send the mayor an email because he is “the boss of our island.” We have been learning about using writing to communicate with others and this seemed like a great opportunity to show them how to use their voices. We crafted our email on a Monday by projecting it on the whiteboard and taking turns giving ideas of what to say.
On Tuesday, we received a hopeful reply. The kids were so excited that “the boss of the island” read our letter and would look into our concern. We were told that our concerns and pictures were forwarded to KPD and their office would stay in touch.
On Thursday, I received a picture via text from our principal showing a tow truck on our driveway. It brought tears to my eyes. Happy tears of excitement about being able to tell my 5- and 6-year-old students that their tiny voices were heard. It was quite a celebration in our classroom. Thanks to the willingness of the mayor’s office to take time to listen to these children, I was able to show them how important their voices are.
Anyway, I’m a happy teacher today. I am thankful for the people who stopped and read our email because you just showed a class full of children how powerful their words are.
Annie Godsill, Kalaheo
Great story. Get involved and make it happen. Congratulations!
Aloha Helena of WKNA,
Waiting 2 years to fix the Kapa’a traffic problem is unacceptable. Visitors will CONTINUE TO sour and turn other potential visitors from their home towns away from visiting Kauai with a negative financial impact on our visitor count, businesses, and workers.
To speed up the solution our Mayor and Council should sit down with our 4 State Reps and come up with a solution.
Other places and countries put police or Traffic Comtrol Persons at every intersection and push traffic through non stop in 50 to 100 car intervals so that the car flow is non stop from ABC Store in north Kapaa all the way across the WAILUA River.
Coordinated, this could serve both southbound and northbound Kuhio Hwy. Traffic.
Main thing is that South bound, or North bound traffic, whichever is more congested on any particular day gets a NON STOP push through the KAPAA WAILUA CORRIDOR.
Whether it is signal light control, or FLASHING RED or YELLOW SIGNALS, or even large RED and GREEN flag active direction to drivers.
There would of course be a need to require the Traffic Control Persons to be able to communicate with each other by phone or walked talkis …though their COUNTING Cars in a Block of 50 or 75 or a 100 cars could suffice to make a solution almost over night. After a designated number of cars pass an intersection then open it for cars to leave the shopping centers or use the crosswalks.
All cars traveling NON STOP at 25 MPH Speed Limit would turn an hour drive Kapaa to less than 10 minutes. No harm in trying…you get what you think for.
If those in charge cannot figure out a solution then replace them, we don’t owe them a living, they owe us a solution, that’s what we pay them for.
This has gone on too long. This is too simple, solve the problem or get another job.
Thank you, Charlie! Another brilliant letter.