COM 0106.003 2004-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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These plans, together with the additional traffic signal at Queen Ka'ahumanU Highway and Malulani Drive with another traffic signal in the future at Pualani Terrace, will undoubtedly result in unacceptable delays and congestion at a time when traffic levels of service in Kona are already at the minimum requirements of the U.S. Department of Transportation (D or "desirable minimum"). The pending substantial increase of traffic onto Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway from Malulani Drive reflects the County Department of Public Works (DPW) continuing failure to provide access management on regional arterial roadways. Access management has already been identified as a County problem by a County consultant, Townscape, hired to develop a Keahole-Honaunau regional traffic circulation plan. good access management occurs when arterial roadways have less than 20 access points within each mile. Restricting the number of access points reduces accident rates while at the same time increasing traffic flow. Roads with less than 20 access points average 2 accidents per mile annually. Roads with more the 20 access points per mile have 4 accidents per mile or twice as many. Townscape found that the County DPW has not considered access management at all. Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway, a State highway, was cited by Townscape as being the one Kona traffic arterial that had still had reasonably good traffic circulation. Now the County Planning Department and DPW are actively working to disable the Kona community's last remaining relatively limited-access, unimpeded arterial roadway simply to enable a private developer (HDC), who has thus far not fully disclosed the cumulative effect of full commercial development of this area. Given the impending failure of traffic circulation in our community, it is time for the residents of Kona to take action. Some options for action: • A legislative moratorium on rezoning and building permits in North Kona, except for affordable housing units, on the basis of endangerment of the public health, safety, and welfare by our government. • Creating alternative means for transportation (light rail, regional bus system, community-based carpooling, etc.) to reduce roadway usage. • Community-based regional plans to avoid aquality-of-life disaster. Meanwhile, a hearing is currently set for November 7, 2002 in the Third Circuit Court at 8 am to hear Malulani Gardens residents' complaints against HDC. These residents are opposing the planned commercial access from Lowe's through Malulani Gardens. Meetings have already been held by representatives of all parties, but no settlement has thus far resulted. 3