2024-11-06 SK GP Testimony to LPC (Signed)

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Communication No. 2019-10 Waikoloa Subcommittee's Waikoloa Road-Pcmiolo Avenue Intersection Report During the day, there is a moderate flow of trucks and other traffic traveling up and down Waikoloa Road and a lesser flow of traffic in and out of Waikoloa Village. There is an increase in traffic in and out of Waikoloa Village around lunchtime. The traffic onto Pua Melia Street is significantly less than onto Paniolo Avenue, primarily driven by the U.S. Post Office located on Pua Melia Street. Pedestrians using the intersection are primarily residents from Waikoloa Village walking to and from the Post Office, but also include people exercising along Waikoloa Road and Pua Melia Street. Cyclists are often observed riding up and down Waikoloa Road. These patterns are likely to change significantly in the future, especially vehicular and pedestrian use of Pua Melia Street, due to the new shopping center and affordable housing that are being developed there. Vehicle traffic through the Waikoloa-Paniolo intersection is also going to change due to increased trucking activity, such as for trucking waste from the windward side of the island to the Ieeward landfill, but will Iikely be reduced if the DKI extension is constructed from the Mamalahoa Highway down to the Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway. 4.2. Intersection Safety The primary risks at the Waikoloa-Paniolo intersection are vehicular accidents, particularly involving traffic turning into or out of Paniolo Avenue and Pua Melia Street, and vehicles hitting pedestrians crossing Waikoloa Road. These risks are likely exacerbated due to the lack of any traffic control at the intersection and the frequency of people misunderstanding the traffic rules at the intersection, especially non-residents, which results in unexpected behavior, such as stopping as if there were stop signs on Waikoloa Road. 4.3. Intersection Traffic Load and Capacity Various U.S. state departments of transportation and highway design experts have developed guidelines for how to determine if an intersection needs to have signalization or other traffic controls added. This takes out the subjectivity that is common when soliciting feedback on whether an intersection needs traffic controls, e.g. due to safety concerns or long traffic delays at peak travel times. In many states, the state department of transportation will conduct intersection traffic surveys when appropriate requests are made by individuals or organizations. These surveys will include traffic flow counts, pedestrian and bicycle counts, analysis of at least three years of accident or traffic violation data, sight lines and distances at the intersection, and other case-by-case data. The data is assembled into a traffic analysis report which compares the intersection data vs industry -standard metrics, to advise if traffic controls, such as traffic signals or stop signs, are justified. One of the more common metrics that is evaluated is the "Level of Service" of the intersection, defined in the Highway Capacity Manual, which evaluates the number of seconds a vehicle is delayed when traveling through or turning at the intersection. A study of this nature was conducted for the Waikoloa-Paniolo intersection back in 2005 as part of an EIS for a nearby subdivision, the Waikoloa Highlands. This report includes projections for future traffic at the intersection, but it makes some assumptions about future developments at the time, such as the Auwaiakeakua Gulch in Waikoloa ViIIage having a bridge and road to June 18, 2019 Page 11 of 17