"Traffic,Traffic,Traffic, Kauai's Number 1 problem..!" 'Glenn Mickens' ( Kauai County Watchdog)

Glenn Mickens has lived on Kauai  with his wife Ruth for the last 26 years. Born July 26, 1930 in Wilmar, California, USA) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched in four games (two of which were starts) for the 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers. He also played for five years in Japan, from 1959 until 1963 for the Kintetsu Buffaloes. There, he compiled a record of 45–53 with a 2.54 ERA.  Glenn also  served in the Army for 2 years and coached baseball at UCLA for 25 years. 
Last but not least Glenn would really like to see Kaua'i give the county manager style of Government a chance.
Above photo of Glenn Mickens courtesy of Kauai Garden island news, used with permission...



Traffic,Traffic,Traffic, Kauai's Number 1 problem

Mr. Mickens is locally known
as one of Kauai county's
political watchdogs
and Nitpickers...
Mahalos Glenn!
                 

Whether it is our local people or visitors, the number one problem that they list as needing fixing is our traffic. 

But this is not a problem that started yesterday and hasn't given our "leaders" time to correct.

Downtown Kapaa, known as
the Kapaa crawl to locals

 It is a problem that goes back decades ago when brighter minds had the foresight to propose alternate routes on Kauai to handle future population and vehicle travel instead of having basically one road that circles our Island. 

But selfish and greedy people who believed that alternate routes would hurt their businesses stopped these plans from happening and thus we have the horrendous traffic that hurts everyone and gets worse by the day.

So what are the people we elect and hire today doing to address this our #1 problem? They keep hiring planners and consultants to tell us that we need to get drivers out of their vehicles and walk, bike, bus or shuttle to get to their destinations, an unrealistic dream that defies any practicality.

People capable of driving need and want their vehicles and nothing is going to make them abandon them. Whether commuting to work, using a truck or car for their job or simply having that vehicle available any time they want or need 
it, they are going to keep it.

So who and why are those responsible for the welfare of Kauai hiring "experts" to give us answers to our problems that are, at best, a myth? Look at the bike lanes being put along our roads---FOR WHAT when few or anyone ever uses  them!! And those lanes are not only impractical for alleviating traffic but by narrowing the street width it limits the vehicle lanes and actually exacerbates the problem.

With just one major road on
Kaua'i, just one accident
can delay traffic for hours

 

We have two excellent examples of why adding vehicle lanes and getting more alternate routes will work--facts and not dreams.

The contra-flo lanes have worked well since a wiser mind put them into use. Proving that by adding one more lane, traffic at peak hours will flow better. But at a cost of $3000 a day we have spent millions of dollars over the years using the contra-flo whereas other lanes could have been added for less.

And, the Kapaa bypass road has served as a great example of an alternate route alleviating traffic off Kuhio Highway and it took 9 months to build without an EIS since it was an existing cane haul road, meaning that with proper leadership many or our cane roads could serve the same purpose---facts and not dreams.

Traffic at the round about
trying to access the Bypass road

These so called planners, designers and consultants and the people who hired them cannot show us factual proof of another municipality the size and geographical location of Kauai that has eliminated traffic by walking, biking and busing--political games at its worst!!

Shouldn't we be taking a page out of a successful play book like the contra-flo and by pass road instead of wasting time, money and effort on a dream?

P.S.

Check out Glenn's Wikipedia page;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Mickens

Editor's note, Dakinetalk guest bloggers do not necessarily represent the opinions of dakinetalk. Guest bloggers are given space to express their beliefs and or opinions. We feel there are many roads and like to give people space to express their thoughts,after-all that's what dakine is...

Aloha, James "Kimo" Rosen---Blogger-n-chief, dakinetalk blog---

Kapa'a Voggy Sunrise

From my lanai

A mosquito on the left middle

watches the Sunrise!

i-Phone photo by James "Kimo Rosen

Hana Hou, (Encore) 

Kimo Rosen has the Traffic situation figured out!

Kauai, the best weather on the planet!  Drive the

the bike/Pedestrian trail. That Kimo guy is one smart cookie! ;-)