Residents on the North Shore of Hawaii have become increasingly frustrated with the traffic problems on Kamehameha Highway and are turning to transportation officials to come up with ideas to fix the situation. One of the biggest problem areas is section of highway next to Laniakea Beach. The beach is very popular with both tourists and residents, but with only a limited amount of parking on the ocean side, many people park on the mountain side of the highway and then dart across the busy highway to get to the water. This has ground traffic in that area to a complete standstill at times and also has created some pedestrian related accidents. Carol Philips, the chairwoman of the North Shore Neighborhood Board's transportation committee, stated that traffic is the number one quality of life issue for residents in the area. Philips added, "It's just been getting worse and worse every year. This place is masquerading as a little country town and it's turned into a tourist mecca."
One suggestion made by state transportation officials would be to block off parking at Laniakea Beach altogether, but residents fear that this would just increase parking problems further down the road. Another North Shore Neighborhood Board member, Blake McElheny, commented, "I hesitate to even call it a solution. One of the things that makes the North Shore special is the access to the beautiful beaches and the ocean." Other residents commented that they were happy that tourists were visiting the area, but wanted to make sure that the traffic does not become an unbearable burden on the community.
Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 8-26-2013, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, REALTOR®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
www.myhawaiihomesearch.com
www.myhawaiicondo.com
www.myhawaiidreamhome.com
