To view the entire recommendation in the text of the Plan, please visit: http://www.kauainetwork.org/get-involved.asp.
The third recommendation, which relates to ground transportation, is detailed below.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Recommendation #3: Develop Integrated Ground Transportation Demand Management Plan
This blog provides a broad overview of the third of 10 recommendations from the Draft Kauai Energy Sustainability Plan ("the Plan"). Please review each post and comment on those recommendations that are of most interest to you. Note that the comment period is open through February 16th. If you would like to comment to Doug Hinrichs personally, please e-mail dhinrichs@sentech.org or call 301-219-7647. Mahalo!
To view the entire recommendation in the text of the Plan, please visit: http://www.kauainetwork.org/get-involved.asp.
The third recommendation, which relates to ground transportation, is detailed below.
To view the entire recommendation in the text of the Plan, please visit: http://www.kauainetwork.org/get-involved.asp.
The third recommendation, which relates to ground transportation, is detailed below.
30 comments:
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Hi,
ReplyDeleteI live in Kilauea, mauka, and we on Kauai desperately need MORE LOCAL ROUTES, EXTENDED BUS HOURS, AND MORE FREQUENT BUS SERVICE. I also think it's sick that the various public services must squabble for meagre County and state funds while TRILLIONS are spent on WAR. Did you hear me?? TRILLIONS!!
Whatever it costs to make Kauai a model for public transit, will be a DROP IN THE BUCKET compared to the tax dollars we pour into WAR.
thanks,
koohan paik
My name is Janet Ashkenazy. I live at Kalihiwai Ridge. I am on social security. It costs me $40 to fill my gas tank, and I don't have the money. I need service that stops near my house, and at least every 20 minutes. I would be very happy to ride the bus everyday if that were the case.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
I live on Kaholalele Road,Wailua. There is no service, save for a few runs daily to and from the park...great need to add service all the way to the end of Kuamoo. Overall..there is a need for every-30 minute service from Hanalei to Waimea, and at least am/afternoon/pm service to "ends of the road", i.e. Haena, Kekaha, etc.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Hooker oeyakka@gmail.com
!busses busses***** more more*****busses busses!
ReplyDeleteI wish we were given much more time to have notice to comment. The Kauai Museletter menstions this on the afternoon mailing of February 16.
ReplyDeleteI support buses running later in the evening so people can get to jobs in restaurants or hotels that have unsocial hours.
I don't know about buses every 15 minutes, I don't think we need that yet, but every half hour is reasonable.
We need to find a way to have the bus stop not only at designated stops, but on demand. Of course, safe spots need to be determined. Realignment of the intersections of streets in rural areas (like Kilauea) to allow buses to safely pull over on the shoulder of the highway is certainly feasible.
Yes, we definitely need improved bus service; 15 minutes interval between buses, service to the airport, more routes and extended hours.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading!!
Aloha,
Richard
I was biggest proponent of the bus for years and my last few experiences have all been negative, the main problem is the attitudes of the drivers, sure there a few nice ones, but the majority stink eye you the minute you get of the bus.
ReplyDeleteMy recommendation is a spring cleanup, not necessarily firing, because it's hard to find help, but some sort of required workshop for Aloha and how to treat passengers with Aloha.
I have a daily blog, and here is one of my blogs from last month:
http://dakinetalk.blogspot.com/2010/01/bus-ride-from-hell.html#comments
The 11:00 o'clock bus had 2 bikes, two bikes is the maximum the Kauai Bus can accommodate, therefore I missed my bus, I did a few errands and waited for the 12:00 o'clock bus, my bike and I got on board this time in hopes of making it to the doctors office on time.
From Kojima store to Brick oven pizza a normal 10 minute bus ride took almost one hour.I started feeling nauseous, I had the drive heaves, the bus was literally at a standstill across from the Coconut market place, I asked the driver if i could please get off since I was about to loose my insides, she said it's illegal, I asked her if she would please call her dispatch, she complied and dispatch told her she could not let me off until the next designated bus stop at Brick oven pizza, which was a grueling 30 minute drive, something that normally is done in 2-3 minutes.
I pleaded with the driver to call back to dispatch, the driver called again and here is what dispatch told us, I could not get off unless we called emergency 911 and then it would had been a real mess in an already bumper to bumper traffic situation for everyone. Luckily I just had the dry heaves' but being on a bus in traffic, that is going at a snails pace and feeling sick as a dog with no fresh air, (since windows are not allowed to be open on the bus), is an experience I would not wish on anybody, unless of course that somebody is the person behind dispatch.
I never did make it to the doctors that day...
Posted by KimoRosen at 1:12 PM
James Kimo Rosen
Kapa'a
808-823-9887
p.s. there is the other time the AC was not on and everybody was sweating buckets,I Asked with a loud voice if the driver could please turn up the AC, I asked again, was totally ignored, so I opened my window, he told me i would have to get off his bus, although i never did, he said he would call the police, i said go ahead, he never did...
ReplyDeleteOK, you've heard all my rants, now here's the most important stop you could add to the current 400 and 500 Lihue, Hanalei routs, stop at Lydgate park and # 2 do not pull into Safeway parking lot as a designate stop but rather pull over on the side of the road as you do in front of Big save Kapa'a. I have been purchasing bus passes for eight years, until this year when i turned 60 on Jan 23rd, now i can ride for the senior price, the irony is I don't ride it frequently anymore, i am hoping to start riding the bus again soon, it'd just hard after all the negative stuff, but overall the bus is usually never more than 10 minutes late, which of course for Kauai is on time.
And all driver should be required to wear name tags, or have there name posted in front of their bus, so we can nominate and indentify them as driver of the month or for disciplinary action.
James kimo Rosen
Kapa'a
808-823-9887
I grew up in San Francisco and never drove a car until I was 30. Having both express and extended route buses can work very well. An express bus leaving from a park and ride lot would encourage people to ride the bus to and from work. People don't ride buses when they have to wait as long for a bus as it will take them to drive to their destination. Every 30 minutes, at the very least, is needed to promote ridership. Sheila Cooper, 4270 Aalona St., KIlauea 95754.
ReplyDeleteThe bus system def needs to be expanded - It should run at night,till 11 pm and more frequently with more stops. At present the Wailua Homesteads bus doesn't even stop in Wailua- it forces you to go all the way into Lihue.
ReplyDeleteIf there were local and express buses this would solve both number of stops and more freq bus probs
they are getting increasingly crowded so it is clearly needed and clearly time.Also a little better suspension on the buses would help- it can be an uncomfortable and rocky ride sometimes
The bus service needs more frequent buses, extended hours and weekends and more local routes. There also need to be bus shelters and seats even if they're simple. No need to spend millions building huge shelters.
ReplyDeleteanita cook
lawai
I have practically boycotted Kapaa, in order to avoid the the traffic jam during the day. Radically improved public bus service is an obvious approach to mitigate the numbers of vehicles on the road. Do the right thing!
ReplyDeleteTek Nickerson
Wailua Homesteads
No affiliation
I would love to see more buses on the schedule I would especially like to see them run later in the day and run on sunday! I live in hanalei I would also like to be able to go north and not just south. mahalo
ReplyDeleteI would love to see an increase in routes, frequency, and hours of operation. These changes are important and would make a huge impact on the community. I am currently unable to take a bus to work due to the infrequency of the service and the short hours of operation. If changes were made, you could count on me to be one less car on the road and one more person using the valuable service of public transportation.
ReplyDeleteYumi from Moloa'a
need nor service and routes. olohena ,@ hauiki and @ 580 across to the koamoo.
ReplyDeleteAloha,
ReplyDeleteI reside very near the 20 mile marker on Kuhio Hyw's north shore. As such I need to travel several miles to Kilauea to ride the bus into town to work at the KCC campus, which I drive to every weekday. To have to travel that far defeats the purpose of considering the bus system. Please consider the allotment of more passanger pickups sites.
If you would allow passangers to board the bus at the Kilauea Farms access, mauka and makai, I would be able to walk 1/3 of a mile and not involve my car at all.
Maholo for your consideration in this matter.
Joseph Thomson, Pilaa resident
We live on the Kilauea end of Koolau Rd. Three family members and many neighbors regularly use the bus - driving or biking to the nearest stops at Kilauea or the Moloaa fruit stand. Many more would use the bus if it were more convenient and dependable. We need:
ReplyDelete1. Buses every 30 minutes from Hanalei to Kekaha
2. Extended hours: last bus to leave Lihue no earlier than 10:00 pm.
3. Sunday service
4. More on call stops and/or shuttle buses and additional routes to meet community needs. (Please include a stop at the North end of Koolau Road).
5. Require buses to stop at on call stops when a formal call to the dispatch has been made and return for passengers that get forgotten. (We have been stranded repeatedly at Moloaa fruit stand do to driver and/or dispatcher error).
6. More bike racks. Two is inadequate, leaving bikers stranded. You can't risk the bus and bike if you have an important appointment. This discourages ridership.
7. Monthly bus passes available for purchase ON THE BUS with exact change. Requiring bus riders to bus or drive to the county building to buy a pass is unnecessary, inconvenient, and wasteful.
8. Drivers must treat passengers with Aloha.
9. Do not pull into the Safeway Parking lot. We have been stuck on the bus in that parking lot up to 45 minutes! Create a bus stop on the side of main road. Adjust other stops where pulling off the main road can be safely replaced with a roadside stop. This will create time which can now be spent on new, needed on call stops - especially in the more rural areas.
Not all of these suggestions require more money. Some only require making better use of current resources.
Mahalo,
Neal, Shosanah, Tor, Chanterelle, and Beorn Chantara Koolau RD.
Aloha! I also live on Kaholalele Road. We have no bus service and I am unable to walk and carry things all the way to the Homestead Park. Also, there are hardly any buses coming there. I would love to ride the bus every day or two if I could go to Kuamoo and catch it. The Hindu temple is there too and the parking is too little for the numbers who go there.
ReplyDeleteMy compliment to the Kauai Bus! You have come a far way from "no bus" in 1992 until now! Your fairs are reasonable and you have very friendly drivers. Since 1992 you have extended hours, added Bus schedules to the bus stops and some even have shelters now.
ReplyDeleteBut we are far from being finished, until people are comfortably able to use the Kauai Bus. Let's make the bus "tourist friendly", so they can have a "green Kauai experience", without having to spend hours daily in our traffic jams in rental cars. Let's make stops by the Hotels, the Beaches and other much visited Kauai sites. AND PLEASE let's allow full-size suit cases and surfboards on the bus!
Thank you for your consideration,
Esti Grinpas. Kapaa
We need buses to counteract the effect of rampant growth on traffic on this island. This means more main routes and additional fooutes to be a valid way of transportation.
ReplyDeleteAloha to all that this concerns!
ReplyDeleteI was born and raised on kauai. Then i went to college on the big island and loved what they did with the bus.
-first off the bus is free a dollor for bikes also all along the way you could just stand on the highway at street intersections on the route and the bus would stop.
-having more of these options for our route on kauai would solve a few of the problems. also i agree with a earlier comment which said:
-that the last bus should leave no earlier than 10 pm that way people can go out to dinner or go to a movie or show and still ride the bus.
-a midnight bus on week end could be very helpful.
-Biking on kauai is challenging at best with small sholders and drivers not accustom to bike riders. to only have 2 bike spots per bus makes using the bus then biking non reliable
-also having more places where you can drive to and park your car and ride the bus.
Mahalo for your time and best of luck getting the publics wishes in to action.
Jake Bernard
Princeville
I would like to request that the public transportation on the island of Kauai be expanded. We are so thankful for the Kauai Bus (a.k.a. da Iniki Express), but it is very limited. The service hours should be extended, it should run more frequently, provide service 7 days/week, and expand routes to other parts of the island (Kapahi, Wailua Homesteads, Princeville).
ReplyDeleteSome things to consider are: in providing public transportation as an effective substitute for single passenger vehicles; it must be practical. (i.e.: if people wish to go out to dinner/movie, there needs to be a service running to bring them home. Or, if people do drink, we would rather they not drive; so providing public transportation could have the benefit of making the roads safer; perhaps a later service on Friday & Saturday nights. Also, for the youth and teenagers, I would rather see them taking the bus instead of hitchhiking, I feel the fares for youth should be discounted half price. Another thought, is to have surf board racks on the back of the bus, to accommodate the great demand for surfer transportation. I believe the buses should allow for backpacks, grocery bags, etc.; space allowing. Perhaps some buses could be specially equipped for surfboards and bikes while other buses can be streamlined express service.
To offset some of the costs of the expanded service, there could be space for advertisement; perhaps posters above the headspace, like in the NYC Subway system.
I firmly believe that effective public transportation is a must, and a responsibility of an environmentally conscious government, and it's peoples. We need to consider the carbon footprint of our individual life styles and that of our society. We need to move forward in lowering our carbon footprint, and towards sustainability. Public transportation saves fuel, energy, space, lowers carbon emissions and creates a healthy community where we can live and interact in health and harmony with each other and our environment.
Pardon me, I forgot to mention that I live in Waipake, Kilauea area.
ReplyDeletejust a heads up from a returning newbie to the gorgeous island of kaua'i... i lived here back in '98 and the traffic has gotten noticeably crazy... i don't know how it's going to look but more cars, more roads is not the answer it just expands the problem... we can actually learn from others mistakes rather than follow their example...
ReplyDeletekaua'i is the best example from what i have seen that to have an amazing public transportation system...
good luck with it all...
blessingz,
zander north shore...
self-affiliated...
We clearly need to expand our bus service here on Kauai. I don't know if it is still functioning but there was a rule against people carrying a suitcase with them on the bus. This prevents people going to and from the airport from being able to use the bus. We need more frequent service, later service and weekend service.
ReplyDeletethank you for considering this move towards both sustainability and citizen care.
Aloha, Joan Levy, Kapaa
hi, I glad that you guys are letting a the chance to hear the public to improve the kauai bus.
ReplyDeleteThis is what I think.
have more buses during the peak hours, for example from 6 am to 9am, then slow down, then again more buses at lunch , then slow down
to the next peak hour , then again at 4pm to 8pm. also have night time buses.
Some people like to drink some beer or two, then they have to drive...not good, If there are buses at night the road will be much safer.
Racks for surfers.
allow back packers to take the bus.
Those two statements are dependable on the space of the Bus at the moment. if the bus is full, they have to wait for the next one, this is normal for any one traveling outside of the island of kauai.
No more stops at the bus stop if not one is there. it make the bus more quicker to get to the next destination. every where in the world is like that.
Many times I have to go to lihue or kappa's and i need to come home soon, I am going for one thing that will take me minutes to finish it..the bus is not a good solution ...take me to long to get home.
If there is not funds for it...one simple way .........
Using the side of the buses to Marketing companies to see it around the island, also used around the world ..
So thanks so much.. and keep it up..
aloha
Leonardo A Medina
Kilauea
Yes, the County needs at least double the number of buses on the routes. Once every hour isn't good enough. It needs to be at least once every 30 minutes. To pay for this, all of the funds from the County gas tax needs to go to the public bus service, none to hybrids/electric cars. Ben Sullivan's idea was right on this. Fifty cents a gallon gas tax is too much, twenty-five cents will do. Start the county gas tax in about a year or two when/if the economy recovers. Start expanding the County bus fleet ASAP.
ReplyDeleteDemand reduction is a critical component of our energy sustainability plan, much more so than alternative fuels in my opinion. I appreciate the plan's reference to the problems of highway expansion. Even if we wanted to, we can no longer afford to just keep adding roads to solve our traffic problems.
ReplyDeleteThis clearly means that we need to direct a larger share of funding for implementing effective alternatives to SOV's. Further analysis of the degree to which we currently subsidize SOV's might be useful to guide County decision-making going forward. Perhaps such material could be referenced in the plan along with more specific examples (with analysis) of places where 'counter-incentives' have been effective.
Yes, yes, I absolutely agree that the bus system desperately needs to be upgraded to make it really functional and useful to many more people on the island. These things below would be a start in the right direction:
ReplyDeleteMORE BUSES PER HOUR (like one every 15 minutes)and the ability to carry packages on board when running errands and making purchases.
EXTENDED HOURS (till 11:00 or midnight, esp. on weekends)so that the general public, and young adults in particular have an option to attend events or go to the movies without having to race around the island in cars, ending up as traffic fatalities.
MORE LOCAL ROUTES (like a North Shore shuttle, or a Poipu-Lawai shuttle, or Olohena loop, or Kekaha-Waimea shuttle).
An airport shuttle that allows suitcases to be brought on board for inter-island travel which would help alleviate some of the congestion at the airport parking lot.
Thank you for your time.
Dawn Traina
(Hanapepe)
Hello.
ReplyDelete1) More buses more often.
2)Especially on weekends
3)make sure they run on time.
4) clean air vehicles
I need to be able to rely on it for work.
You guys this Kauai Bus can be such an awesome resource to keep our Island Beautiful lets maximize it !!!