When there are no alternative routes, here’s what happens on Hawaii roads. As we and others can attest to. Take a breath!
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61 thoughts on “Hawaii Highways Closed For Accidents, Infuriating Residents and Visitors”
When there are no alternative routes, here’s what happens on Hawaii roads. As we and others can attest to. Take a breath!
Got to say,there have been times I have worried about catching a morning flight out of Lihue. There’s always a lot of traffic backup coming from Poipu into Lihue in the early morning hours. It did not used to be that way. But in recent years, it’s been very congested.
Aloha
If it’s your loved one trapped in a vehicle accident, you don’t want the rescue personnel rushing to get them out to open traffic up. Sometimes extrications are dangerous, complicated and difficult and to ensure the patient’s life may take time. As a career firefighter for over 27 years, I can tell you that stopping traffic is the only safe way, too often opening up lanes leads to responders and apparatus hit by gawking drivers not paying attention as they pass through accident scenes.
If you’re a visitor you should know the potential issues of where your going. If your local, well…
Just… wow. People’inconvenienced’ because you missed your flight(s). Plane isn’t going anywhere if the flight crew is stuck in the same traffic. Between traffic accidents and brush fires, roads get closed. Big deal. Wait it out, turn around and go have lunch. Reschedule your flights. Stay another day. Hit the beach. Show some Aloha and be thankful no one got seriously injured. Feel more Aloha for the residents trying to get to work to cater to you… the tourist
Hate to say it, if only because I know I’ll get shouted down for any of 100 reasons-yes I know tourists are bringing their luggage/unfamiliar with the area. Yes I know how warm it can and that people are with the kids/going to work etc etc etc yes I understand time crunches. But at some point there has to be a line drawn somewhere to where it is understood that the problem is that there are too many cars on the road, and that alternative methods of travel need to be thought of. Bicycle especially. I did live on Maui and did use this as one of my modes of travel. The issues listed above are not going to magically disappear. If anything they will continue to get even worse.
I used to walk, take the public bus or occasional lyft or weekly car rental for most of my time in Maui for 3 years before buying a Tesla and even now, I mostly use my car for work and shopping. Otherwise, i walk to the ocean and swim or paddle and wish I could make it all the way to Molokai! (PS: not a joke!)
Wow there used to be a paddle race from Maui to Molokai? Kihei Canoe Club folks….I am not a water baby(ouch) but I believe I’ve heard of this. Left Maui before COVID so don’t know what is going on in 2023.
People who make it sound so easy to rebook a flight and stay another day have obviously never left the island or someone else took care of their travel arrangements …most of those people coming here do have jobs back on the mainland and this is the only vacation they take for a year
The Maui accident was on the only road that connects all of West Maui, Lahaina, Kaanapali, Honokowai , Kahana, Napili and Kapalua to the airport and the Maui hospital.
3 ambulances navigated through the traffic jam.
Many West Maui residents and visitors missed their flights and other commitments.
Well, there is the scenic route just North of Kapalua leading to Kahului …however, it’s not for the faint at heart and the only reason it’s not too dangerous is because not many people drive it.
I have to say that driving standards in Hawaii are very mixed. I am always surprised by the number of folks shooting red lights and paying no attention to speed limits, equally some fearful drivers doing 10 miles an hour signaling a left turn and then turning right. Yes the dumb tourists stop on a curve to take photos too. Perhaps as there is a campaign for ocean safety we should have one for road safety. Far better to reduce accidents than find ways round them. Oh and as an afterthought road safety applies to scooters and pedestrians too. If you leap off the kerb in the dark you can guess what will happen. But let us do it with a kind campaign not enforcement muscle as they do in the mainland. Don’t drink and drive and don’t drive dumb
Wow! This is not something you can plan for. I can’t believe we didn’t hear more about this, but is shows we need alternative routes to the airport from West Maui to Kahului, unless they add some flights from the Kapalua Airport to neighboring islands.
Not to mention traffic stopped for filming – even on Federally funded roads (the other 49 states see fit to comply with the law, and don’t shut down interstates…).
Travel at your own risk!!!!!!
20 years ago a tractor trailer rig flipped over with wall board. At that time I suggested to rebuild and use the old Pali road as an emergency route. At least traffic would flow slowly. Nobody listened! Auwe! History repeats itself and still nobody listens!
This time of year it isn’t all that uncommon for traffic to crawl across the pali for no apparent reason other than more cars than the road can seemingly handle. Season and time of day make a difference. Once the traffic stops altogether, or stops and you can see they are doing 1-way somewhere ahead, that means there’s been an accident (or there’s a brush fire), and you are going to be there a while. It is inconvenient, but spare a thought for whoever was involved in that accident. Then you can be annoyed about missing your flight, which is also very inconvenient, but not as inconvenient as the people injured in the accident find it.