Posted on: Friday, May 3, 2002

Maui considers mass transit

By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau

WAILUKU, Maui — Facing growing traffic congestion, Maui County has hired a California consultant to look at the feasibility of starting a public transportation system on Maui.

Kaku Associates of Santa Monica has been awarded a $145,000 contract that will include updating the county's 1992 Public Transportation Plan, which examined transportation alternatives, the county announced Wednesday.

In a related move, a $187,000 contract was awarded to the same company to develop a transportation planning model that will help the county determine impact fees for new developments that generate traffic.

The fees would go to help plan and expand transportation corridors as the island develops.

Donald Medeiros, the county's transportation coordinator, said the feasibility study will consider whether a mass transit system can be operated on Maui using existing resources, such as private bus companies, or whether greater county involvement and control is needed.

The study is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year, he said.

A year ago, Mayor James "Kimo" Apana's Transportation Action Committee held community meetings across the island and found all areas suffering from unprecedented traffic congestion. The committee recommended that the county look into public transit.

The mayor formed another committee to review the 1992 plan on transportation alternatives, but the document was found to be out of date. The committee will take up its work again after the plan is updated, Medeiros said.

As for impact fees, Kaku Associates will develop a computer model that will identify current and future traffic conditions — information needed to legally justify impact fees charged against developers.

The Maui County Council recently asked the mayor to look at traffic impact fees for only west and south Maui, but the administration expanded the scope of work in anticipation of future needs, according to the mayor.

The county should have preliminary results by September.

In late 2001, Apana proposed an interim impact fee be paid on a voluntary basis by new residential developments. While several builders agreed to the fee, the mayor said the new model will allow the county to levy fees based on impacts and the scope of the projects, rather than on a fixed number.