Posted on: Thursday, March 17, 2005
State holds off on-ramp action until Makiki poll
By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer
Closing the Lunalilo Street on-ramp in the morning rush hour has helped thousands of East Honolulu commuters on H-1 Freeway get to work faster, but Makiki residents say they have paid the price for the convenience of others.
State Transportation Director Rod Haraga said last night that the demonstration project closing the on-ramp has been a success, but he'll take a final look at Makiki concerns before making the change permanent.
Implemented last year to eliminate a dangerous, traffic-slowing weave on the freeway, the closing has helped East Honolulu residents save as much as 10 minutes in drive time, increasing average speeds on H-1 in the area from 30 mph to 35 mph, Haraga said.
"It's a definite success," Haraga said.
But when Haraga told Makiki and Ala Moana area residents at a community forum last night that the change appears to have had no adverse effects on their local commute times, he was greeted with skepticism.
"Are the few minutes they're saving worth all the inconvenience you've caused thousands of people who live in our neighborhood?" asked Kina'u Street resident Kim Adams.
Residents said closing the on-ramp has created congestion at other freeway access points, increased traffic on neighborhood streets and caused new safety problems.
Surveys handed out to motorists since the change show the divide: 70 percent of drivers near 'Ainakoa Avenue in Kahala rated the project very good or good; however, 39 percent of drivers on Vineyard Boulevard, where Lunalilo Street traffic has been diverted, said it was bad or very bad.
Haraga said the department plans to increase traffic light time at the intersection of Vineyard and Punchbowl, a "pinchpoint" created by the change, to alleviate the concerns.
Residents want him to mail a survey to thousands of Makiki people who may have changed their driving habits to yield to East Honolulu drivers. He promised to do that before making a final decision.
