Laniakea  Traffic

Laniakea at sunrise

The North Shore of O`ahu harbors an infamous little piece of beach coast known as Laniakea. When coming to Hawai`i, I think it’s fair to assume that sun, surfing, BIG waves and green-sea turtles are going to be a staple part of the travelers entertainment agenda. Especially when the airlines flying in from the mainland and even our very own Hawaii Tourist Bureau are cramming infomercials in to the brains of unsuspecting travelers before they even step foot off plane and onto the Hawaiian Islands. These agenda driven infomercials direct tourists directly to the location topic at hand. Laniakea, Lani’s or aka, the new mod name, “Turtle Beach”, is a location where one can participate in all of the before mentioned. This area is most definitely a part of the 7 mile miracle, also known as the North Shore of O`ahu, because the waves and scenery there are amazingly great, but it’s pristine beauty also constitutes for one of three of the worst reasons for traffic jams that exist out there on O`ahu’s country side, and at times can be a down right nightmare for visitors and residence alike. People have been known to be stuck in this particular area of traffic for up to an hour, for a distance of geography  that should only take 15 minutes to cover in an automobile.

The state originally installed barriers nearly two years ago to prevent people from parking directly in front of the beach, now known as, ‘Turtle Beach’. The parking access at Lani’s was and is a small sliver of parking that is dangerously accessible, directly across a busy highway right on the other side of the beach. The DOT’s reasoning was that the barriers should alleviate some of the rubber-necking and foot-traffic that has been causing all these hellish traffic jams on the Kamehameha Highway. The barriers did a solid bit of what they were intended to do, but what happened was that the State just confiscated public land without any proper due process. So after 2 years of barrier implementation, the public declared that beach access can’t be stolen from the general citizens and tourists alike and brought it to the attention of a jude. The judge ruled that the state did not have the necessary permits to install the barriers and that it also blocked public access to a park on the mauka side of the highway.

Laniakea a panoramic view

So after what seems like two long years, the barriers have come down. A couple of days into the barriers coming down people are confused, frustrated and just down right pissed off. Once again, traffic is stinking up the feng shui of our small island coast. They have odd, and vaguely distributed no parking signs now in place of where the barriers once stood erected. Tourists have no idea where to park and are getting ticketed and towed. Residents are trying to go about their day and are getting wedged in from both sides, from all the overflowing and overwhelming chaos. The traffic drama at Laniakea continues.

Laniakea Traffic protestors

The people and tourists aren’t going to stop seeing the turtles, and as I have already mentioned, especially since the Hawai`i Tourist Bureau practically promotes to tourist this very location. So, the Hawai`i Government needs to develop a safe and cheap plan that will cater to all the people parking there. The fact that they couldn’t or can’t make the parking look just like the area at Sunset Beach and barely reroute a small, small portion of Kamehameha Highway seems like the simplest and cheapest solution. A real no brainer if you ask me. I just wish it was one of their priorities. They are happy to fine you and tow you even though the State itself  promotes this very place to tourists. Is it for State revenue? Hmmm… I think it better to not leave a bad taste in the mouths of the number one piece of our economy. I say, we keep our beloved tourists friends from abroad, happy and healthy and wanting to come back to Hawai’i to enjoy her for what she is…, Hawai`i!!!

The reality is, the State itself has done nothing even minutely responsible when it comes to making this area a safer place. It’s blatant, radical negligence on the DOT’s behalf, to not address this problem with a more permanent solution. The reality is, pedestrians have been seriously injured in this area since the barriers were originally installed. One might think, that if safety is the main intention to block off access to this beautiful, geographical, Hawaiian scenery, then a real solution should be more paramount? Also, it would help preserve a better quality of life for the working residents of the north shore that are just trying to get through to work and get by in a timely fashion every day. A friendly recap on some stats, what once was a pleasant 15 minute drive from Sunset Beach to Haleiwa Town, can now take up to an hour during the summer months, during the BIG Wave Surf Season (October through January), during the Triple Crown competition time, weekends, and public holidays. Both sides of the highway, clogged to a snails pace.

Protestors at the removal of the barricades

The city says it will work with the state once it’s decided on a plan. In a statement, corporation counsel Donna Leong said:

“The city supports the state Department of Transportation’s efforts to make access to Laniakea safe. We will work with the state to allow it to use the city’s land to achieve the state’s goals. Once the state has decided on a traffic management plan, the city will review the plan to determine which city permits, in addition to any state requirements, will be required.”

DOT said it’s working on that study, and that the eventual solution could cost between $20 million and $45 million. It would also take about five years after the environmental studies are done to actually finish the realignment project, as long as the funding’s there, a DOT release stated.

I can’t figure why it would run these type of figures, especially when I come to find out that The City owns this land including the immediate surrounding 3 miles of land. The figures they are guesstimating could only be solely gauged for the value of premiere, beach front land that would have to be rezoned by City Officials to warrant that kind of value anyway. Is the City trying to get top commercial dollar for yours and mine, tax paid, public land. Purely speculation on my behalf, and I hope that’s not the case, but

Laniakea traffic removal of the barricades

one of our local representatives, Gill Riviere called the focus on the barriers a “distraction from realizing a long-range solution” to the traffic and safety problems there. “Now, more than ever, DOT needs to assure the public that it is serious,” Riviere stated.

Removing the barricades looking like an alien invasion

To be frank, five years is way too long and is actually ludicrous, especially to the eyes of honest, hard working, tax paying residents. We deserve better. So enough of all this bureaucracy already. Regardless of all this government nonsense, O`ahu without a fact is getting busier every day… with over a million visitors to the island a year and people moving here on a regular basis now. The state needs to come up with a better plan on Hawai`i infrastructure and they need to run with the intentions of keeping Hawai`i, Hawai`i and always beautiful, and this needs to be very much a large part of the bigger picture.

Laniakea Traffic barricade removals