Questions for Transportation Planning Consultant
The community may wish to pose the following questions to Parsons Brinckerhoff:
Design Standards
The following questions concern the design characteristics of our transportation facilities:
General
D1. The 2005 Hawaii County General Plan (prepared by the Planning Department) classifies roads as "arterials" and "collectors." The County Standard Road Details (prepared by the Public Works Department) also classifies roads as "arterials" and "collectors" but the term "connector" is also used in practice. What do these terms mean and which of our existing and proposed roads fit into each category?
D2. On a level of service (LOS) scale from LOS A to LOS F, what is the lowest level of service that is appropriate for each type of transportation facility in Waimea that would allow us to maintain our sense of place?
D3. Do the traffic projections released by the planning consultant for State Kawaihae Rd Bypass make sense? Is traffic really expected to double or triple at locations within Waimea if additional roads are not provided?
D4. What will Waimea traffic volumes be after the short term fixes are in place? after the State bypasses are in place?
D5. The County has published a document entitled Why Does it Take So Long to Build a Road? Why does it take so much longer than the 3.5 years justified in that document (sometimes ten times as long) to build a road in this County? Are our time frames typical of the rest of the State?
D6. The planning consultant for the State Kawaihae Rd Bypass recently reported that the estimated cost of the road had increased from $92 million to $190 million. The estimated cost of the State Waimea Bypass recently increased from $50 million to $80 million. If so, where will the $0.27 BILLION dollars come from to build these roads given that current funding mechanisms allow about $60 million in road construction on the island each year? Does the County need to adopt a development impact fee ordinance or what?
D7. The County impact fee study recently revealed that the average vehicle trip length on County roads is 2 miles. Does an in-town shuttle bus make sense for Waimea?
Parker Ranch Standards
P1. Parker Ranch is building its roads to proposed standards that differ from those used in other parts of the County. The developer of the Department of Hawaiian Homes Lalamilo development is using similar standards (possibly without the bike lanes). Some standard features of County roads are added and some are deleted. Are these standards appropriate for construction of roads in the Waimea area?
P2. Roads within the Parker Ranch 2020 (Waimea Town Center) development, e.g., roads within Luala'i subdivision, are being provided with bike lanes on both side of the road. How can the County prevent people from parking in the bike lanes?
P3. Would it be a better idea to encourage parking on both sides of the streets in residential and commercial areas and provide sidewalks to increase pedestrian safety?
P4. All of the roads in the commercial areas of the Parker Ranch Waimea Town Center Project are being designed to prohibit parking along them. Bike lanes are being provided on both sides of the road (between the travel lanes and the sidewalks). Bike lanes are wonderful, but is it a good idea to prohibit on-street parking in a commercial area? Should all of us who park along Pukalani Rd when we go to Ace Hardware be getting a parking ticket? Doesn't on-street parking help pedestrians feel safer? Is this a fatal flaw in our street design standard? How do you propose incorporating on-street parking and bicycle lanes (accounting for door hazards for bicyclists. It has been done elsewhere)?
Roads
The following questions concern our road system:
General
R1. Would it make sense to evaluate the alternative of accelerating the construction of the Waimea Town Center Connector and the Mamalahoa Hwy-Kawaihae Rd Connector project and not widening Mamalahoa Hwy?
R2. Parker Ranch is contributing a 25-acre regional park site to the County as a condition of approval of its Parker Ranch 2020 zoning ordinance. Access to the proposed site is blocked by the Lalamilo Farm Lots on the north, the Parker School Trust Corporation school site along Mamalahoa Hwy on the east and the State Kawaihae Rd Bypass right-of-way on the south. How should road access be provided to the park?
R3. Do the locations and designs being proposed by the County for bus stops make sense?
R4. What is the State Department of Education plan for traffic circulation and parking at Waimea School?
R5. There are no roadway-capacity-expanding projects listed for South Kohala (or for North Kohala either, for that matter) in the Hawaii County Six-Year Capital Improvement Program. Should there be?
R6. Should the planters be removed from Mamalahoa Hwy in Waimea Town to increase roadway capacity? (This is a hot topic.)
Traffic Calming
C1. Why is only one side of Kahilu Rd paved from Mana Rd to Hale Alii St. Should Kahilu Rd be improved? How can "rat running" along this road be discouraged?
C2. Are 'Ainahua Rd, Pa'ele Alanui Rd, Pualahilahi Alanui and Uakikona Alanui Rd parts of the County road system? How can "rat running" along these roads be discouraged?
C3. How can "rat running" along Laelae Rd, Konokohau Rd, Opelu Rd, Hokuula Rd and Lindsey Rd be discouraged?
C4. The hospital is concerned about rat running through its access roads. Does it make sense for the only entrance to the hospital to be off Pukalani Rd?
C5. What type of traffic calming measures would you recommend to help motorists drive the appropriate speed limit?
Parker Ranch Roads
PR1. Should the east north/end of the Waimea Town Center Connector Road connect to Mamalahoa Hwy (passing through the soccer field at the Waimea Civic Center) or should it connect to Kamamalu St.?
PR2. The 2002 zoning ordinance for the Parker Ranch 2020 (Waimea Town Center) development states that "in the event that the connector road shall intersect at its northern end with Kamamalu Road, the applicant shall improve within the existing right-of-way, the portion of Kamamalu Road between its intersection with the connector road and Mamalaoha Hwy, meeting with the requirements and approval of the Department of Public Works." What kind of improvements would be appropriate?
PR3. How should flooding of Kamamalu St at its intersection of the future Waimea Town Center Connector indicated on the most recent flood plain map be handled?
County Roads
CR1. Traffic counting devices installed on Lindsey Rd are consistently installed too far to the north (beyond Kapiolani Rd) to capture traffic associated with Parker School. How should the Lindsey Rd-Kawaihae Rd intersection (and the Opelu Rd intersection) be improved to accommodate the traffic from the new elementary school, the 40 new homes in the Waimea Parkside subdivision and the eventual infill of the neighborhood (at density similar to that of the current subdivision)?
CR2. The right of way for Lindsey Rd south of Mamalahoa Hwy (near the Senior Center) is narrower than the right of way of the remainder of the road. How can the trees growing along the road at the pinch point be preserved? (This is a hot topic.)
CR3. How can vehicular, pedestrian and bike circulation at the post office be improved?
CR4. Are all the Waimea road projects described in the 1998 County Transportation Plan needed? For example, will it be necessary to increase Kawaihae Rd to four lanes in town?
CR5. Should shoulders and bike lanes be included in road resurfacing projects?
State Bypass Connections
S1. If about 60 percent of our traffic is local and much of the commuting is from Waimea subdivisions east of town, should the State Waimea Bypass have exits at Lindsey Rd, Uakikona Alanui Rd and Mana Rd? If so, what kind of intersections would make the most sense?
S2. In that many commuters live in Waimea, where should the Kawaihae Rd bypass connect to our local street network?
S3. Lindsey Rd must be extended to connect with the State Waimea Bypass. Who is going to pay for the portion of the Lindsey Rd extension that Parker Ranch is not obligated to pay for?
S4. When Big Box stores come to Waimea, where should they be located from a transportation engineering viewpoint? In that the State Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) does not have to comply with County zoning regulations, can we expect that the Wal-Mart and Home Depot will be located on DHHL land as is the case in Hilo? How about on Parker Ranch land north of the airport (along the Waimea Bypass right-of-way) or on Parker School Trust Corporation land south of the Lalamilo Farm Lots (along the Kawaihae Rd Bypass right-of-way)? What kind of law can be passed to prevent big box stores from being built in the North Hawaii area? This has been done in places like Wellesly, MA?
Bridges
B1. Should a vehicle bridge or pedestrian/bike bridge be provided across Waikoloa Stream at the south end of Spencer Rd/Church Row?
B2. Should a vehicle bridge or pedestrian/bike bridge be provided across Waikoloa Stream via the 80 foot easement at the south end of at Ko Uka St at the entrance to Sandalwood subdivision?
B3. Should a vehicle bridge or pedestrian/bike bridge be provided across Waikoloa Stream at the north end of Parker Historical Houses Rd?
B4. Should a vehicle bridge or pedestrian/bike bridge be provided across Waikoloa Stream at the south end of Puu Opelu Rd?
Trails and Sidewalks
The following questions concern our trail and sidewalk system:
General
T1. Within our planning period, 40 percent of our residents will be either under age 15 or over age 65. Should sidewalks, curbs and gutters be provided in new residential development or should pedestrians (e.g., school children and the elderly) walk in the streets?
T2. Why are the developments being planned for Waikoloa incorporating off-road pedestrian and bike paths, while the Parker Ranch and State DHHL developments in Waimea are not? Is it because, in Waikoloa, the developer held planning charettes (town meetings) and asked what amenities new buyers would want in their neighborhoods and that is not happening in Waimea?
T3. Should pedestrian improvements now be provided by the County along Mamalahoa Hwy from Waimea Elementary School to the west end of the Waimea Town Center Connector Rd?
T4. Should utility poles be located in sidewalks?
T5. The Waimea Trails and Greenways project has been ongoing for over 13 years. Why is it taking so long? Is that a normal time frame for a trail project?
Bike Paths
BP1. How can the existing sidewalks in Waimea be improved so that pedestrians and bike riders feel safer? Are they wide enough? Can they be separated from the roadway by landscaping?
BP2. The new businesses and public buildings being constructed in Waimea are not being required to provide bike racks. Wouldn't that be a good idea? Why doesn't the County subdivision control code make this requirement?
BP3. What kind of signage is appropriate for bike lanes? Do bike symbols on the road surface work?
BP4. On which side of the Parker Ranch Waimea Town Center Connector Road should the linear park and meandering path shown in the Parker Ranch Waimea Town Center Conceptual Park and Open Space Plan be located? (South is up on the map, just to keep you on your toes.) On the north side, along the border of new Waimea Elementary School site and along the border of the Waimea Senior Housing project? Does it make sense to have a utility easement under the linear park and meandering path as is being proposed by Parker Ranch?
BP5. Would it make sense for the Mamalahoa Hwy-Kawaihae Rd Connector project (aka the Lalamilo Connector Rd) to include a linear park and meandering path along its northern boundary that would extend to the linear park and meandering path to be provided along the Parker Ranch Waimea Town Center Connector Rd) to connect with the Waimea Trails and Greenways project on the west?
BP6. Would it make sense for a connecting trail traversing the Waimea Civic Center to connect the east end of the meandering park to the Waimea Trails and Greenways project in the vicinity of Church Row? If so, where and how should the users of the connecting trail cross Mamalahoa Hwy?
BP7. In general, how should pedestrian and bike traffic traveling along the Waimea Trails and Greenways project be distributed within Waimea?
BP8. How should bike riders get around Waimea? Is it OK to use the sidewalks? If not, does the County pay for funerals?
BP9. Should facilities be provided to allow bike riders to ride into downtown from the subdivisions east of downtown?
BP10. How can bikes become a fully integrated and preferred transportation alternative for residents of Waimea? Can you enumerate several specific infrastructure improvements that create this situation?
Equestrian Trails
E1. The 2002 Zoning Ordinance for the Parker Ranch 2020 (Waimea Town Center) development states that "an equestrian trail shall be provided in conjunction with final subdivision approval or prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy for any portion of the Waimea Town Center area residential or commercial development, respectively." Obviously, portions of the development (e.g., Luala'i subdivision) have received final subdivision approval. Where is his trail located? How can access be obtained?
E2. Would it make sense for the Mamalahoa Hwy-Kawaihae Rd Connector project (aka the Lalamilo Connector Rd) to include an equestrian trail that would extend to the equestrian trail to be provided by Parker Ranch to connect with the equestrian trail portion of Waimea Trails and Greenways project?
E3. Parker Ranch is contributing a 25-acre regional park site to the County as a condition of approval of its Parker Ranch 2020 zoning ordinance. Access to the proposed site is blocked by the Lalalmilo Farm Lots on the north, the Parker School Trust Corporation school site along Mamalahoa Hwy on the east and the Kawaihae Rd Bypass right-of-way on the south. How should equestrian trail access be provided to the park?
Cross Walks
W1. Should a cross walk be provided across Mamalahoa Hwy at the road adjacent to Canada France to allow children to travel to and from the Nature Park/Waimea Trails and Greenways project and school?
W2. Should a cross walk be provided across Kawaihae at Opelu Rd and Puu Opelu to allow children to travel to and from the Waimea Trails and Greenways project and school?
W3. Should a cross walk be provided across Mamalahoa Hwy at the intersection near Don's Pake Kichen to allow seniors to cross the road?
W4. Should a crosswalk be provided across Kawaihae Rd form the two churches to Waimea Park?
W5. What type of crosswalk design is most appropriate for school zones, high pedestrian traffic and mid block crossings?
