Life in the cramped lane.If you think times are hard now, back in the olden days, they didn’t even have gasoline—at any price. Fred and Barney were forced to run their vehicles by the courtesy of their two feet, if I understood the gist of the lyrics correctly. Dinosaurs were pets, not yet exterminated by whatever cataclysm offed them all and compressed them into a pool of fuel. But Fred and Barney enjoyed some mighty awesome mileage and could go from zero to 60 in an hour or so on Bedrock’s traffic-free roads.
Well, the cycle is almost complete now. Big cars, trucks and SUVs are going the way of the brontosaurus. Instead, increasing numbers of islanders are walking, cycling, mopeding, motorcycling, carpooling and cutting down on unnecessary trips. And whoever thought the bus would become the sexiest mode of transportation on Maui?
While some of us are reverting to once-forgotten modes of transportation, others are leaping into the future with new, experimental, low-velocity alternative vehicles. Trouble is there is an expanding “crossroads”—a territory where pedestrians, bicycles, mopeds, motorcycles, experimental vehicles and cars and trucks of all sizes might encounter each other. Therefore, Maui’s intersections, shoulders and crosswalks are becoming even more dangerous. Because, unfortunately, rubber is not all that meets the road in Hawai‘i.
Our state has already become notorious for detecting pedestrians and cyclists too late. Twenty percent of all traffic fatalities in Hawai‘i are pedestrians. Pedestrians depend entirely upon their alertness and actions and those of the driver. In other words, either we’re not paying enough attention or we don’t know what actions we are supposed to take.
For example, did you know that jaywalking is illegal, but that the lines on the pavement or the traffic signals don’t guarantee your safety? Did you know that bicycles are legally considered vehicles and are required to obey all traffic regulations? Did you know that mopeds are not allowed on sidewalks? Did you know that over two-thirds of car/motorcycle accidents are the result of a car driver turning in front of the motorcyclist? Did you know that drivers are required by law to watch for pedestrians when turning at intersections?
We may have vague recollections of these Hawai‘i Drivers Manual “survival tips,” but I’m fairly certain that a requirement to take an annual test would increase bus ridership substantially.
So while we are suspended here in the period of human history somewhere between the Flintstones and the Jetsons, and as more modes of “alternate” transportation take to the streets, we all must be more cautious and alert. Eat your breakfast in your kitchen, put your makeup on at home, monkey with your iPod before you embark on your journey and hang up your darned cell phone ’til you get where you’re going.
Sure, you can still have a yabba dabba doo time, but you have a legal and moral responsibility for the safety of others as you negotiate Maui’s changing roadways.