County official shares plans for infrastructureto accommodate increasing ridership on island buses. “We are heading in the right direction.”With gas prices remaining high and continuing concerns about a shaky economy, Maui residents are utilizing the Public Bus Transit System more than ever.
Maui County Director of Transportation Don Medeiros presented an update on the bus system, shared future plans and fielded questions at the Kihei Community Association (KCA) meeting on Nov. 18.
“We have found it is like the (movie) Field of Dreams,” he said. “If you build it, they will come.” Last year, Medeiros said there were 1.45 million bus boardings in the transit system on Maui. This year, he expects there will be more than two million. Currently, the county utilizes 14 buses on 12 fixed routes and eight commuter routes, with about 170 stops islandwide.
As bus service grows, Medeiros said the number of stops will, too. He showed slides of bus rider shelters the county is considering, and explained the criteria that will be used to determine how many may be constructed and where they may be located.
“There will not be shelters everywhere,” he said. “If 10 or fewer people use the stop each day, there will just be signage and a cement slab,” which is required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Stops utilized by 10 to 20 people will have a bench, and stops utilized by 25 or more people will likely have shelters. The largest under consideration measures eight by 20 feet and would be located at the busiest stops, such as shopping malls. Areas with more rainfall or excessive sun will receive additional consideration.
Medeiros said he hopes the design and permitting phase for selected locations with structures will be concluded by September of 2009, and the bid process finished by early 2010. The shelters would be built over the next six years. There are a number of additional factors that go into choosing sites, he explained, such as connectivity to existing sidewalks, right-of-way issues, the location of underground power lines, the distance from utility poles and adequate space and safety for disabled access.
The shelters under consideration would utilize photovoltaic solar energy for lighting to avoid the installation of power lines, feature screen or mesh backing rather than glass or plexi-glass and would have as little surface area as possible to avoid what Medeiros called “graffiti magnets.”
Developers need to be educated about transit issues as they plan their sites, said Medeiros. “The shelters can be part of the project. We want to raise their awareness and ask them to think about things like traffic, students going to school and the needs of senior citizens. We want them to be more proactive.”
Medieros is enthused about the ever-expanding bus service on Maui. “We are heading in the right direction,” he said. “We want to provide an alternative to one person in one car. With the price of gas, people tell us it’s like getting a $200 to $300 raise. Maybe it will even help families decide to get rid of their second car.”
Medeiros credits national and local efforts for the expansion and efficiency of the Maui bus transit system. “[U.S.] Sen. Daniel Inouye has been instrumental in securing federal funding for buses,” he said. “And we need to continue to work with community organizations like the KCA for their input.
“The system is working for everyone’s benefit,” said Medeiros. “We are very happy people are embracing it. It’s really quite simple. We need the bus system to go where people live and take them where they want to go.”
While it was not on the evening’s agenda, a resident took the opportunity to ask State Sen. Roz Baker, who was in attendance, about the status of a new Kihei High School. Sen. Baker, who won reelection to the 5th District representing West and South Maui on Nov. 4, said she remains “hopeful” that the freshman class will be able to attend “before 2012.”
“We are on schedule to complete the community planning process by the end of the year,” said Sen Baker. She would like to see the contractors chosen by the spring of 2009, with construction beginning shortly thereafter. She said she “would like to see some classes begin by 2011,” presumably with a freshman class and a “phased” approach. “Keep in mind the Department of Education wasn’t even planning to ask for money until 2011, so we are way ahead,” she said.
Current plans call for the new campus to be located on the mauka side of the intersection of Pi‘ilani Highway and Kulanihakoi Street in North Kihei. Kihei community advocates and organizations have been pushing for the new school for decades.
KCA also held its annual election of board members for the 2009 fiscal year. Elected unanimously were Bob Richardson, Mike Moran, Michael DiBella, Andrew Beerer, Bob Pickering, Don Couch and Jon Miller. Hawai‘i State Rep. Joe Bertram III, who won reelection representing District 11 on Nov. 4, will continue his role with the KCA board in an advisory capacity. The board will choose officers at a future meeting.