New traffic rules
along Koa Avenue
aim to relieve
residents and visitors

A 3-minute loading zone,
the Waikiki project's first
phase, starts tomorrow

By Harold Morse
Star-Bulletin

Koa Avenue bottlenecks may soon be a thing of the past.

An initial phase of a new traffic plan to alleviate hang-ups on the Waikiki street starts tomorrow with the establishment of a three-minute passenger and tour-bus loading zone on the makai side of Koa Avenue between Kaiulani and Uluniu avenues.

"It's going to make very, very many of the residents who live in that particular area extremely happy," said Sam Bren, chairman of the Waikiki Neighborhood Board.

"They have been plagued with early-morning garbage collection, early-morning delivery of luggage from the airport and -- last but not least -- a continual loading of tour buses all day long, all of which will be taken care of, as far as Koa Avenue is concerned," Bren said.

"That's been ongoing now, I'm going to say, pretty close to four years, so finally it's beginning to culminate."

City Councilman Duke Bainum and Mayor Jeremy Harris noted the new loading zone will replace a bus stop.

"At the same time, the city will also install additional loading zones on Prince Edward Street and Liliuokalani Avenue to allow delivery vehicles to access their customers more efficiently," Harris said.

The traffic adjustments came about from suggestions from a task force convened by Bainum to study parking and traffic congestion in the vicinity.

"When I first took office in January 1995, I received many calls asking for relief from the heavy congestion that plagued Koa Avenue," Bainum said. "I am proud to announce the implementation of the first step to solving these problems."

Noise and congestion have been problems at Koa Avenue for years, creating an unfavorable atmosphere for visitors and residents alike. Gridlock often made it necessary for tour buses and vans to let out passengers in the street, risking their safety.

Bainum's task force included representatives of the retail, visitor and transportation industries, police and the city Department of Transportation Services.

Bainum called the improvements the work of hundreds of hours of effort. He said they wanted to come up with a multipronged approach to solve Koa Avenue traffic problems with things that can be done in the short term without major disruption to businesses or local establishments.

"Hopefully, the early phases will solve most of the problems," Bainum said, pointing to noise from tour buses at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki and deliveries both to the hotel and adjoining businesses.

Residents affected are only 40 feet away on the other side of the street, he said.

"This agreement could not have been reached without the help of the mayor, the transportation association and its members and citizens," Bainum said.

"While not perfect, it represents a sincere and committed effort to balance the needs of the constituents of Waikiki with the corporate constituency."