Kapaa Quarry Road can be made safer

STAR-BULLETIN readers undoubtedly know about the numerous deaths on Kapaa Quarry Road in Kailua. The most recent death was the father of a girl in my class. I was just thinking there should be something that can be done to make the road safer.

My school, Le Jardin Academy, is located on Kapaa Quarry Road, so everyone at our school is forced to drive on this dangerous road. This road is so dangerous that it is not safe to bike on even during the day. I have come up with some simple ideas to help the situation.

» Some of the trees have recently been cleared for better viewing on one of the curves in the road. However, drivers still can't see around other curves. If the trees were cleared out or thinned, it would reduce the risk on these curves.

» Someone needs to do something to stop the speeding on Kapaa Quarry Road. Maybe we could get the police on that road more often because speeding is how some of the accidents have occurred.

» One hill along the road is a problem because the road curves as it goes down. People on the top could be zooming down the hill and not realize that it turns. Drivers start to go down the hill, thinking it's straight, and might crash into someone coming up.

I am not sure how this hill problem can be solved completely but I have some ideas that might help. We could put a sign at the top that says that there is a hill coming. Another thing is to put lights on it, as well as the rest of the road. I understand that because it is on a marsh, people wouldn't like having lights on this road. However, lights on this road would reduce the risk at night tremendously.

» I have a solution for the animals of the marsh, too. The road could be closed at night. If the road were closed at 10 p.m., we wouldn't have to worry about the electricity, the animals and the safety of people who drive on the road. Ten o'clock should be a reasonable time to close the road because the road is on a marsh. Lights might disturb the natural habits of the animals. There are other ways to get from Kailua to the other side of the marsh. It would just take a little longer. Closing the road at night also would help stop some of the vandalism and the dumping of trash.

» I know people also like riding bicycles, so I would recommend putting a safe bike path on the road. This is not a main priority though; it is just a suggestion. Remember, right now, it is not safe to even ride a bike on this road during the day.

Maybe federal highway funds could be used to take care of Kapaa Quarry Road, because there doesn't seem to be enough money in the City & County of Honolulu to maintain this road in a safe manner. If the money were used to widen and make Kapaa Quarry Road safer, there would be far fewer tragedies on this road. I think everyone would love to have this unsafe road fixed because of how many lives could be saved.