WAILUKU - Maui County Council members wanted to take quick action Monday to slow down reckless drivers speeding in a 20-mph zone near Doris Todd Memorial Christian School on Baldwin Avenue in Paia.
But exactly what would be the most effective and safest solution remained elusive, and members of the council's
Infrastructure Management Committee deferred action on the issue.
The urgency to do something quickly about unsafe driving near the school was conveyed to committee members by parents Quinn and Refugio Gonzalez and school Principal Carolyn Moore.
They described speeding motorists, drivers irate about traffic going in and out of the school, fender benders and an accident last month in which an 18-year-old Pukalani man lost control of his truck that crashed through a fence to a preschool play area.
The most recent accident was particularly alarming because it occurred at 8:40 a.m. - at a time when children would have been playing outside during recess. Fortunately, they were inside because it was raining.
"It's just out-of-control traffic behavior," said Quinn Gonzalez, who has three children at the school with an enrollment of 125 students in preschool through 8th grade.
While the county plans to install speed feedback and flashing pedestrian signs are appreciated, "we need more," she said, calling for the installation of guardrails and raised crosswalks to slow down drivers near the school zone.
Public Works Director Milton Arakawa said guardrails, raised crosswalks and speed tables have been considered by county highway engineers, but the department recommends against those options.
Baldwin Avenue is a regional collector road and is not considered appropriate for a raised crosswalk or speed table because those may present an even greater hazard for motorists who could lose control if they go over them too fast, he said.
"These situations may increase the likelihood of an accident or the seriousness of an accident," he said, adding that engineering has its limits in being able to slow down drivers.
Installing a guardrail would not be sufficient to protect the school property, he said.
Arakawa said his department will be installing a speed feedback monitor and a flashing light, which would be activated when pedestrians want to cross the street. The equipment already has been ordered, he said. The traffic-calming devices are expected to be in place early next year.
Committee members did not readily accept Arakawa's recommendation and pushed for more aggressive ways to slow motorists. Panel members did not pursue a suggestion from Council Member Wayne Nishiki to direct the county administration to install guardrails at the school.
Council Member Mike Mo-lina, who holds the council's Makawao-Haiku-Paia residency seat, pointed out that the council had allocated $35,000 for a flashing light and raised crosswalk near the Doris Todd school, and he was critical of the county administration for taking so long to address the matter.
No representatives of the Maui Police Department were on hand to answer questions about police enforcing the area's speed limit. Panel Chairman Bill Medeiros said committee staff had not invited someone from the department to attend Monday's meeting.
Later, Medeiros said he received a Maui Police Department e-mail. It reported that from Jan. 1, 2007, to Nov. 18 of this year, police responded to eight calls for crashes at or near the school. Four of the accidents were classified as minor, three major and one was deemed a civil crash.
Capt. Jody Singsank, the Wailuku Patrol District commander, has been working with a concerned parent and the school on the problem of unsafe driving near the school, said police spokesperson Lt. Wallace Tom.
Speed "enforcement is planned with manpower permitting," he added.
This week, police officials also were planning to meet with Mayor Charmaine Tava-res and school officials to discuss the matter, Tom said.
School officials are not waiting for government action. Already, a 240-foot-long, 5-foot-tall reinforced wall is nearing completion between the school's preschool playground at Baldwin Avenue. Also, children are playing farther away from the road.
"Our school has been proactive," Moore told committee members. "We know the wheels of government turn slowly."
* Brian Perry can be reached at citydesk@mauinews.com.
