With all the roads that need attention on the island of Maui - a Hana Highway that is quaint but becomes impassable after severe weather, a dangerous turn on Kula Highway that has seen multiple deaths in the past three years, a pali-Lahaina bottleneck that experiences multimile jam-ups and is often closed due to fires - our County Council has deemed it fit to expand the Piilani Highway (The Maui News, May 21).
This is the last thing South Maui needs - more roads to accommodate more multimillion-dollar condos that will sit vacant while herbicides from their manicured lawns kill off the last remaining uhu and weke that are managing to survive in the increasingly turbid waters.
South Maui is crowded because people go there to find the pristine coast and sparkling reef environment that they imagine a tropical paradise should have. But we are loving this area to death. Witness the unfinished concrete monstrosity that now sits on the south end of Maluaka.
South Maui does not need to be developed; it needs to be protected. Perhaps we could use a little more parking and some decent public restrooms so families can barbecue, fish and camp and enjoy what's left of Maui's wild coastlines. What we really need is enforcement of environmental regulations, litter control and ongoing education so that our children will have a remote chance of enjoying areas that were once the jewel of the island.
Alan Hodara
Makawao
