County to pull four speed tables in Haiku, hold community meeting
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Responding to residents' concerns, Maui County officials plan to remove four speed tables on West Kuiaha Road as part of an ongoing review of traffic-calming devices in Haiku.
Mayor Richard Bissen announced in a Tuesday news release that the county is moving into the second phase of its review, which applies only to county roads.
According to the county, the removal of the four speed tables is expected to begin the week of Aug. 17, citing issues with their condition and drainage concerns.
The county also said it is also evaluating whether to relocate one speed table near 1690 W. Kuiaha Road to address other drainage problems.
The review of the speed tables began in April after residents spoke out about the number and type of speed tables installed on county roads in Haiku.
County officials started by pausing proposed and requested traffic-calming devices while reviewing existing practices, gathering community feedback and conducting site visits.
According to the county, 31 speed humps and speed tables were installed on county roads in Haiku over the past year through a capital improvement project approved by the previous administration and funded by the Maui County Council in the fiscal year 2022 budget.
While the project was intended to improve roadway safety, residents have said the speed tables are too jarring and act more like aggressive speed bumps.
The county said inspections of existing speed tables were temporarily suspended because of safety concerns involving speeding, verbal harassment and vehicles being driven toward Department of Public Works employees. An independent consultant has been hired to complete the inspections.
The county said the third phase of the review will focus on improving the process for evaluating future speed table requests, including possible legislation to establish a formal review body and expand opportunities for public input.
A community meeting on Haiku speed tables is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Aug. 26 at the Haiku Community Center. Representatives from the Maui County Department of Public Works and the state Department of Transportation are expected to attend.