Mayor says improper Haiku speed tables will be removed
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After hearing residents' testimony for two hours about traffic-calming devices in Haiku, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen assured them that devices found to have been installed improperly would be removed.
According to county officials, 31 speed bumps and speed tables approved under the previous administration have been installed recently in Haiku. In late July, the county paused installing new traffic-calming devices on county roads in Haiku while working to inspect the existing speed tables in the area.
Following evaluations, the Department of Public Works identified four speed tables for removal due to their condition and drainage concerns. The county said it was also evaluating the relocation of another speed table near 1690 W. Kuiaha Road to help address drainage issues.
During a community meeting Aug. 26, Bissen said the county is still gathering information and the Maui County Department of Public Works will have to agree that the work wasn't done properly before any additional action will be taken.
"I'm not saying I agree or disagree," Bissen said. "We're here to find a solution about either repairing, removing, replacing -- whatever that is."
The study is scheduled to be completed in November.
Haiku residents have complained about what they feel is an excessive number of speed tables, saying the devices function more like speed bumps, while causing unnecessary wear and tear on their vehicles and pain for those who have undergone surgery.
"It's agony," said Susan Gebb, describing driving over dozens of speed tables after surgery.
During the meeting, Robin Shishido, the state Department of Transportation's deputy highways director, said there were 52 major crashes from 2023 to 2025 between Kaupakalua Road and Baldwin Beach Park, including two fatalities near Kaihole Place and another in Maliko.
Shishido said preliminary reports indicated speed was a factor in 12 of those wrecks. He added that a statewide analysis found the installation of 300 traffic-calming devices reduced crashes by 74% and fatalities by 92%.
"That's why we put these tables in," he said.
Shishido said it's standard practice when the state installs a speed table to dig the area out below the surface to "key in" the speed table. However, Kyle Ginoza, chief of the county public works engineering division, said county contractors are not required to "key in" when building speed tables.
Gregg Blue, the head of the Haiku Community Association's Speed Table Committee, said that by not digging down to lay a foundation beneath the road, a speed table is prone to disintegrate over time and cause more shock to a vehicle's suspension.
"This is extremely dangerous," Blue said. "You can't fix this because it's not keyed in."
Haiku Community Association official Gregg Blue raises questions about the standards used in the installation of traffic-calming devices in the Haiku area. Gary Kubota/The Maui News photo
Ginoza said the speed tables were being re-evaluated to make sure they are within certain design standards. As part of the ongoing evaluation process, the county said it is looking at the state contract standards for speed tables and determining whether the county should adopt the same requirements.
For Haiku resident Joyclynn Costa, too many people are driving too fast.
"I think the issue here is not whether we want or don't want speed bumps because we all want to be safe, right?" Costa said. "I think it's just the amount of speed bumps that are on the road. We need to start with the ones that did not pass inspection."
Maui resident Robert Karpovich said that rather than building speed bumps and tables to slow down traffic, the county should install speed cameras. He suggested the system would pay for itself with revenue from the tickets.