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Ask The Mayor

Mayor Michael Victorino answers some of the most-asked questions submitted to his office staff.

Q: What is being done about cyberbullying in Hawaii?

A: Mahalo for this question because I take bullying very seriously, but I know it is a community issue that we must all work together to solve. First off, families can talk with their children about respecting others, even those different from themselves, and schools can reinforce that message. Students should be taught to be respectful, responsible and compassionate learners.

Each school and community is different, so different approaches can be used. This includes peer mediation and partnering with community agencies, health and wellness providers, policing and community policing groups, legal advisers and cultural practitioners. If an incident does occur, the victim should immediately report it to a trusted adult. School principals are obligated to investigate and school staff are responsible for providing support to the victim.

All offenses are entered into the state Department of Education’s student support database, which allows schools to identify, monitor and track student concerns over time. School staff also provide support to victims and bullies to address ongoing conditions that may have contributed to the bullying incident to help prevent future ones. These conditions may include issues at home, stress, abuse and health, social-emotional and behavioral issues.

One of our newest tools is the Speak Now Hawaii Department of Education phone app for reporting incidents of bullying. This app was rolled out to intermediate school students on Jan. 31. I’m also excited to report that it will be available to high school students in September and to elementary school students in September 2020. To download the app, visit the Apple App Store or Google Play. For more information on the Department of Education’s anti-bullying work, visit www.hawaiipublicschools.org/BeyondTheClassroom/SafeSchools/AntiBullyingWork/Pages/home.aspx.

Q: Are any improvements going to be made for traffic flow at the intersection of Waiale and Waiinu roads? The two-way traffic on Waiale Road has a right-of-way with no signal or stop sign, while traffic on Waiinu Road is backed up and at the mercy of those courteous Waiale Road drivers who occasionally let a few Waiinu Road drivers through.

A: Mahalo for the question and I’m happy to say improvements are in the works. The Department of Public Works plans to propose a traffic signal or roundabout at the Waiale-Waiinu road intersection in Wailuku before this summer. We are currently awaiting a new feasibility analysis to evaluate the costs and benefits of either option as well as to analyze existing and future conditions at the intersection. We expect the analysis to be completed by the end of the month. The department will then review the report and provide a recommendation to the County Council.

In 2017, a roundabout validation report was done for the intersection, but due to new housing developments we believed it was prudent to review the area again. We also believe an extension of Maui Lani Parkway near The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Maui Lani Traditions area could ease traffic as well. The Waiale-Waiinu intersection sees an average of 1,800 vehicle trips during a peak hour, while Waiale Road in the vicinity of the intersection averages about 13,000 vehicle trips per day.

We believe a roundabout is more flexible and could accommodate nearby driveways, including Maui Memorial Park. A traffic signal would essentially leave the roadway configuration the same. We estimate the cost for a roundabout to be around $2.6 million and a traffic signal to be $2.2 million to $2.4 million. Planning and engineering work are anticipated to begin this year for the intersection with land acquisition to be completed in 2020. Designs could finish in late 2020 to early 2021.

Construction is expected to start in fiscal 2021 and the county’s contribution is estimated to be $500,000 to $1 million, depending on the final design and Maui Lani’s contribution, with the federal government covering the balance.

* Want to Ask the Mayor? Submit your Maui County related questions to Mayor Michael Victorino by email at askthemayor@mauicounty.gov, by phone at 270-7855 or by mail at 200 S. High St., ninth floor, Wailuku 96793. Questions submitted will be considered for inclusion in the “Ask the Mayor” column; to request a personal response to a concern, email mayors.office@mauicounty.gov.

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