Jacquelyn Chappel: Hawaii Worst Traffic in Entire Country

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Hawaii Worst Traffic in Entire Country

Just so we're clear, Haw

aii has not been named the most "congested" city. That honor would belong to L.A. with Hawaii coming in a humble 38th.

It is when we compare optimal drive time with drive time during peak traffic hours that Hawaii wins hands down. Apparently, it takes as much as 88% more time to get where you want to go during peak congestion than it would during non-peak hours. I think we all suspected as much, but here's how the Star-Bulletin put it:

"INRIX, a privately held Seattle-based corporation, yesterday released its National Traffic Scorecard, and ranked Honolulu as having the worst drive-time travel time in the nation.'Travel time' means comparing the amount of time driving during a peak traffic period to a noncongested period". The headline they ran for this story was a watered-down "Honolulu traffic among worst in U.S." (http://archives.starbulletin.com/2008/06/18/news/story02.html)

The local media has kept the buzz going on this story and as recently as last week KGMB upped the ante running with the headline "Honolulu Worst Traffic in Entire Country" (http://kgmb9.com/main/content/view/10729/40/)

You'd think these latest headlines would be a rallying point for the mayor and for rail folks but I saw Hanneman on the morning news the other day and he didn't mention anything about Hawaii's dramatic new title. Maybe he's not mentioning it because the ridiculous drive times have something to the do with Hawaii's other distinction as having "2nd worst [roads] in nation" (http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2008/Mar/13/ln/hawaii803130345.html)

Not sure. I just hope the referendum on rail passes today.

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Mission Statement

Here is the irony of Hawaii:

That an island state with abundant alternative energy sources would import over 90 percent of its energy.

That a tropical paradise such as Hawaii would be found to have the worst traffic in the country.

That a state whose natural beauty is its greatest asset would generate 6.2 pounds of trash per person (40% more than the national average) even while its landfills are beyond capacity.

That an island with natural underground fresh water would develop its island to the point where its aquifers were danger of not being properly replenished.

That a fertile arable place that boasts some of the finest food products in the world would import over 80 percent of its food from over 2,500 miles away.

This blog is dedicated to these and other related issues with the hope of spreading the word and enacting change to make Hawaii the model of sustainability that we all know it could be.

Top 10 Things to do in Hawaii

1.WATCH SLACK KEY guitar at the House Without a Key. Brian and I did a bar crawl through the Waikiki beachside hotels that offered music, and the Halekulani’s House Without a Key was the best by far. Nurse a $5 ($7?) gin and tonic at this four-star hotel and enjoy sublime slack key with a gorgeous view of Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head.
2.WATCH THE BIG WAVES OF THE NORTH SHORE IN WINTERTIME. Something like watching fire, watching big waves is mesmerizing; you can’t take your eyes off it. Add in a human being trying to ride those 20’ waves and you’ve got yourself some entertainment. The waves only get this big on the North Shore, only in the winter, and only on certain days so check the surf reports. Traffic jams to the North Shore on these special days get really bad so go early and stay late.
3.SWIM THOSE SAME WATERS off the North Shore in the summertime. In the summer, it’s the south shore that’s pumpin’ while the North Shore becomes a veritable lake. Swim with turtles and manta rays in some of the cleanest waters off Oahu. If you're lucky, you might attract the attention of a dolphin or two. The Waikiki Swim Club puts on a North Shore Swim series every summer that begins with a 1-mile “sprint” and ends up with 2.4 mile Ehukai to Waimea Bay swim that is really not that bad because you are going with the current. I don’t know who designs their t-shirts, but the North Shore swim series t-shirts are the nicest t-shirts of any race I’ve been a part of.
4.GO TO MOLOKAI, MAUI, OR LANAI IN THE WINTERTIME AND WATCH FOR WHALES. I somehow managed to not spot a whale throughout my entire childhood growing up in Hawaii. The first time I saw a whale I was driving my dad’s boat and nearly ran into one. This was somewhere in the waters between Oahu and Molokai where there is a shallow shelf (in the ocean) the whales like to hang out at. The waters between Molokai, Maui, Lanai, and Kahoolawe (another shallow area in the ocean where an ancient crater lies) are the other hot spot for whales. Brian and I saw a full breach off Maui and I once saw a tail slap just off the coast of Molokai. The amazing thing about this particular tail slap was I heard it (loud and clear) a full two seconds after witnessing it from afar. Not much noise pollution on Molokai.
5.GO HAVE SUSHI AT SUSHI SASABUNE (the Sushi Nazi), do not order, and eat it the way he tells you to. It is an erotic experience. We went to the original Sushi Sasabune in L.A.—this is the restaurant run by the “master” of the guy who opened up the Hawaii location, and it is our opinion that the student has surpassed the master. Be ready to unload $80-$100/person.
6.DRIVE OUT TO WAIPIO BEACH (ON THE BIG ISLAND). Drive to the lookout and hitchhike down to Waipio Beach. It is the biggest beach I have seen in Hawaii that is accessible by road. I’m not sure why it’s not more popular; it’s a little bit of a drive to get there, but it’s a lot easier to get to than the 11-mile hike in to Kalalau or the 9-mile hike into Waimanu Valley which take you to similarly huge sandy beaches.
7.DRIVE AROUND THE ISLAND, especially the part on Kamehameha Highway between Hanauma Bay and Waimanalo. I did this a lot as a kid so probably don’t appreciate it as much as I should, but it’s a spectacular drive. Go have breakfast in Kailua or a plate lunch at Keneke’s after the drive.
8.HIKE KA'AU CRATER. Go to the end of 9th Ave. in Kaimuki, pass the “Do not enter” sign, and there you will find a trail that leads you to a full 360 degree view of the island of Oahu. I did this one with Gordon “I’m on Hawaiian time” Yang and Bianca “Yes, I’ve got six packs” Isaki one summer afternoon, and it was the funnest hike I’ve ever been on. There was a neighborhood dog who followed us the whole way in and back which I think added to the adventure. The Mount Olympus hike which starts at the top of Saint Louis Heights and another trail that starts at the top of Wilhemina Rise run parallel to this one, but the view at the end of the Ka’au Crater hike is superior without any annoying brush to contend with. In the winter, I’m told, there are (small kine) waterfalls you will have to climb. There weren’t any there when we went, but you’re going from sea level to 360 degree views so I guess you could say this is strenuous. Bring some water.
9.EAT MANGO AND LYCHEE IN THE SUMMERTIME. You can get them in Chinatown if you don’t have a friend with a mango or lychee tree bearing fruit in their backyard. This is the stuff of fond childhood memories in Hawaii.
10.HIKE TO KAENA POINT. Kaena Point is the northern most point of Oahu. The hike to the point which starts at Yokohama Bay is six totally well-trodden miles. Just don’t trip on the rocks (as I did) or you’ll have a sprained ankle for weeks. The last time we went to Kaena Point, we were laying on the small beach at the end there and only after a while noticed there was a 500 lbs. monk seal sunbathing just a few feet from us. There are only 2,000 of these endangered creatures left—most of them in the Northern Hawaiian islands, not around the main islands and it’s actually illegal to be that close to one—so it was quite a moment. There must’ve also been a whale carcass rotting out there cause it stank something bad. Kaena Point is wild.