LANIKAI, Hawaii (KHON2) — A final plan to improve the parking situation in Lanikai has been developed after years of headaches.
There are still details to be worked out, but there will be a lot less parking space during the day once it is implemented.
Lanikai’s pristine beach and breathtaking hikes draw thousands, but with beauty comes chaos. Traffic and parking issues often choke the residential neighborhood and have prompted new changes under a city plan.
“If you come on any given nice day where there’s lots of cars and lots of visitors, you’ll see cars parked in driveways, on the corners blocking the line of sight down the street at blind turns,” said Lanikai Traffic Committee Chairman Mike Groza. “Medical people that live here, they can’t get to their jobs. We have patients, they can’t get to their appointments.”
The plan will ban parking on the main loop of Mokulua and ‘A’alapapa Drives from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day. Lanikai’s cross streets will also be changed to one-way routes with parking only allowed on one side.
“There will no longer be parking on the loop anywhere, with the exception of some three-minute loading zones. The burden of parking will shift to the cross streets,” said Kailua Neighborhood Board Chair Bill Hicks.
The Department of Transportation Services has their final Lanikai Transportation Management plan posted online, with officials confirming they are still working with the neighborhood board and community before implementation.
“It’s not our neighborhood that’s closing anything down,” Groza said. “It’s, ‘How we can work with the city Department of Transportation and the city council to restore the health and safety?”
The plan also promotes increased public transit. Residents hope these changes will restore safety while keeping Lanikai accessible.
“We’re waiting to hear their timeline, we know that there’s a lot of, financial implications and planning,” Groza said. “There’s just not enough room for all these people for parking.”