Aloha kākou. Imagine living on an island and the main road is one big circle. That’s how Hawai’i Belt Road covers the circumference of the Big Island of Hawai’i. The road has many names besides Hawai’i Belt Road. Mamalahoa Highway on the east side of the island and Route 11. Which stretches’ to the north of the island into Waimea (aka Kamulea) where it connects with Route 19, also known as Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway. This covers west Hawai’i to Kailua-Kona where it reconnects with Highway 11. No matter where you drive, there you are.
Where I live in the Puna district on east Hawai’i the connector is Route 130, also known as Pāhoa-Kalapana road. It used to be a straight run from Highway 11, connected to 130, down to Kalapana. Unfortunately, Kalapana and Kapoho no longer exists after the lava flows years ago. Only a small portion of the original subdivision exists.
A lot of songs and history from the original settlements that existed. It was a slower pace of life back then. Farms and beautiful landscapes. Black sand beaches and lush verdant jungles.
You would think people would take their time to travel around the island and enjoy the sights. But over time, we’ve become more like the mainland’s fast pace of life. That means faster travel, faster life, and faster service. You can tell what happens next.
Ouch! Three car pile up. Somebody wasn’t paying attention on the road. When I’m driving on these roads, I leave plenty of room between myself and the cars in front of me. People drive in clusters and they speed up to get ahead of each other. Sometimes I watch people weaving in and out of traffic. It’s an accident waiting to happen. As the population of the island grows, so does the risk of getting into an accident. I see this a lot. My police and EMT scanned always has a incident where an accident happens daily.
Where are these people going in such a hurry? Especially, when the county want’s to construct these obstacle courses they winsomely call roundabouts. Traffic circles. It causes traffic jams. During rush hour, the traffic is backed up for miles. It takes longer to get into Hilo and to get home in lower Puna. It’s a pain in the ʻŌkole. The DOT says it will help moderate traffic. Which means people drive faster and cluster together trying to get where they want to be.
Not me, I keep at least a quarter mile distance behind and let everyone pass me. Switch on the radio and listen to the Hawaiian tunes. I’m still going to get where I’m going, but I don’t need to rush to get there. People rushing to get where they’re going will not get there any faster. Slow Down People. Share the road and be patient. It will cost you less in insurance, aggravation, and money.
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Most cloudy with intermittent showers. 70% chance of rain this afternoon. Tradewinds are from the east at 11 mph, gusts 24 mph. Cloud cover is 89%. Visibility is 10 miles. We got just over a 5/8th inch of precipitation in the rain gauge overnight. Temperatures are in the mid 70s. Humidity is at 95%. Barometric pressure is 30.09 inches and dewpoint is 72°. UV index 10. Air quality Index is at 21. Readings taken at 11:50AM HST.
Iulai Iwakālua Kūmākolu, 2022
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E Māua Ola i Moku o Keawe 