Campaigning at the Keaau bottleneck

[robguz]

I have no problem where Solomon is because it doesn't seem to impact traffic at all. I don't have any problem with the sign waving where it doesn't impact traffic, although I still have to question the wisdom of intentional distractions in 45, 55 zones. The problem seems to be when they do it right where the merge is. It was obvious last week when Emily was in that spot. I'm at the merge the same time every day and it only started backing up the day she was there. It's a similar issue with the vendors at the merge spot. I try to be objective and now pay particular notice. Yesterday a car in front of me pulled over to go to the vendors, and instantly the 5 cars behind it began breaking. This is after the actual merge is complete but it creates a ricochet effect with a certain amount of traffic which prolongs the merge.
Tradition is usually a weak argument for anything. Decades ago slowing down traffic in that spot likely had little impact on traffic. Puna grew tremendously in the past 10 years, and during the school year at least, results in a backup that takes 20-30 minutes to go a few miles. So please don't tell me to "slow down" and enjoy that people are actively making the problem worse. It's hard to go any slower than stopped in a 45 zone.
As far as free speech, I'm pretty sure various jurisdictions have banned panhandling at traffic medians, and pedestrians aren't allowed on freeways as long as they're expressing free speech. That holds constitutional muster. This type of speech is much more in line with yelling fire in a crowded theater.

[Rob Tucker]

You may not enjoy it but you may have to put up with it as is isn't going away any time soon. Try to just think of the fact that Puna is and wants to remain a rural district. What you are seeing happens for a few weeks every couple years. Traffic slows at the bottleneck whether or not Emily or others are there. She shows up for the rush hour as will others as the election season moves on.

In many locations people have never seen elected officials or candidates or know what they look like. In it's Hawaiian style, campaign roadside waving puts a face with a name. There are many more substantial things to get upset about.

It is what it is. If you moved here and find it unusual I think it best to just relax with it. It isn't going away.

[Kapohocat]

BTB (before the bypass), the candidates used to wave between the school and Keaau town - where the big tree is.

[robguz]

I don't think anyone is complaining about the roadside campaigning or don't like that it is unusual or that they don't want Puna to remain rural, but the location. Cat nailed it--BTB and problem solved!

[Kapohocat]

BTB meant before the bypass was installed - not location, but definately would work before bypass bottleneck.

[DaVinci]

Hey, I meant that to me, it *seemed* harmless. I've only been here 10 months and I walk across my yard to go to work every day, so I am not qualified to make a judgement here. (Altnough if the politicians have been doing this since before the bypass was built, then it haas been going on for awhile, eh? And I think Rob's point is pragmatic and well taken: get used to it because it ain't changing anytime soon...)

[TomK]

I'm having trouble with the statement that Puna wants to to remain a rural district and how that has anything to do with political sign wavers at the bottleneck distracting drivers. Rob, can you expand on that? Why should that happen at the bottleneck rather than elsewhere?

And just to clarify, I moved to Puna long before the bypass existed. It's not a tradition to campaign there. I have no problem with sign waving in general and robguz hit the nail on the head, it's the location, not the tradition.

If and when there is an accident there caused by distracted drivers I'm sure the defense of "it is what it is" is unlikely to get very far.

[Rob Tucker]

Its only my opinion Tom. The bottleneck is not a high speed freeway interchange. Freeways have controlled access and do not allow pedestrians on the sidelines doing anything except pulling over for emergencies or breakdowns. Highway 130 is a state route into a rural district. The bottleneck is where traffic is at its slowest.

If there was any history of accidents there caused by campaign distracted drivers then there would be a case. What there is are people imagining a problem which has yet to actually develop. I've never seen an accident at the bottleneck though at three miles an hour some bumpers may have touched more than once. What we have on Highway 130 are accidents at badly designed uncontrolled intersections with people paying close attention and still turning left into 60 mph oncoming traffic.

So before we wander too far into the "if and when" something happens let's take a breathe and realize that the bottleneck, as strange as it may seem, may be as safe a location for campaign sign waving as any spot on that road or the island.

[JerryCarr]

I think there is a bigger point than sign waving here. When one feels the need to change something about Puna or Hawaii, it is wise to choose one's battles judiciously. Newcomers frequently get accused of coming here and wanting to make things just like they were back wherever we came from. Emily Naeole recently accused virtually the entire population of HPP of that when she felt that we weren't showing proper deference to her. I won't go into details, but mention it to help make the bigger point.

A lot of people come here thinking this is a liberal state where all sorts of progressive concepts will come to fruition. I contend that Hawaii is a very conservative state where the political powers are entrenched and highly resistant to anything that threatens the status quo. Sign waving is quite trivial compared to some other things about local politics and government. The lack of equitable allocation of government resources, very poor oversight of county contracts/procurement, and entrenched dominance of public employees' unions over politics and administration seem like bigger fish than sign waving. My own approach is to only try to change one or two things at a time and to bolster my arguments with facts that assure that the proposed change won't destroy aloha or the things that make Hawaii the place I love. I constantly remind myself to limit my ambitions to things that will improve our lives without destroying the ambiance that makes Hawaii special. I don't claim that this is sure to work, especially since I'm still waiting for at least one major initiative that I have supported to be fully enacted, but I do think it is best to be realistic. The Puna CDP is my best hope, but the Kenoi administration and the Council have still not given it its due. Patience is a cardinal virtue when dealing with these things, but I still get mad sometimes.

[missydog1]

Jerry, that was very well spoken. HPP sure is lucky to have you. I agree that Hawai'i is conservative.

Like the comment about tradition, Tom, your response is that the bottleneck doesn't have a long tradition behind it. But the point is not the specific place, but rather that it's traditional to have sign waving, and that people don't fuss about where it happens.

It takes a lot of work to get anything done or anything changed, so yeah, picking battles is good. Like with the County. It's easy to be pegged as a complainer. As an example, not an analogy to the waving, just the one example I have to offer where I got something changed -- I have had to engage with them to do the roadside trimming they're supposed to do, because if they don't it's dangerous coming out of my drive. They had allowed big trees to block the exit visibility, and they needed to be cut.

The first guy made promises and then blew me off. His successor was better. Finally, after 2 1/2 years of intermittent discussions, they cut the trees, but then they let the small brush create the same problem, so I had to call and remind them. Wonder of wonders, they've started clearing it without being called. I'm sort of in shock. The point being, there was an inertia. They didn't regard it as their job, even though legally it was their job. Then they began to accept it as a responsibility, and then once they did that, they worked it into their regular routine. Once it had become "regular" maintenance, it was no problem.

It's all about overcoming inertia, resistance to change. Had I not almost been smashed on numerous occasions, really close calls with serious injury, I would have given up. I definitely don't sweat the small and medium kine problems. You can argue that the bottleneck is really dangerous, and if it is, go for it. If the cars are moving pretty slow and the main danger is fender-benders, then wait and see might work.