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Here on 11 between Kopua and Volcano, the worst driving seems to be at night. Unsafe passing, and tailgating are the most frequent. Add the rain, and it is down right scary. Where is everyone going that they have to get there faster than the speed limit? Listening to the scanner, I have to agree, many people who are stopped are currently unlicensed. And I imagine, no insurance. We could probably double the number of law officers on the road, and not see a dent in it.
Life goes on, with you or without you.
Peace and long life
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How about all the drivers who make the left turn into Longs car park at Pahoa, when there are THREE "no left turn" signs. One more thing to beware of when driving out from the car park.
Last week we were eating pizza in front of Boggie Woogie and a lady pulls up and parks on the red curb in front,plus she had her vehicle pointing in the wrong direction !
She looked at us as we looked at her and she just shrugged.
riverwolf
riverwolf
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True about 11 going to Volcano. I tend to drive close to the limit. I have never had a ticket for any kind of violation. Not too long ago I was being tailgated by a pickup which could have passed me numerous times. The driver who was rather large followed me into the Volcano Post Office and yelled at me. I asked him to step outside (not to fight) if he wanted to yell at me and explained I was going the limit and if he were in such a hurry, why did he have the time to follow me to the post office? He made a gesture and left. Shrugs all around. Middle aged white guy. Not to say young drivers don't have blame. They are not alone though. Everyone on 130 seems to be in a hell of a hurry. Where are they going, indeed.
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Thanks for the replies, everyone. I was having a bit of a whinge but have certainly read some interesting stuff above. Strangely, the commute today (HPP-Hilo and back) was just fine - no maniacs at all. Sometimes it just seems like there are days when all the lunatics are let out on the roads and the rest of the time it's OK.
Interesting to read about the Kaloli and Beach incidents. I live near enough I ought to hear them but haven't so far, but have seen the tire marks. Two or three weeks ago I saw tire marks at Pilikai and Beach - someone driving on Pilikai failed to stop at Beach and went into the undergrowth and it looked as though their trip was finally ended by an ohia. The marks are still there but are fading.
Tom
http://apacificview.blogspot.com/
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I live in HPP and recently moved from LA. I must say the drivers around Puna are the worst i have seen anywhere. My girl friend wanted to by a small scooter to commute to hilo and i told her no way! I have seen too many accidents and i think scooters are just too risky in east hawaii.
Mac nut
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I normally drive slower than the speed limit sometimes by 5MPH. Here in Waianae they are the same way. I think some of the problems are because there is only one lane and too many people are tired of the back log. I don't blame them but endangering everyone else on the road is NOT the solution ... Puna needs more alternative routs or they need to make MORE lanes into HPP / Pahoa no doubt about it.
But back to me driving under the speed limit... Not every speedometer is adjusted right, I find most newer cars are 3-4MPH under the reported speed....... You can see some of the frustration that other people might have. But.... I won't be tailgated to feel a reason to go any faster. Matter of fact if someone does tailgate me I just go a bit slower to make sure that everyone arrives safe since... speed kills. It's NOT worth it to me to go any faster then the posted speed limit. If you are in a rush than it's your own fault ... you should have left a bit earlier. I agree scooters are a bit risky ... but it depends on the time when you riding them. I would never ride one at night or in rush hour. I might consider riding at later hours of the night for a short distance like a few mile's to a friends house.
Until I see minimum speed signs posted I will continue to go under the speed limit. NOT Excessive by any means but I feel -5 mph is not excessive ... I could care less they can pass me all they want. Tho on a nice day -- level straight road that has a lot of visibility ahead and hardly any traffic I will do the speed limit. It's not like I drive under the speed limit ALL the time. I think some situations call for adjusting your speed esp with a lot of drivers pulling out on the road and weather conditions.
RELAX------- and SPACE OUT ----------- get 2-3 car lengths of space between yourself and the driver in front of you.
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I often see the people on the highway with scooters. They usually have their heads down to minimize loss to friction. I always think they have a life expectancy of about a week.
Be very careful at the HPP access road/highway junctions. They are extraordinarily dangerous, especially for pedestrians, as is evident from the number of crosses on the roadside. The fact that the roads aren't clearly marked with signs on the highway means that drivers unfamiliar with the area are trying to figure out of it's the right road to turn on and not paying attention to people let off by buses and hitching or who are trying to cross the highway -- a problem that could easily be remedied.
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"...i think scooters are just too risky in east hawaii...."
Said the exact same thing to my wife about three days ago!
Puna: Our roosters crow first
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One think I find nerve-wracking is the manic lane-changing where 130 merges into 11 during morning rush hour. People can't stand to be slowed down even for a few seconds.
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Can someone tell me when the rules changed to allowing all day driving up the shoulder of 130??? Today three unrelated cars drove past me (and the others in the main lane doing slightly more than 55) driving at least 65. Two of the three had their right turn blinkers on for safety <he said, rolling his eyes...>. All eventually turned into the transfer station, but they rode the shoulder for at least 2 miles first. So be forewarned..if you're turning right into HPP off 130, always look over your right shoulder...
