Puna Makai Alternate route

[mdd7000]

Wouldn't a road through their property, financed by the county, be of a major benefit for the Shipman's?

[macuu222]

So let me get this straight...They are planning to build a two lane paved road crossing the HPP subdivision from Makuu to Kaloli somewhere between 5th and 15th and possibly going through the back part of peoples lots..... and with the political clout of Shipman to the north of HPP and Hawaiian Homelands to the south of HPP saying no to any possible road cutting across their land. What's the point?

Doesn't 7th street just about cover that? It's paved already and it goes from Makuu to Kaloli. Why put another paved road doing the same thing a block away and calling it the Puna Makai highway?

[csgray]

MDD7000,
You would think so, but they have consistently opposed it on the grounds that it would increase theft of agricultural products from the farmers leasing land from them. I do not know if the opposition is a bargaining tool to get something else they want, since, like most ordinary citizens in Hawaii county, I am not privy to the back room deal making that goes on.

Carol

[dugger]

Would it be easier and ultimately cost a whole lot less in money and inconvenience to offer a reliable public transportation system between Pahoa and Hilo. Would people take the bus if there were parking at a bus stop and the cost were reasonable? When all those lots sell and build out, a second highway is not going to be enough.
I wish we still had a train to circumvent the island.

[Obie]

Dugger,

I am guessing you must be somewhere on the mainland because you start posting every day at about 3:00 am.

If you were actually here in Puna you would know that there are buses running from Pahoa to Hilo on a regular basis.

A new park and ride lot opened at Makuu Farmers Market.

[dugger]

You can make all the guesses you want. I am an insomniac and generally get about two to three hours sleep a night. I don't live anywhere near HPP and only go to Pahoa when I hunger for Nings. I was also there for a show at Akebono and sometimes take visitors to Kalapana. I really had no idea that there was a bus running a regular schedule from Pahoa to Hilo. As long as you've enlightened me, how does it do as far as ridership? Does it run on a regular schedule? I know about HeleOn service which is anything but regular but I really had no idea there was regular commercial bus service of the kind I was talking about in my post.

[csgray]

There are commuter schedule Hele On buses running from Pahoa, also some from as far makai as Seaview, and from the mauka communities along Highway 11. These buses do a good job of getting people to and from Hilo for most work and school schedules, but once in Hilo it is hard to get around if you don't work downtown, near UHH, or near Prince Kuhio mall.

Kids used to ride the train to HS in Hilo from Kapoho. I would love to see an interurban style rail service here, but unless Hilo gets really good local bus service happening in town, people will continue to drive into town to work every day.

Carol

[mdd7000]

[url][/url]http://www.heleonbus.org/schedules-and-maps

It is quite regular and has additional new buses and routes that have been added in the last year.

[mdd7000]

csgray - If that is the Shipman reason, it sure is flimsy.
Leasing what could be prime land out for agriculture surely doesn't as well as leasing land to commercial or high density residential either.
Maybe they want to wait until all of the far away land is developed and then offer their land at a much higher price?

[dugger]

Thanks Mark. I'm quite familiar with the Hele On schedule. I was thinking more of full size buses running every 10 to 15 minutes during rush hour. But as CSGRAY points out until there is decent public transportation all through the Hilo area, it would not be viable. You still can't even take public transportation to the airport! Just thinking out loud.