Please attend the meetings of Walkable, Bikable, Ridable Waimea held (when needed) on the first Friday of the month at 6 pm at a location to be determined. For information and to confirm that a meeting will be held, call Janine Packett at h 887-0872 or c 640-1669.
Possible Issues
To learn why few Waimea and Waikoloa parents allow their children to walk or bike to school, please clink on the following link:
The results of Nino Walker's survey documents the the concerns and suggestions of respondents:
Our community may decide that the plan should address the following issues:
How can we ensure that pedestrian pathways are designed into future developments?
How should hikers and bicyclists and horseback riders cross Mamalahoa Highway and Kawaihae Road? How will they be able to cross the Waimea Bypass and the Kawaihae Bypass?
The 2005 General Plan calls for development of Waimea Trails and Greenways and the Waimea Nature Park (Ula Laau) to be encouraged. Specifically, how are we going to do that? It also calls for trail systems to be developed linking residential areas to Waimea's urban center. Where should the trails be located?
What do current plans say?
Locally-directed plans were developed for the trails and bikeways of our community in 1977 and 1986:
What is the Waimea Trails and Greenways project?
Do existing plans call for new residential developments in Waimea to have sidewalks?
The Hawaii County Planning Department has issued Waimea Town Center Road Standards (0.5 MB) that do not provide for sidewalks in residential areas, only in commercial areas.
The 1984 Waimea Design Plan that was adopted by the County Council by resolution sets out a number of Design Objectives, one of which is "To encourage the development of an integrated circulation system for pedestrians, horses and bicycles linking key functions, landmarks and recreational elements" (p. 19). However, the Plan also provides that "Curbs, gutters, and sidewalks should not be required unless drainage, and/or pedestrian and vehicular traffic dictate. The construction of roads to rural standards--without curbs, gutters and sidewalks--is a major aspect of the ranch character of Waimea. Consequently, where there is a clear need for such elements in all but the central commercial areas, their design could incorporate rural appearance; for example, rolled curbs without sidewalks" (p. 25). This Plan controls the design of new subdivisions in Waimea today, such as the Parker Ranch Waimea Town Center project and the DHHL Lalamilo project. To see what a rolled curb looks like, click on the following link:
The vision statement by an imaginary resident in the 1993 Waimea Main Street Plan notes that "When I finished high school in 1985, . . . it wasn't even safe to walk by the road anymore. . . Things have changed in Waimea. . . It's fun and safe to walk around now. Walkways are local style, not big white concrete strips and they fit with our new Hawaiian-oriented landscaping. The pathway along Waikoloa stream is great and has helped local businesses. A lot more people come downtown for the day because they can walk around, do shopping and enjoy our park system. Whenever I go jogging on the trail, I bump into a lot of people I know" (pp. 2 and 3). The vision statement by an imaginary visitor notes that "One of the things we enjoyed most about Waimea was that it was fun to walk around. We found a river walk that connects parks, shopping and restaurants all together. We were amazed to see such a beautiful, serene pathway in the middle of this thriving town." So, this Plan too calls for implementation of what we now call the Nature Park and the Waimea Trails and Greenways project. The Plan states "Pedestrian pathways should be safe and attractive to encourage people to walk inside town. . . A safe, attractive network of pedestrian walkways should be re-established" (pp. 30 and 31).
To read the humorous story of how Waikoloa got its sidewalks, click on the following link:
How were pedestrians, bikers and riders supposed to cross Kawaihae Road?
A new bridge was to be built on Kawaihae Road across Waikoloa Stream that would accommodate a trail that began to the west at the proposed Lalamilo Park and residential area. The trail was supposed to lead east to the then-proposed Kohala Mountain Park. The trail was also supposed to cross Mamalahoa Highway just east of the Lucy Henriques Medical Center (in an undefined way) and connect with an east-west trail running through the Waimea Town Center.
Learning Center
The following links, provided by Janine Packett, relate to planning for safe schools:
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