On Aug. 11, the Honolulu City Council will vote on whether to destroy the world renowned Haiku Stairs. This is despite the fact that less than two years ago, the community came out in force to provide overwhelming testimony to save the Haiku Stairs so that it could be managed by a third party with limits on the number of hikers per day, while minimizing impact on the adjacent neighborhood.
There is an alarming trend where a handful of loud, deep pockets are getting their way when it comes closing trail and beach access in their neighborhoods.
Recently, the state suddenly closed Maunawili Falls Trail for two years. The trail will remain closed while the state develops a master plan, improves the trail and preserves areas of historical and cultural importance. Maunawili Falls Trail was loved to near-death and trail maintenance is needed. The Boyd Estate/Queen’s Retreat areas that have been neglected for years will be restored and protected.
This is wonderful news, but why is this process going to take two years? Why not develop the master plan first, offer the public an opportunity to provide input, and then close the trail when work is ready to begin?
Another popular trail that is probably going to be next for extended closure is the Lanikai Pillboxes trail. Lanikai residents lobbied a former elected official a couple of years ago and had a lot of street parking taken away to discourage hikers and beachgoers from causing traffic backups. Now that the Board of Water Supply is replacing a water pipe in the area, frequent traffic jams have become commonplace. So, parking was banned on weekdays for the road work, which is scheduled to be completed in December. Unfortunately, even the parking ban has not stopped traffic from getting backed up on certain days.
Locals and tourists love Lanikai Beach and the Pillboxes hike. Lanikai residents want a quiet neighborhood with no traffic. Unless another road into and out of Lanikai is built, there will be traffic issues. Some Lanikai residents feel that making it a private neighborhood is the answer. That’s definitely an easy solution, but is it the right one for Hawaii? If we give into one neighborhood, gated communities will proliferate in Hawaii.
North Shore residents are also frequently stuck in traffic and there are cries by residents near Laniakea Beach to close that beach. Laniakea Beach is popular because of the honu. NOAA volunteers keep the beachgoers away from the turtles. Closing the beach is the easy path that bows to the wishes of a few nearby homeowners. Instead, making a parking lot would improve traffic flow.
Closing popular trails and beaches, destroying a world-renowned historical structure, taking away public parking while providing permits for residents, are all measures that cater to a wealthy few. The compromise is legal, managed access.
Kailua already has very few public beach accesses. Many of these are in Lanikai. Do we really want private neighborhoods and de facto private beaches? If the answer is no, the state needs to build another road into and out of Lanikai and put in a public parking lot. Building another road into Lanikai won’t be simple or cheap, but it can be done with political will.
Do we really want to spend a million dollars destroying a historical treasure, or do we want to preserve, maintain and manage access to the Haiku Stairs so the city can earn income for preservation of the Stairs and future generations can enjoy a bucket-list climb with minimal impact on Haiku residents?
It’s time our elected officials came up with long-term solutions that preserve beach, trail and neighborhood access.
Let’s hope that our elected officials are akamai and pono and do right by all of us, starting with the vote by the City Council on Aug. 11 on the Haiku Stairs.
Shiyana Thenabadu is a Kailua resident, community volunteer and nature lover.
