West Maui needs safe pedestrian, bike path

West Maui has waited three decades for safe bicycling paths.

In 1992, Maui County Council approved a resolution supporting safe bicycling paths throughout Maui. After 31 years, little has been done in West Maui to implement this resolution.

There’s a real opportunity to make progress now. West Maui Greenway, a proposed 25-mile multiuse path from

Lipoa Point to Ukumehame, is designated as a high-priority project in the West Maui Community Plan approved by Maui County Council last year.

But it will take community support to build the greenway.

Why do we need the greenway? Because cars, pedestrians and bicycles don’t mix well on Maui roadways. Vision Zero Maui, the Maui Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) 2021 report, laid out the troubling statistics: From 2014 to 2018, pedestrians and bicyclists were involved in 9 percent of traffic crashes on Maui and represented 21 percent of traffic crash fatalities on Maui.

Think about that. One in five people killed in traffic accidents on Maui during a five-year period weren’t even in vehicles. They were walking or biking near the roadway.

If you’d like to see West Maui Greenway move forward, please write to Mayor Richard Bissen (mayors.office @mauicounty.gov), Council Member Tamara Paltin (tamara.paltin@maui county.us), and Maui MPO Executive Director Pam Eaton (pam@maui mpo.org).

It’s time to turn talk into action. West Maui needs and deserves a safe path for walking, jogging and bicycling. James Fahnestock

Lahaina

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