HONOLULU (Eagle News) – Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino recently addressed mitigation efforts to relieve traffic congestion and illegal parking that have coincided with the recent surge of tourism to the island of Maui.

“I understand the anger and frustration of our residents, especially those who live in the Hana region [East Maui],” said Victorino.  “I don’t believe these visitors would stop in the middle of the road or park illegally in their own hometowns and endanger the safety of others, so why are they doing it here?”

Since the return of tourism earlier last spring, Mayor Victorino has worked with state legislators to install approximately 70 signs along the road to Hana to discourage illegal parking by warning of a $35 no parking fine and a $200 surcharge for illegal stopping on a state highway.

Between June 1 and June 23, the Maui Police Department (MPD) issued 389 parking citations and 83 warnings to violators on Hana Highway between Haiku and Hana town.  As with most other organizations recovering from the pandemic, MPD is short on manpower and operating with 90 fewer officers than needed.

“A choice must be made between enforcing parking violations or responding to the thousands of calls that MPD receives each week,” the mayor explained.  “I’m sure our citizens agree that enforcing crime is a higher priority than parking violations, but we are working toward other solutions.”

Mayor Victorino also met with airline executives to determine their willingness to voluntarily reduce airlift into Kahului Airport.  Similarly, he has met with State of Hawaii officials, including those from the Department of Transportation’s Airports Division, and Maui Airports management about gate congestion at Kahului Airport, currently operating beyond capacity.

“This is a complex problem that requires many solutions,” explained the mayor.  “Solving it will require a new mindset and willingness to try new ideas.  This is much bigger than passing new laws or assigning more police.”

(Eagle News Service)