How long do we have to go along before we simply admit that Honolulu is one of the worst planned cities in the nation? The little traffic debacle the other day that brought the island to halt was a perfect example. What was that truck doing going down the highway under a bridge it couldn’t clear? Since it was a military vehicle we can’t expect much formal consequences but I’m glad I’m not the driver of that truck.

But that isn’t all that’s wrong with Honolulu. As much as the city administration is planning to repair some of the major roads the situation is downright pitiful. I literally drive a weaving pattern down Ala Wai Boulevard by memory dodging potholes. The same is true coming into Waikiki along Kalakaua Boulevard. It is disgraceful to think that this is the first impression that our tourists get as they enter “paradise.”

What brought this all to mind was going down to an ABC market on Kuhio Avenue recently to pick up an ice cream sandwich for my wife. When I came out of the store I noticed that the sidewalk made of flat stones that was part of the previous mayoral administration of Jeremy Harris was already beginning to deteriorate. Some of the stone had come loose and had to be removed.

This leads one to wonder how long it is going to be before some tourist trips on the uneven surface and sues the city. By the same token how long are going to keep pointing into the past and blaming the previous administration for not properly maintaining the city rather than the current one.

I also noticed driving to the post office in Waikiki that a number of the tree planters that lined the streets of Ewa Waikiki and took up so many parking places have been quietly removed. Some remain but the number is no near as great as it once was. I imagine that our sewer line problems probably had something to do with that. Tree roots aren’t all that beneficial for sewer systems.

Walking the dog along the Ala Wai canal is no longer possible since we have a major portion along the canal dedicated to the “temporary” sewer bypass project. The bike lane is also gone but it seems that the police aren’t as zealous in writing tickets for people riding bicycles on the sidewalk as they were previously. That may just be a perception but where are people supposed to go? Riding along the Ala Wai in the roadway has got to be a harrowing experience now.

This could really turn into a depressing litany of things that are wrong with this city. But the real point is dual. First is the poor planning that this city has experienced. A number of the problems we currently experience were because those who were supposed to be responsible for such planning did a very poor job, so we find ourselves in the pickle we do now.

The other is that maintenance is almost utterly neglected. That was the point about the stones coming lose along Kuhio Avenue. This is the responsibility of the current administration yet things are already beginning to deteriorate. Why?

And the answer to the question is misplaced priorities. Looking towards a huge rail transit project that will be a wonderful ribbon cutting event the real necessities of the city are being neglected. If the city cannot properly maintain Kalakaua Boulevard and the sidewalks of Kuhio Avenue how can it maintain a state of the art rail transit system?

Don Newman, senior policy analyst for the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii can be reached at: mailto:don@grassrootinstitute.org