Posted on: Thursday, September 7, 2006
Traffic tales from the road weary
Advertiser Staff
Drivers vented. They pointed fingers. And over a 24-hour period, more than 350 of them who logged on to www.honolulu advertiser.com painted a picture of frustration that rose up out of Tuesday's nearly islandwide gridlock. Here are some of the comments:
"Nine hours! Left Vineyard Zippy's at 4 p.m. and got home in Mililani barely at 1:13 a.m. this morning! Six hours of smelling exhaust fumes in the viaduct ... made me carsick ... Between the yelling and honking from fellow commuters, my cell phone died, it was my husband's birthday and having him watch our son sick with roseola measles, nothing to eat/drink, having an aunt (who) had to take her shoes off because her feet were sore from having to sit in one place too long that I had to endure smelling her sweaty feet in socks ... I was happy that I made it home alive!"
"I had hoped to be home by 8 p.m. but I was wrong. The three of us were hungry and didn't have any food or water. I felt bad for my 4-year-old son because he was getting tired."
"It was 2 a.m. by the time I arrived home. This should be a good wake-up call to those who oppose rapid rail transit. We don't need more roads; we need new solutions to our traffic problems."
"I hate that it only took one person to paralyze the entire island. Let this be a lesson to the powers that be, to prepare for the worst ... yesterday's response was deadly."
"It took me three hours going around the island from Kailua. I left at 8:30 p.m. and it was a nightmare. I'm still recovering."
"It took me four hours going the scenic route from Hickam via Likelike to the North Shore. Was mean, but could've been worse. Made my Heineken taste so good when I got home. Hawai'i still no ka 'oi."
"It took me well over four hours to get home and I was not a happy camper! The main thing is no one got hurt."
"It took me 3 hours and 45 minutes to get to Red Hill from Fort Shafter. That is two exits!"
"We can't depend on others to make things better for us when it comes to traffic messes. Most of us have a plan when there is a house fire ... Maybe we need to have a plan within our own family and friends ... to take care of things so many people tried to get home to do: pick up kids, feed people, get medication, etc. Keep your car in good working order, carry water, always have plenty gas, keep snacks in the car, own a cell phone, carry spare battery, have extra medication."
"Now this is a case for paving more bike paths all over the city. Each bike is one less car on the road. So let's vote in favor of allocating a percentage of road tax money for bike paths."
"While the governor and mayor bicker about who should collect the funds for rapid transit, we taxpayers get the short end of the shaft. Remember to vote all the deadbeats out of office."
"Why didn't the state DOT open up the eastbound lane for Central O'ahu residents to go home? Communication was terrible, and residents were very upset!"
"Seven hours! Got on the Wahiawa Heights Express at 4:30 p.m. in downtown and finally made it home at 11:30 p.m. I was impressed that everyone on the bus kept their cool and we laughed at the absurdity of taking five hours to pass the airport (on the H-1 viaduct) — even calculated that we could be in Los Angeles or Las Vegas by now — and estimated we were traveling about 1 1/2 miles per hour. I have to say a huge mahalo to the bus drivers for taking us home safely! And we sure could have used some port-o-potties!"
"I thought I was being pro-active by going through the North Shore but it actually took longer. My mom and I left at the same time. She took the Kamehameha Highway route and I took mine. She was home about two hours before me."
"I really hope that the Department of Transportation is going to get a plan in place, because this will happen again."
