When the tour concluded, organizers urged everyone to attend future meetings and events the County of Maui will hold to support changes to make transit safer. PHOTO BY MADISON YU-CUA.

LAHAINA — Participants in a Feb. 27 tour hosted by West Maui County Councilwoman Tamara Paltin walked the busy intersection of Honoapiilani Highway and Keawe Street to discuss ideas to make transit more efficient, sustainable and accessible for the community in the area.

During the 90-minute event, the group identified unsafe and inaccessible sidewalks, roads and traffic signs/markings.

After walking short distances, participants were asked what they would rate that area — from 1-10 — on how safe, accessible and efficient it is for the average pedestrian and other traffic.

There were areas averaging scores of two and others of eight. From the group’s ratings, attendees discussed and justified their scores by evaluating what exactly made an area safe or unsafe. These factors included cut-off sidewalks, unclear traffic markings, landscaping and other features.

There were many areas that the group deemed unsafe or inefficient.

They saw sidewalks with no logical path further, inefficient use of space (too large parking areas, and clear areas where a sidewalk could be established), and unclear traffic markings that could be unsafe for pedestrians.

Some ideas to relieve these concerns include clear signage and road markings, wider sidewalks and smaller bike lanes.

This walking tour was part of events held last week to receive new ideas for improving affordable and workforce housing, transportation options and overall connectivity between Lahaina and Kaanapali for the West Maui Community Corridor Transient Oriented Development Plan.

The project is currently in its second major phase of community engagement. Additional ongoing opportunities to provide feedback on the project are available on the project website at WestMauiCommunityCorridor.org.

In July 2022, the West Maui Community Corridor TOD Action Plan was launched to make West Maui more connected, accessible, sustainable and livable by supporting a transit-oriented community.

The West Maui Community Corridor TOD Action Plan is led by the Maui County Department of Planning in partnership with Housing and Human Concerns, Parks and Recreation, Public Works, and Transportation, the Maui Metropolitan Planning Organization (Maui MPO), as well as the State Hawaii Department of Transportation.