Resolution seeks to reinstall barriers by Laniakea Beach

Kailua resident David Parker carried a cooler across a busy Kamehameha Highway after spending Saturday morning swimming at Laniakea Beach with his wife and 2-year-old daughter.

“This is probably one of our favorite spots on the North Shore,” Parker said, adding that he likes the beach not only for the sea turtles that visit, but for its “small, intimate feel.”

But his beach visits could change if a push to reinstall concrete barriers that block off a parking area across the highway from the beach is successful. He said if the parking were taken away, he probably would go to some other beach.

“I think the wrong solution is to take the parking away,” said Parker, who instead suggested crosswalks.

Earlier in the morning, Honolulu Councilwoman Heidi Tsuneyoshi held at a press conference across the street from Laniakea, also known as Turtle Beach, about a resolution she introduced Friday, calling for the state Department of Transportation to reinstall the barriers on the mauka side of the road.

She said they are needed as an interim solution to fix the major traffic congestion for local residents and safety concerns for pedestrians who have to scurry across the road to get to the beach. She said the danger to pedestrians was highlighted last month when a 10-year-old California boy was struck and seriously injured while crossing the road.

The state DOT installed the barriers in December 2013, but removed them in July 2015 after a judge found the city cannot block access to the beach without going through the permitting process and the state did not have a permit for the barriers in the coastal zone.

According to the judge’s injunction, the mauka area where visitors park is part of an undeveloped city property called “Laniakea Support Park.” When the barriers were installed, the state effectively denied beach access to the public except for those who were dropped off or were willing to walk hundreds of yards, the injunction said.

On Saturday, Tsuneyoshi said the state DOT said it could reinstall the barriers if it has an “express statement” from the city saying it does not intend to use the park land, and the Council’s adoption of her resolution, No. 19-228, would fulfill that requirement.

Attorney Bill Saunders, who represents the plaintiffs in the Save Laniakea lawsuit, said he is negotiating with the city and state to come up with a solution to the Laniakea barriers issue and in June, the state agreed to adopt his clients’ solution.

That solution is to use the barriers, but allow parking behind them with an entrance and exit in the barriers. A crosswalk also would help channel pedestrians across the street and improve safety, he said.

The city, however, has permitting issues to resolve regarding moving its fence farther inland to allow more space for vehicles in the parking area.

As for Tsuneyoshi’s resolution, he said the city can’t just block off a park and is required by state law to encourage the use of public land.

“She can’t do what she’s trying to do,” he said by phone Saturday. “That’s against the law.”

He said in an email that state law doesn’t permit the city to restrict resources because “their use creates traffic, is inconvenient or because the state DOT won’t do its job and fix the situation with a legal, reasonable and sensible solution …”

Tsuneyoshi said she will hold a town hall meeting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Waialua Elementary School to discuss the road near Laniakea.

“I think it’s very important for residents of the North Shore community to be able to come out and talk about this issue,” she said. “As we know, many residents have a very difficult time just getting around their community, so that’s a concern.”

Laniakea settlement conference by Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Scribd