A resolution is a legislative statement of intent, without the force of law. But it can have the power of persuasion if, like Resolution 21-154, it lays out the facts of a problem, leading clearly to a conclusion.

That conclusion: It’s time to take down the Haiku Stairs.

The stairs comprise nearly 4,000 steps of steel, anchored to the Koolau slopes, leading to the ridgeline and affording a spectacular Windward Oahu vista.

Their original purpose was more utilitarian. The stairs were used by the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard to provide access to communications facilities, operated until 1997. Public access, never its primary purpose, was restricted in 1987 due to liability concerns. Ownership of the site transferred, first to the Honolulu Board of Water Supply and then, a year ago, to the city Department of Parks and Recreation.

The popularity of the attraction grew gradually among island hikers but really skyrocketed when social media spread word about the stairs among visitors to the islands, and people trooped there regardless of keep-out signs. Some found alternative routes that avoided security guards; others would go in outside the hours a guard was posted there.

Residents of the abutting neighborhoods, throughout all this, complained loudly of trespassers and disturbances at all hours.

Late last year, the outgoing Honolulu City Council took up a resolution that sought a 12-year agreement with an unnamed vendor to develop a “managed access plan” for guided hikes. That measure was not adopted — appropriate, given the change in administration and Council membership.

One of the new Council members, Esther Kia‘aina, representing the surrounding area, introduced 21-154; it recommends the opposite outcome, urging the city to remove the stairs.

Even in advance of a public hearing on the measure, the most logical course of action is already plain. Stairs advocates still want to retain the structure, but the hurdles they must overcome are now even higher.

One reason: As the COVID-19 restrictions continue to recede, the influx of tourists to the islands is reaching a high mark. One of the lessons of the pandemic has been that all the islands — crowded Oahu in particular — must take steps to manage the impact on resources.

Even in areas that are open to the public, the crowds have raised concerns about safety and the increased burden of rescue operations on the counties.

This does not weigh in favor of keeping what’s been dubbed “the Stairway to Heaven” in any condition that enables access. Or, as the resolution puts it: “The Council believes that a ‘managed approach’ to the stairs will not be effective as the stairs’ worldwide social media profile will continue to attract trespassing hikers.”

Kia‘aina makes the point in the resolution that $1 million has been included in the budget for the removal of the stairs, a project that was estimated in the 2020 environmental impact statement to cost $986,000. The Blangiardi administration would not be compelled to spend that money by adoption of the resolution.

But it’s good the money is there, because at this point, removal — total, or partial to prevent ascent — does seem the best option.

There have been hopes for the development of an operation that could safely run hikes in a noninvasive way, but problems of public access to the stairs through private property persist. It’s unrealistic and unfair to affected residents to vacillate about this issue indefinitely.

It’s also unnecessary. There are other, safer, legal hikes to reach awesome ridgeline views that all can enjoy. It’s time to pursue those opportunities and put the irreconcilable differences of the Haiku Stairs behind us.