Getting from Here to There

For three-and-a-half years we lived happily without a car. Bike, bus, tram and train meant not only did we not have to worry about parking, insurance, or break-ins, but could avoid the daily stress of driving.

We had hoped, with our move to a convenient neighborhood just a mile from Larry's office, that we could carry on in car-free bliss. But the thing about Maui is there are limited options to get around.

I don't even have a bike, because our stuff doesn't reach Hawaii till June 7.

Correction: I don't have my bike. We have the generous loan of a bike from Larry's office, but its braking reliability is highly suspect on the steeper streets in our area.

There is a bus system that seems to cover the island well, though not nearly as frequently or efficiently as what we've been used to.

This is the driveway where we live. Three units
with two tandem parking spots for each. The
large red-and-silver moped is the one we own.
The small car behind it is our most recent rental.

We have a two-person moped that's great for local trips, but not safe enough for cross-island or upcountry exploration.

Besides, Larry uses it for commuting every day, it's heavy, and I don't know how to drive it. Oh, and it's also not practical for hauling.

Recently we purchased a portable air conditioning unit. We also ordered and assembled a grill, which requires a propane tank. For the former, we rode the moped to the seller's place and I traveled home with it via Uber. Same drill for the propane tank.

Not a sustainable model.

While in downtown Lahaina, I walk to my heart's content. Outside of town, however, there's the same option for pedestrians, scooters, cyclists, and cars: the highway.

This is my commute path for
anywhere outside of central
Lahaina--on the shoulder
along Highway 30.

The first three categories share the shoulder, while the cars take the road. If you look at the Maui Road Map below, you immediately see why.

The red lines are the island's major roads. There aren't that many, and none more than four lanes.

On our side of the island, the main highway is only two lanes for much of its stretch, which means if there's an accident, everyone is stuck.

And the one thing you don't see on this map is a network of surface street alternatives.

That's because they don't exist. 

Housing developments are mostly self-contained, and there are no region-spanning avenues or bypasses.

(The Lahaina bypass starts just south of downtown and runs for a couple of miles before it ends and dumps you right back onto the highway just north of downtown.)

When you look at the second map, you see why hopping off the highway and taking a lengthy detour isn't an option. The topography of Maui makes it impractical to try to carve out a spiderweb of side streets. Eventually, the mountains win out, and you're back to circumnavigating the island with the existing highways.

Check out this cool interactive Maui map here:
https://mauiguide.com/maps/

So we've rented a car for two of the four weekends I've been here, and reality has sunk in.

While our overall lifestyle stress is lower, it appears we need to add a vehicular hassle back into the mix.

Now the search has begun in a bit more earnest for a relatively inexpensive and reliable car to help us take full advantage of the other sights Maui has to offer.

Wish us luck!