Traffic Calming

In 2021, the County of Kaua‘i enacted a revised traffic calming ordinance, which was passed by County Council at the request of the Department of Public Works (DPW) and the Mayor's office. The revised Ordinance, referred to as Ordinance No. 1095, provides for a more comprehensive analysis that goes beyond just speed humps on residential streets. DPW now conducts a comprehensive evaluation for traffic calming measures, which includes, but is not limited to vertical measures such as speed humps, speed tables, speed cushions, and horizontal measures such as chicanes, lateral shifts, narrowed lanes, roundabouts, etc. For examples of speed tables which were recently installed on Kolo Road in Kīlauea, please refer to the photos in the table below.

Here is a synopsis of what happens in the evaluation by DPW Engineering once a request is received:

1. An initial evaluation is conducted to determine whether the street is eligible for further evaluation to install traffic calming measures. This includes inventorying the existing speed limits signs, checking County Council resolutions, confirming the street is under County jurisdiction, confirming that the street is at least 450 feet long and has a straight segment at least 300 feet long, etc.
2. If an initial evaluation determines that an Engineering Study should be conducted, a fifty dollar ($50.00) one-time, non-refundable processing fee made out to the Director of Finance is required. The Engineering Division will notify the applicant when the payment needs to be made. If the initial evaluation determines that an Engineering Study is not warranted, the Engineering Division will notify the applicant as to the reason(s) why.
3. Traffic counts and speeds are collected and evaluated to determine the extent of the speeding problem and to determine if traffic calming measures are warranted.
4. If warranted, the type of traffic calming measures to use are determined and a public notification process occurs. This can include mailing letters to nearby residents, and in some cases, a public meeting is held. There is a required 30-day comment period.
5. Next, if warranted, a traffic resolution is prepared for other departments for review.
6. Comments are gathered and then the traffic resolution is sent to County Council for review and consideration for adoption.
7. If the resolution is approved by Council, the traffic calming measures are installed.

Please note that since Ordinance No. 1095 was enacted in 2021 and implemented as Kauai County Code §16-22, DPW Engineering has received over 70 requests for traffic calming island-wide and is working through them as quickly as possible. However, due to the length of the process and resources available, a specific timeframe for responding to new requests cannot be provided at this time. We appreciate your patience and understanding.  

If you would like to request for traffic calming on your road, you can apply by following the steps below:

1. Go to Connect.Kauai.gov and login using your account.

2. Click in the Search box to find the form, for example type "Traffic Calming", or click the "Public Works \ Engineering" Icon

3. Select the "Traffic Calming Measure Request" Icon

4. Fill out required information for the application

Once the application is submitted, it will be reviewed by Public Works - Engineering Division staff. You will receive an automated email when your application is received.

While the application is being reviewed, you can view its progress at any time by logging back into Connect.Kauai.gov.

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