Kauai - Fast Drivers/Slow Roads?
May 25th, 2005, 01:10 PM
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Kauai - Fast Drivers/Slow Roads?
Or is it just me? (As I don't remember seeing anyone mention this issue here, before).
We got back from Kauai last month, and I have never been accused of being a slow driver before, and I was not doing a lot of "rubbernecking" when cruising those deliciously twisty 2 lane roads, especially between Kapa'a and Hanalei, but.....
It sure seemed to me that there were a lot of people riding my bumper, trying to get by, even in those areas where getting the speed up to the 50 mph limit was asking for the tires to start to squeal. (I never noticed this "need for speed" in Maui, the week before.....).
Am I getting old, or has anyone else noticed this too?
In any event, it wasn't a big deal, I'd just pull off the road a bit and let them by.... and go on my merry way, soaking in the great surroundings.
We got back from Kauai last month, and I have never been accused of being a slow driver before, and I was not doing a lot of "rubbernecking" when cruising those deliciously twisty 2 lane roads, especially between Kapa'a and Hanalei, but.....
It sure seemed to me that there were a lot of people riding my bumper, trying to get by, even in those areas where getting the speed up to the 50 mph limit was asking for the tires to start to squeal. (I never noticed this "need for speed" in Maui, the week before.....).
Am I getting old, or has anyone else noticed this too?
In any event, it wasn't a big deal, I'd just pull off the road a bit and let them by.... and go on my merry way, soaking in the great surroundings.
May 25th, 2005, 05:56 PM
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We live on the northshore of Kaua`i, and I confess that when we're headed to town, that 50mph is usually my _minimum_ speed, rather than max! 8-)
I'm not one of the 80mph drivers (those are mostly the construction workers, and visitors rushing to the airport) -- but my speedometer is usually just under the 6-0 mark on the dial.
You were extremely polite to pull over and let the speeders pass by. It can be extremely frustrating for locals -- with appointments to keep and errands to run and jobs to get to -- to be stuck behind a rubbernecking tourist dawdling at 35-40 on the highway. Understandable if there are cars ahead of that one, but truly irritating if one car is holding up a whole line.
Mahalo for pulling over! 8-)
I'm not one of the 80mph drivers (those are mostly the construction workers, and visitors rushing to the airport) -- but my speedometer is usually just under the 6-0 mark on the dial.
You were extremely polite to pull over and let the speeders pass by. It can be extremely frustrating for locals -- with appointments to keep and errands to run and jobs to get to -- to be stuck behind a rubbernecking tourist dawdling at 35-40 on the highway. Understandable if there are cars ahead of that one, but truly irritating if one car is holding up a whole line.
Mahalo for pulling over! 8-)
May 25th, 2005, 10:04 PM
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Visitors on Kauai are damned if they do and damned if they dont! Residents can become aggravated with slow drivers or speed limit drivers who are holding up the faster local drivers. But speed demons in rental cars are also not appreciated! When I lived there I drove the speed limit, occasionally pulling over on the way to Hanalei or the west side. I never cared about annoying tailgaters between Kapaa and Lihue.
May 26th, 2005, 05:23 AM
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Yep, I sure noticed it when I went last summer. When I was almost to the end of the road on the north shore a drenching rain started suddenly and I slowed down long enough to find my windshield wipers (unfamiliar rental car). The person behind me (NOT in a rental car) honked and raced around me. It was like being in New York City instead of Kauai! Almost ruined my day...
May 26th, 2005, 10:39 AM
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This sounds like the kind of road on which locals - used to every twist and turn - are comfortable going much faster than tourists - who are naturally unfamiliar with the terrain.
You did the right thing to pull over. And it's not that you're getting slow - it;s that you don;t know the territory.
(This is very common. I have to take local parkways to work and back every day. these are twisty, narrow roads with tight turns and no shoulders. And since I do it every day - and have a car that handles well - I'm comfy doing 70/75 even though the limit is 55. What drives me nuts is the soccer moms in the tippy SUVs who want to do 45/50 - since they can;t go any faster safely - and won;t stay in the right lane where they belong - and god knows why they want to drive those ridiculous trucks anyway - why not a minivan for kids?)
You did the right thing to pull over. And it's not that you're getting slow - it;s that you don;t know the territory.
(This is very common. I have to take local parkways to work and back every day. these are twisty, narrow roads with tight turns and no shoulders. And since I do it every day - and have a car that handles well - I'm comfy doing 70/75 even though the limit is 55. What drives me nuts is the soccer moms in the tippy SUVs who want to do 45/50 - since they can;t go any faster safely - and won;t stay in the right lane where they belong - and god knows why they want to drive those ridiculous trucks anyway - why not a minivan for kids?)
