HONOLULU (AP) — Residents along Oahu’s north shore are calling for a ban on commercial tour buses, citing increased traffic from buses that drop off large crowds of tourists at public parks and beaches.
The North Shore Neighborhood Board passed a resolution Tuesday asking Honolulu City Council members Ernie Martin and Ikaika Anderson to implement regulations that will ensure tour buses do not infringe upon residents’ rights to access public parks.
Residents have complained of illegal parking, blocked roads and tourists overrunning parks and beaches, Hawaii News Now reported.
“We can’t get to the beaches because there are so many tour buses,” resident Dena Fitzgerald said.
Anderson, who represents Kailua and Waimanalo, has helped pass legislation that prohibits commercial activity and tour buses along Oahu’s east coast.
North shore residents are hoping to do the same, but Anderson warned it will be a challenge.
“I’ve always believed that the residents’ right to access our parks supersedes the right of anyone to make a dollar,” Anderson said. “If this community wants to follow in the path of Kailua, you could face an uphill battle.”
No one spoke out against the potential ban at Tuesday’s meeting.
But Justin Remais, who owns The Surf Bus, offered potential solutions to the traffic problem, suggesting his drivers take a different route.