No nene have been struck by traffic on Kalanianaole Street in Hilo since the speed limit was reduced in 2023.
Two years ago, the Hawaii County Council passed a measure that lowered the speed limit on Kalanianaole Street between James Kealoha Park and Leleiwi Street from 30 mph to 25 mph in an effort to reduce collisions between traffic and endangered nene that roost in the Keaukaha wetlands.
That effort was evidently successful. Jordan Lerma, executive director of Nene Research and Conservation, told a County Council committee last week that the road is now measurably safer for nene and humans alike.
At least eight nene were known to have been killed between Lili‘uokalani Park and Kings Landing from 2021 to 2023. Two nene were killed in traffic collisions on that stretch of Kalanianaole Avenue in the first months of 2023, which prompted the speed limit change.
Lerma, who strongly advocated for the speed limit change, said not only have there been no known vehicle/nene collisions since the speed reduction, the average speed of drivers along that stretch of Kalanianaole Street has decreased by 22%.
Before the speed limit reduction, Lerma said drivers would rarely follow the speed limit, and that during a traffic study conducted prior to the changes, one speeding vehicle was recorded exceeding 80 mph. Since the reduction, he said, the maximum speed recorded was only 51 mph — still a violation, but less extreme.
Lerma said there also have been no collisions involving vehicles or pedestrians since the speed limit reduction.
Lerma said the nene population on the Big Island has not significantly increased over the past few years, and that other threats to the goose remain a concern.
In particular, Lerma mentioned the dangers of nene interactions with feral cats. Last year, a nene gosling found dead in Lili‘uokalani Gardens was determined to have been killed by toxoplasmosis, an infection caused by parasites carried in the feces of feral cats.
Lerma said people feeding feral cats not only increases the chances of nene becoming infected, but also raise the chances of a traffic-related fatality.
“It’s tough, because a lot of the nene getting hit by cars is in response to where folks are feeding cats,” Lerma said. “At Lili‘uokalani park, there’s two nene that have died from getting hit by cars, and they were crossing the street to get to where people were feeding cats.”
Solving the feral cat problem has proven a daunting task. Lerma said no animal control organization on the island is currently taking in feral cats, allowing the number of cats to increase.
“Back 10 years ago, the Humane Society was euthanizing 15,000 cats per year,” Lerma said. “That’s zero now, so where are all those cats going? In our parks and our neighborhoods.”
Hamakua Councilwoman Heather Kimball said Tuesday that she is working with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and other groups to develop a pilot project to address the feeding of feral cats on Banyan Drive.
Some bills are also active in the state Legislature, including one that prohibits the feeding of “feral non-native animals” on state land within a half-mile of the ocean or a stream. That bill also requires the counties to adopt ordinances prohibiting the same on county land.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
