I asked the top three candidates their position on removing bumps. Denise La Costa replied and the other two referred me to a Civil Beat article. The answers are long. Here is a quick summary:
P. Denise La Costa - wants to "get rid of unnecessary bumps" - Winner?
Her Civil Beat response was fairly lame: "I'll work with Engineering". But her email response to me (included below) was MUCH stronger in favor of removal.
Richard Bissen - wants "staff to inspect existing bumps"
To Richard Bissen's credit he ordered a halt to installing any more on County roads. But County staff is incapable of ensuring bumps meet standards. None of the installed bumps were inspected or meet standards (per Greg Blue). Inspecting is delaying, its NOT removal.
Yuki Lei Sugimura - Wants an "honest conversation."
Talking is not removal.
Full conversations:
Richard Bissen - wants "staff to inspect existing bumps"
Public safety is my priority. The speed humps were initiated and approved before my administration in response to community concerns about speeding and dangerous driving conditions. Recognizing differing opinions, I paused additional installations and directed staff to inspect existing speed humps to ensure they meet County standards. Any that do not will be removed and evaluated for replacement. Traffic-calming decisions should be guided by safety, engineering standards and community feedback.
https://www.civilbeat.org/2026/07/candidate-qa-maui-county-mayor-richard-bissen-2/
P. Denise La Costa - wants to "get rid of unnecessary bumps" - Winner?
Poor road engineering creates the dangerous conditions that make speed humps feel necessary. I’ll examine the root cause — design failures, contractor accountability and whether county procurement is delivering quality infrastructure. I’ll investigate who is getting these contracts and why there are so many on our roads. Are humps solving a problem bad engineering created? I’ll work with engineering to be sure the designs, if flawed, are corrected. Community input will drive every decision.
https://www.civilbeat.org/2026/07/candidate-qa-maui-county-mayor-p-denise-la-costa/
Denise La Costa email response to me (July 6):
“Traffic Calming”, “Speed-less Bumps”, “Apeed cushions” and “NO MORE SPEED BUMPS” Plus Infrastructure Accountability
The current proliferation of speed bumps across our local roadways has become a significant concern for residents. Actually, I’m not right bone of contention While slowing down vehicles is essential for protecting pedestrians and children in school zones, the current strategy seems Willy – Nilly, appears to lack any data-driven facts for placementand they don’t seem to be effective or fiscally responsible.
*. The Case for Re-evaluating Speed Bumps
The density of speed bumps on routes such as the Haiku-to-Pukalani corridor is excessive, (I counted 38) often resulting in increased vehicle wear and tear, actual damage to suspensions and a larger concern- emergency response delays . All of this without achieving meaningful speed reduction. I don’t think that there is a true Infrastructure policy. If they were, they certainly haven’t followed engineering best practices; instead they seem to have arbitrary placement. Or they go out and put in a speed bump when a resident complains of cars going too fast down the street. Sadly, they don’t stop the installation at one speed bump.
Proposed Policy Shifts
* Data-Driven Placement: Speed slowing measures should be restricted to high-risk areas, such as school zones and residential pedestrian crossings, where the safety benefit is clear.
* Modern Alternatives: Implementing speed cameras in high-traffic or high-risk zones provides a more effective, non-intrusive method for enforcing speed limits compared to physical barriers that impede traffic flow, cause vehicle damage and delay emergency services.
* Fiscal Transparency: The reported costs associated with the installation and maintenance of these bumps (I have been told from $15K -$25k-not verified) warrants a comprehensive audit. Taxpayers deserve full visibility into the procurement process, contract terms, and the justification for the expenditures involved.
* Commitment to Oversight
I will prioritize a formal review of all current traffic calming/ speed bumps/speed cushions or whatever other nomenclature the county has assigned to these projects. And get rid of unnecessary bumps and those that are stacked within 500’ of each other. My goal is to ensure that our infrastructure budget is directed toward solutions that provide ACTUAL safety benefits rather than inefficient, costly measures. We must modernize our approach to traffic management to ensure our roads are safe for everyone while minimizing car damage, emergency vehicle delays and being fiscally mindful of these ‘far to many’ slowing aids.
Personally, unless it is a pedestrian raised walkway or by a school or heavily traffic area, I rarely slow down, nor do the cars that are in front of me.
Poor road engineering creates the dangerous conditions that make speed humps feel necessary. I’ll examine the root cause — design failures, contractor accountability and whether county procurement is delivering quality infrastructure. I’ll investigate who is getting these contracts and why there are so many on our roads. Are humps solving a problem bad engineering created? I’ll work with engineering to be sure the designs, if flawed, are corrected. Community input will drive every decision.
Yuki Lei Sugimura - Wants an "honest conversation."
Local knowledge and input should drive decisions on speed humps. Residents know where drivers speed and where kids walk, and the county should respond to that knowledge rather than acting unilaterally. However, when clear safety risks are present, the county must act more quickly. If a community wants speed humps gone and there’s no compelling safety reason to keep them, then the county should listen. But, if removal would create a hazard, then we owe residents an honest conversation.
https://www.civilbeat.org/2026/07/candidate-qa-maui-county-mayor-yuki-lei-sugimura/
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