When I first moved to Honolulu, I thought, "It's an island, so the traffic must be light."

However, after living here for a few months, the biggest surprise was the traffic congestion. The ocean is beautiful and the weather is great, but during rush hour, I often see cars barely moving.

The traffic I experienced as a visitor didn't bother me much, but living here made it feel really severe.

As of 2025, Honolulu's traffic congestion is reported to be at 50.5%. It's said that an average driver wastes 88 hours a year on the road due to rush hour, which is quite serious. I thought only major cities like Los Angeles or New York had traffic jams, but in reality, Honolulu is also among the top congested cities in the nation.

Living here, you quickly understand why. The main reason is the unique environment of being an island.

Mainland cities can build new roads or expand outward, but Oahu cannot. The ocean is the ocean and the mountains are the mountains, so there's no way to infinitely expand the roads. However, the population continues to grow and the number of vehicles increases, so traffic congestion is bound to worsen.

On top of that, there are tourists. Last year, the number of tourists visiting Hawaii exceeded 9.6 million, and many of them use rental cars. Tourists staying in Waikiki all use the same roads to visit Diamond Head, the North Shore, Hanauma Bay, and shopping malls.

The problem is that these vehicles don't just cater to tourists; they overlap with the daily routes of residents.

In the morning, residents are commuting to work while tourists are heading to attractions. In the afternoon, residents are returning home while tourists are going back to their hotels. As a result, there's hardly any time during the day when the roads are free. If you get caught in the same routes as the tourists, it can be incredibly frustrating.

Particularly frustrating areas are around the airport and near Waikiki.

During peak tourist season, rental cars, hotel shuttles, Uber vehicles, and tour buses all converge at the airport. A trip that usually takes 20 minutes can take 40 to 50 minutes during these times.

Uber also seems to have a significant impact on traffic volume. Tourists prefer to use Uber rather than drive in unfamiliar areas.

As a result, the number of Uber drivers increases significantly during tourist season. Vehicles picking up and dropping off passengers at the airport and in front of hotels and shopping centers often slow down traffic flow even more.

Personally, I believe public transportation is the answer. Tourists should be able to travel comfortably from the airport to Waikiki and to major attractions without a car. This would reduce the demand for rental cars and lessen the burden on the roads.

Currently, a rail system is in operation, but it is not yet fully connected to major tourist destinations, so the impact is limited.

In the long term, expanding the routes would definitely help.

In the short term, increasing the number of tour buses during peak season and implementing dedicated transportation solutions between the airport and Waikiki also seem necessary.

Hawaii is still a beautiful island. However, from a resident's perspective, the second most common complaint after housing prices is traffic issues.

The tourism industry is a vital part of Hawaii's economy, but if it inconveniences residents' daily lives, it may be time for more realistic traffic solutions. Although complaining about it won't change anything.