In the article slow-motion disaster as lava nears main Hawaiian road, USA Today suggests that the variable speed of the lava flow has caused considerable concern and uncertainty:
"It's like slow torture," said Paul Utes, who owns the Black Rock Cafe in Pahoa. "It speeds up, it slows down, it speeds up, it slows down. It's not like any other event where it comes and goes ... and you can move on."
Predicting the future speed of the lava flow simply isn't possible, geologists say, because the advance rate is extremely variable and depends on how much lava the volcano produces.
Despite that evasion, it seems there must be more to the story...
What geological processes affect lava flow speed from the Kilauea volcano?
Having grown up on the Big Island, I can say from experience that these flows that come out of side vents are often slow enough to walk right up to and play with. They don't move fast at all. The reason it's such a big news event is because it nearly covered a main highway, which would've cut off a lot of people from the main town, Hilo.
The fast-moving lava flows usually come from the main caldera, where the amount of lava erupting is far greater. Also, Kilauea is really just a pimple on the side of Mauna Loa. So, it is a bit of a release valve for the big volcano. Shouldn't be too long before Mauna Loa erupts again and then you will see a lot of fast moving lava from a 13,000+ ft location.