COMMENTARY
Transit solution on track
By Mufi Hannemann
Over the past weeks, we've been working to bring Ho-nolulu citizens updates on the Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Corridor project.
Already there is much progress to report at the midway point in choosing O'ahu's locally preferred transit alternative.
Four alternatives are under consideration, but it's no secret that I am a strong proponent of a light-rail system. The recent community meetings demonstrated that lots of folks feel the same way.
Everyone agrees that traffic is a critical issue and we cannot afford to do nothing. We must act now to address O'ahu's traffic woes, and light rail represents our best chance to make a positive difference.
This will require a tremendous commitment of financial and human resources, and as government leaders ponder the best ways to solve O'ahu's complex transportation challenges, here are the hard realities we face:
This is why we have one of the highest bus ridership levels in the nation when you look at cities that do not have rapid transit systems. We've got a lot of demand for transportation, but not enough supply.
What are our choices?
We could do nothing, and commuters could continue to cope by riding buses stuck in traffic or head to work even earlier than they do now in an attempt to miss morning gridlock.
If we could afford it, we could build another 1,100 lane miles to serve the residents. This would cost tens of billions of dollars, displace thousands of residents and businesses, and take decades. It would require every road to be widened or have a second level built above it.
Or we could create balanced, multimodal transportation that includes roads and transit. This approach would include road improvements, like those identified in the O'ahu Regional Transportation Plan, and include a major transit system to serve much of the demand.
TIME IS RIGHT
The magnitude of what it takes to successfully plan, fund and build a transit system caused previous efforts to falter. This time, several factors are in our favor:
Rail transit also holds tremendous promise to help us shape a better O'ahu through transit-oriented development. I recently saw a great example of this at Englewood, Colo., where development of a transit station rejuvenated the economy.
Transit-oriented development also offers tremendous opportunities for the kind of public-private partnership that I saw in Salt Lake City, which is what I would like to employ to finance a transit system for Honolulu.
ONLY PART SOLUTION
While I've made clear my preference for rail, it is important for the public to understand that my administration has always favored a multimodal approach in dealing with traffic congestion.
By that, I mean offering people choices on how to move around O'ahu. We're looking at ways to improve and integrate bus service with light rail. We want to improve synchronization of traffic signals and develop more bike paths.
We're working toward a ferry system, and we continue to encourage economic development on O'ahu's west side, in keeping with our goal of enabling people to live, work and play in their communities.
The bottom line? We have to be creative, courageous and committed to meet Honolulu's ever-growing transportation needs.
On Nov. 1, Honolulu City Council members will receive an alternatives analysis that lays out the cost, ridership estimates, and environmental and social impacts for all of the transit alternatives being studied.
Based on that analysis and input from the general public, the council is slated to select Honolulu's locally preferred transit alternative by the end of the year.
I applaud all who attended the recent community updates and encourage everyone who cares about our island's future to be informed and involved in this effort. Updated information is at honolulutransit.org.
We will continue to hold regular community updates, work closely with the news media and continue ongoing community outreach efforts in the spirit of openness and transparency.
Mufi Hannemann is mayor of Honolulu. He wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.
