Honolulu rail line gets key congressman's support

Honolulu's mass transit system 'just has to happen,' says the chairman of the House Transportation Committee.

[SUNSEASURF]

I lived in DC with the Metro and it was good and bad. It was great for the govt. workers to commute into and out of the city. BUT it took HUGE PARKING LOTS and people still had to DRIVE on the freeway to get to those HUGE PARKING LOTS. Where are these lots going to be located? What available space is there to put parking lots and what is more needed...more parking lots or places to live. DOWN WITH THE RAIL!!!

[Tster]

READ MY LIPS ITS TOO LATE FOR A RAIL SYSTEM! YOU STUPID PEOPLE IN HAWAII SPENT TOO MUCH TIME FIGHTING IT THAT THE TRAFFIC PROBLEM IS BEYOND A RAIL SYSTEM......GO TO THE BEACH,DRINK BEER,BBQ,GO SWIMMING AND GET EATEN BY A TIGER SHARK, HANG LOOSE BRADAH..

[scotty]

Nobody but Mufi and his cronies support rail. Why the hell are we building it??

[Action for relief]

scotty wrote:

Nobody but Mufi and his cronies support rail. Why the hell are we building it??

We can complain all we want but we must send letters, faxes to the Mayor and city council to get what we want. Ask your family, friends and community representatives to send in requests for traffic relief. Below is a sample letter. Send your letter to the Star Bulletin and Advertiser. We need action!
MAYOR'S OFFICE
Mufi Hannemann, Mayor
Fax [phone]
CITY COUNCIL
Fax:[phone]
Sample Letter:
To the Mayor and City Council :
Subject: Central Oahu Traffic Congestion- request for immediate traffic relief
1. The mayor stated in his State of the City Address: "The Central and West Oahu commuters want traffic relief and they want it NOW!"
It is requested that the solution below be implemented now to provide traffic relief.
One low cost immediate solution to the Central Oahu Traffic congestion can be implemented as follows:
-Dedicate the use of the H-1 and Nimitz zipper lanes and the H-1 &H-2 HOV Lanes, to only busses, van pools, and high occupancy cars (5 or more).
- Increase the number of express buses during the am and pm peak traffic hours to transport the Leeward and Central Oahu commuter. The city owns 550 buses and not all of them are used during peak hours.
- The Express Buses morning route would be from outlying bus transit centers in the towns and villages to the zipper lane on H-1 to the contra flow lane on Nimitz Highway, turn left on Alakawa, turn right on to Dillingham Blvd and then proceed to the Hotel Street Mall onto the one-way King Street until reaching U.H
- The pm route would use the one-way Beretania Street, Dillingham Blvd, Existing HOV lanes westbound on the H-1 viaduct, HOV on H-1 and H-2 to Kunia and Mililani, respectively. These HOV lanes would be for express bus use only.
- To initially entice single occupancy drivers to ride the express busses, bus fares would be free for one year, during peak traffic hours only (6 am to 8am and 3 pm to 6 pm weekdays
- Bus transit centers are established at Waianae, Kapolei, Mililani and Waipahu. Additional transit centers should be established at Nanakuli, Ewa Beach, Ewa, Waialua, Haleiwa, Wahiawa and Pearl City. Express buses must be available every 5 to 10 minutes for the straight run to downtown. Local short- trip busses would continue to run at their normal schedule.
- To assure transportation reliability during peak travel hours, express buses must be available every 5 to 10 minutes at temporary transit centers for commute to downtown Honolulu/University of Hawaii. The reverse must be true for the afternoon peak traffic from Honolulu/University of Hawaii to outlying transit centers.
- The Mayor and the governor should increase parking rates for government employeesby 400 percent on municipal parking lots during this experimental period.
- Kapolei commuters will be able to reach downtown Honolulu within 40 minutes even if he/she departed Kapolei at any time during the heaviest traffic hours.
- Ths option will cost almost zero dollars in terms of new construction.
- Lastly, note that this solution can be done NOW!!! as the mayor so emphatically stated.
Signed,
Taxpayer
Oahu Taxpayer

[Atah]

WAY TOO much fighting about a problem that NEEDS a fix ..The bus is adequate but needs more ...
In LA the Rail system took a lot of people out of their cars,cut alot of AIR pollution and slowed the building of new EXPENSIVE freeways . See Stop the RAIL web site .They have suggestions that I brought to the City Fathers but turned a deaf ear .The Above ground and the tunneling at congested intersections is a great start ..But that leaves all the commuters IN THEIR CARS ..We need to get them out of their cars and use PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION .
Arab OIL cost upward of $125.00 a barrel, Gasoline at near $5.00 a Gal; We need to get out of our cars ; The Rail is only a part of the Answer . But it is a START ,Cost $Billions . Sure , but a lot is FEDERAL Monies that comes from CALIFORNIA . Use it for HAWAII's (OAHU'S) Benefit .