Letters to the Editor

Rail foes' target is really the mayor Who's kidding whom? City Councilman Charles Djou and his cohorts are planning the downfall of the mayor and a takeover of the transit project.

[satch7]

To the writer of the article "Pack up and Move Closer to your Destination" your name aptly applies to my question in you writing the article"Just what were you smoking when you wrote that letter to the editor?

[Lin Wong]

What happened to the Corky editorials? All mention of him has disappeared from the paper.

Mahalo,

Lin

[Bob]

It's about time people started to push back on these anti-rail jokers. Practically all their arguments are bogus and they certainly don't have any positive solutions to offer. Paving over Hawaii isn't the answer. They don't speak for the "people," we didn't elect them.

[DevilDog]

Doug Carlson nails it with his explanation of why we need professional communications practitioners to conduct a public information and education campaign, delivering accurate information about the proposed transit system.

[Piggly Wiggly]

Marijuana kills cancer cells and tumors.

I'm putting a bumper sticker on my car to cure cancer and support our troops!

[iole]

Yes, professionals know better?

[Carole]

TO John Thatcher

Your teachers and students.... your school, as a whole, is no doubt doing a better job than the regular public schools... and we KNOW that the DOE is going to punish you for it. How DARE you show up their system! We know that excellence in education is a punishable offense. Why, they might even deport you if you keep up the good work. Watch your back!

[Kirkland]

It seems to me that we all won't be talking about rail today if the city did not cheat and made sure that the decision coming out of the panel of experts was steel on steel.

The city cheated the public by appointing five of the six members ofthe panel with rail transit and steel on steel experts. That is why the decision coming out of the panel of experts was steel on steel.

If the panel of six experts had a good mix of experts in solving traffic gridlock such as the inclusion of architects, we all won't be talking about rail.

All this talk about how good rail is for Oahu is just propaganda.

For Oahu is not Japan, Singapore nor any of the major cities in the US and abroad that has commuter rail.

Oahu has a culture, population count, financial situation, and environment unique and distinct from those cities.

It is nonsense to attempt to put a square peg into a round hole as what the mayor and all pro-rail people are trying to do.

[Kirkland Basher]

Mike Hu wrote:

The key to successful rail projects is "population density," or the number of people who don't have to drive their cars, take the bus, ride a bike, or walk a mile just to get to a rail station -- before their just as fast train ride to another rail station, where they again have to drive their car, take the bus, ride a bike, or walk a mile to get to their ultimate destination.
So once the Mayor's public relations teams can convince us (mainly the newspaper editors/writers -- I doubt that anybody else is as gullible) that an empty pineapple field is "same-same" Manhattan, what does it matter if their train is made steel, gold, plumeria flowers, or plastic?

Actually Mike... it's called GRIDLOCK.... ever driven in Washington DC or L.A.? Hmmmm. I think they both have rail.... and so does Philly and Tampa and Chicago and Boston and...

[Sally]

Let's support the Charter Schools.

[John Brizdle]

I guess you know that your letter hit a nerve when a highly paid rail PR person feels the need to respond. The tone of Doug Carlson's letter in response to my earlier letter is that we are doomed. Doug claims there is only one alternative to sitting in traffic and that is rail. That is very sad because the Alternatives Analysis tells us that rush hour traffic will get 50% worse with rail between now and 2030. Doug is so focused on rail as the only alternative, that he isn't interested in the 80% of commuters who will never use rail according to the Alternatives Analysis.

There are better choices than rail. Elevated Managed Lanes are superior to rail.
Rail can only carry transit commuters. So, let's compare the transit commuters experience on Managed Lanes vs. rail. The transit commuter from Waianae going to the Ala Moana Center rides the bus to the beginning of the new project (lets say the distance to Ala Moana is 20 miles). With rail the transit commuter transfers to the elevated platform and waits for the next train. They then get on the train and proceed to Ala Moana at an average speed of 25 miles per hour. The commuter will arrive at Ala Moana 48 minutes later. Now the same Waianae transit commuter arrives on the bus at the beginning of the new project and this time waits to transfers to an Express Bus going to Ala Moana. The commuter will arrive in 20 minutes (Managed Lanes do not have stations. Managed Lanes guarantee that all vehicles will travel at 60 miles per hour.) The difference in this example is 28 minutes one-way or 56 minutes round trip. So, given a choice, why would the Waianae transit commuter waste 56 minutes per day and choose rail? Managed Lanes is the better choice to let commuters bypass traffic and arrive at their destinations on time.

[Kirkland]

Kirkland Basher wrote:

For Oahu is not Japan, Singapore nor any of the major cities in the US and abroad that has commuter rail.
Kirland wrote: " Oahu has a culture, population count, financial situation, and environment unique and distinct from those cities.
It is nonsense to attempt to put a square peg into a round hole as what the mayor and all pro-rail people are trying to do."
However, moron, you are overlooking one important fact that we have in common with Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, etc., WE ALL have FINITE space. Oahu cannot expand the highways due the VISUAL BLIGHT laws (which can only be changed by BOTH the state and city)and the host of environmental groups who would love a chnce to holler about adding double deck freeways or a (never-gonna-happen)tunnel under PH. More cars and more roads WON'T SOLVE gridlock. And believe me - the West Oahu plight of gridlock will soon be expanding to East Oahu and the downtown area in the VERY NEAR future. So let's see you put your anti-rail square peg in your supposed square hole.
And BTW PANOS still is looking for someone to listen to his 1960s "so-called educational experience" that he languishes on the public and his students.

We are talking about rail today because the public had been cheated in the filling up of the six seats in the panel of experts.

Of the six members of the panel of experts five were rail transit and steel on steel experts.

Now if the six seats of the panel of experts had a mixture of professionals who are experts in the elimination of traffic gridlock like for example architects, we would not be talking about rail today.

A posting that is anchored upon a hatred of cars is just nonsense.

This talk about visual blight law looks impressive except that it also applies to the elevated structures and overpasses needed for rail transit.

But then what we will never know is that rubber on concrete may have been the decision coming out of the panel of experts if only the city did not cheat to make sure that it would be steel on steel.

[ACT NOW]

Rail supporters like Carlson always wimp out and say that "There will always be traffic" instead of finding a real SOLUTION. West Oahu should demand a SOLUTION not EXCUSES. Elevated managed lanes will NOT have traffic because they are MANAGED! They can be financed by private investors, be built in 5 years, not 20 for rail, and can accommodate any kind of vehicle, like ambulances, firetrucks and tour busses.

[TwoRivers]

ACT NOW wrote:

Rail supporters like Carlson always wimp out and say that "There will always be traffic" instead of finding a real SOLUTION. West Oahu should demand a SOLUTION not EXCUSES. Elevated managed lanes will NOT have traffic because they are MANAGED! They can be financed by private investors, be built in 5 years, not 20 for rail, and can accommodate any kind of vehicle, like ambulances, firetrucks and tour busses.

You can build 10 new lanes... there will be no place to park all those cars at their destination. Rail leaves the car at home.

[sli]

All these rail supporters are living in Lolo Land if they believe that the rail system is going to relieve traffic. They don't and won't here. It will benefit a few who live close to the stops and work close to the other end but the big beneficiaries will be Muffin Man's cronies who will make mega bucks off of it. Follow the money!

[Kailua Resident]

ACT NOW wrote:

Rail supporters like Carlson always wimp out and say that "There will always be traffic" instead of finding a real SOLUTION. West Oahu should demand a SOLUTION not EXCUSES. Elevated managed lanes will NOT have traffic because they are MANAGED! They can be financed by private investors, be built in 5 years, not 20 for rail, and can accommodate any kind of vehicle, like ambulances, firetrucks and tour busses.

Managed lanes will not help a sizable chunk of commuters becuse they are maanged to keep only a small amount of cars on them (hence the ability for those cars to go 55 mph). And who will be in those few cars? People who can afford to pay the tolls!
We could clear up congestion on H-1 with a toll too. Guess what though, we would have the majority of the population sitting in traffic on the side streets.
Doesn't everyone see the inherent contradiction in HOT lanes. The more popular they are, they less efective they are (they become gridlocked too). So they use varirable prices to make sure it never becomes too opoular. That is it never becomes used by the 'masses.' Imagine if our bus system had 100 percent ridershrip, and we said, we better raise the fare to reduce the demand. What an ansine policy when it comes to public transportation! So either we have to build more and more HOT lanes or we have to admit that they really aren't a public transportation alternative, but rather a alternative for those who can afford to pay for the privlige of using them!

[Russ]

Why do we need charter schools? Are they better than public schools? I think we're just spending money on a duplication of services.

[starbulletin]

Lin Wong wrote:

What happened to the Corky editorials? All mention of him has disappeared from the paper.
Mahalo,
Lin

There is a note on the editorial page that Corky is on vacation until April 30. Hang in there!

[Kalihi Girl]

Just build the rail. Stop the whining! And if there's an accident in the managed lane what happens then, especially if cars can drive 65mph? What if a jukalot car breaks down? Hawaii, you've debated this rail issue for so long and yet there's not real alternative to the traffic. H-1 didn't change from three lanese to six lanes. There's too many development with too many people with too many cars on this tiny island.

[Doug Carlson]

John Brizdle wrote:

I guess you know that your letter hit a nerve when a highly paid rail PR person feels the need to respond. The tone of Doug Carlson's letter in response to my earlier letter is that we are doomed. Doug claims there is only one alternative to sitting in traffic and that is rail. That is very sad because the Alternatives Analysis tells us that rush hour traffic will get 50% worse with rail between now and 2030. Doug is so focused on rail as the only alternative, that he isn't interested in the 80% of commuters who will never use rail according to the Alternatives Analysis.
There are better choices than rail. Elevated Managed Lanes are superior to rail.
Rail can only carry transit commuters. So, let's compare the transit commuters experience on Managed Lanes vs. rail. The transit commuter from Waianae going to the Ala Moana Center rides the bus to the beginning of the new project (lets say the distance to Ala Moana is 20 miles). With rail the transit commuter transfers to the elevated platform and waits for the next train. They then get on the train and proceed to Ala Moana at an average speed of 25 miles per hour. The commuter will arrive at Ala Moana 48 minutes later. Now the same Waianae transit commuter arrives on the bus at the beginning of the new project and this time waits to transfers to an Express Bus going to Ala Moana. The commuter will arrive in 20 minutes (Managed Lanes do not have stations. Managed Lanes guarantee that all vehicles will travel at 60 miles per hour.) The difference in this example is 28 minutes one-way or 56 minutes round trip. So, given a choice, why would the Waianae transit commuter waste 56 minutes per day and choose rail? Managed Lanes is the better choice to let commuters bypass traffic and arrive at their destinations on time.

You can cherry-pick this or that scenario to prove whatever point you want. What you can't ignore is the daily gridlock experience on the freeway that affects thousands of commuters who hate it. Rail will allow them to avoid that traffic, giving them a guaranteed arrival time. Managed Lanes are managed by manipulating the cost to drive on them. The lanes are allegedly kept flowing by setting the price to drive so high that commuters are priced out of the experience. That's good for well-to-do people, but it's highly regressive. And at the end of those lanes? Unless you're going to dump those lanes at King and Bishop, anybody driving on them will be right back in the jam at the end of the road.

So I ask you again: What is your alternative to being stuck in traffic at some point during the car-based commute? What is your solution to arrive at your destination on time day after day without fail? You can't do that if you're driving your car. You simply can't, and you haven't made a convincing argument.