Commuters take transit alternatives

[Kirkland]

Kailuaresident wrote:

Kirkland - becuase we dont see an alternative. We have listed our numerous objections to HOT lanes, so even if they were cheaper they dont accomplish many of the things we hope rail does.
Why is that so hard to understand?

Trains in Oahu are little if no use or practically useless most of the day, night, Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays. A bus on the other hand is useful 24/7. Objections to Hot lanes are not critical. Keep in mind that Oahu does not have as dense a population as Chicago or New York.So, even on rush hours, Oahu trains would be under-uilized. Furthermore, all Oahu trains would be running almost if not empty most of the day and all night and on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays. Trains are prohitively expensive for the price the people of Oahu have to pay with a prohitive increase in the GET and/or property tax in order to fund the billions and billions needed to build rail transit and the millions and millions to maintain it. It is sheer folly to pay for a system that is practically useless except for a few hours five days a week compared to buses on hot lanes which are useful 24/7. The choice is very clear. Trains are too expensive that the people cannot afford plus they are practically useless most of the day, all night and on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays. Buses on Hot lanes are useful to everyone 24/7 and billions less expensive.

[GishiGo]

You could do some rideshare trips to share fuel cost. Don't have to do many, just a couple low pressure situations. It's an option.

I use GishiGo because it has built in identity test and helps me filter away the BS artist on social networks.

http://www.Gishigo.com

Also use the free ones, but filter the people thru GishiGo. It works.

[ccp33]

Kailuaresident wrote:

Kirkland - becuase we dont see an alternative. We have listed our numerous objections to HOT lanes, so even if they were cheaper they dont accomplish many of the things we hope rail does...

You don't see or hear about the alternatives because they were NEVER openly and HONESTLY discussed by Mufi and his administration in the first place. All the informational meetings that the Mufi and Parsons was full on PR propaganda. If you just read these forums, numerous posters have suggested viable and cost effective alternatives using common sense and personal experience of getting to addressing who, what, where, when and why we have our traffic problems on Oahu. That would be the way to address the problem NOT to base rail technology, route, spending on special interest groups desire to facilitate their construction of 10K-15,000 home/commercial urban sprawl development or stops every mile of the train route for the purpose of building rail station "meccas".

What bothers me the most with Mufi's Aloha train to nowhere is not just a massive waste of taxpayer monies but a diversion to much more pressing and relevant matters such as addressing basic water and sewage infrastructure that needs serious work. Yes, the City is working on sewage infrastructure in Kailua but what about the disgusting and massive temporary sewage bypass system in Waikiki that has been like that for years now? Waikiki is supposed to be Oahu's crown jewel to our multi-billion dollar visitor industry and that overbearing monstrosity appears almost like a permanent fixture in Waikiki. Instead of putting a 2009 deadline to begin rail construction how Mufi about a putting 2008/2009 deadline to fix and remove temporary Waikiki force sewage mains once and for all?

Also for the $100 million dollars already spent for the rail project alone, I bet they could have used that money to find a cost-effective solution, and not that 1 billion dollar price tag, to upgrade our two Oahu sewage facilities from primary only to tertiary-level treated sewage. I know this can be done because if you go online, there is numerous articles on how third world countries where able to successfully upgrade their sewage facilities and NOT have to spend a billion dollars.

example:
http://www.oas.org/dsd/publications/Unit/oea5...

Mufi priorities and motivations are so blatantly special interest laced with personal political ambition and not what is best for City residents, visitors & military, that those of us who are not making a killing with rail-based contracts such as DeSoto, Yadao, Mineta, etc. see through all of this direct PR and anonymous posting facade.

[kalei]

wahine luahine wrote:

<quoted text>
If you believe that, then you believe that our ONLY future is that we are all going to be driving cars (or some such thing) and sitting in some kind of traffic every day. That is a very limited view.
There are OTHER futures. Think about it.
BTW, just HOW are we going to get the electricity to run a mass transit system when the oil costs more than anyone can pay? Solar powered mass transit? Wind power?
Should we start discussing NUCLEAR POWER for Hawai'i now??? THAT is the federal solution (the only one on the table right now -- it will keep us all tied to the profits of big corporations and a corporate-run federal government). Think about it.
And ... btw, the oil IS running out; NO transportation future should be based on oil.

DUH!ALTERNATIVE ENERGY-please educate yourself by reading mainland transit systems-

[wahine luahine]

dwilliams wrote:

<quoted text>
...
Sounds like we need new bus managment, since the current ones can't even manage what they have now...
I see buses that used to be easy to ride harder to ride now, since there are fewer during the day and more people.

Higher gas prices + fewer buses + more people riding = poor system.

And there are still people out there thinking we need an ALL BUS system...

This is EXACTLY why we don't trust the present administration in any transit planning! There is no reason the Bus couldn't be better. Can we say "corruption"? Can we say "inept'?

The Bus does not answer to anyone (that WE know of). There is NO ACCOUNTABLITY for any of their decisions.

Meanwhile, the top people are raking in their money.

That is no way to run PUBLIC transit.

Until the people of Hawai'i understand what "privatization" really means, they will just get what they deserve. The "market forces" always lead to the greediest pockets. There is utterly NO incentive for a business to "do the right thing" in Hawai'i so long as they can get away with "doing the right thing for #1".

No public ownership = NO SERVICE.

(This goes for Bus, Rail, Electricity, Water ... and all services that are necessary for live --- They should NEVER be run for the private profit of any company or individual.

[wahine luahine]

kalei wrote:

<quoted text>
DUH!ALTERNATIVE ENERGY-please educate yourself by reading mainland transit systems-

Perhaps you could be more specific? You know of solar/wind powered public transit systems?

(You DO know that Oah'u has no hydroelectric power, eh? And that we don't have any coal or oil in our land?)

[wahine luahine]

ccp33 wrote:

<quoted text>
...
Nuclear power is already in Hawaii now. What do you think powers all of those new submarines moving around the Hawaiian Islands and stationed at Pearl Harbor? The military are EXPERTS in safe nuclear power; they have to or the multi-billion dollar submarine industry would come to a screeching halt. The way to go for Hawaii is to NOT allow HECO or State Govt to introduce nuclear power to the State rather have the military introduce SAFE, SECURE nuclear power to provide electrical generation to their facilities in Hawaii. Any excess they produce can be put back into the civilian power grid. The military in Hawaii would literally save millions each year in electrical costs and HECO would not have to worry about installing any new fossil-fuel based plants....

Thanks for the detailed "Faustian bargain".

In short: we can lure more miltary nuclear ships here for their 'energy support'-- and in the process increase our status to being the #1 military target for terrorism or enemy attack. Not to mention, we would have to accomodate all the "security" we would have to endure for being such a "strategic base" of US operations (i.e., the end of civilian government here).

So ... cheap electricity = martial law and the end of Hawai'i. Nice deal.

BTW, one major point ALL proponents of nuclear power seem to skirt is the DISPOSAL of nuclear waste. All economic models that take waste disposal into consideration cannot justify the total expense in the end (i.e., 100,000 years storage of radioactive material in massivly expensive areas that have to be guarded 24/7). Of course, there are some that think that we can simply recyle most of the radioactive material into DU weaponry.

Hmmmm ... maybe that big ole empty Pacific ocean looks like a good "garbage can" for military nuclear waste?

I suspect from what you have written, that you have few qualms about living under a military dictatorship (you signed up for it)-- or of having stockpiles of radioactive weaponry next door, or of creating more radioactive weaponry for use (and sale!) around the world.

Most of the people out here in the Pacific have a different view. Talk with some Micronesians some time. And ... read our Hawai'i State Constitution. We have an amendment passed by the Con Con in 1978 that says that Hawai'i will not allow nuclear power in this state without agreement of two thirds of the State Legislature.

In other words, even the idea of nuclear power will have to be publicly debated if it comes to that. Of course, your little 'military scenario' could be a loophole, eh?

Maybe it IS time for another Con Con.

[November voter]

wahine luahine wrote:

<quoted text>
This is EXACTLY why we don't trust the present administration in any transit planning! There is no reason the Bus couldn't be better. Can we say "corruption"? Can we say "inept'?
The Bus does not answer to anyone (that WE know of). There is NO ACCOUNTABLITY for any of their decisions.
Meanwhile, the top people are raking in their money.
That is no way to run PUBLIC transit.
Until the people of Hawai'i understand what "privatization" really means, they will just get what they deserve. The "market forces" always lead to the greediest pockets. There is utterly NO incentive for a business to "do the right thing" in Hawai'i so long as they can get away with "doing the right thing for #1".
No public ownership = NO SERVICE.
(This goes for Bus, Rail, Electricity, Water ... and all services that are necessary for live --- They should NEVER be run for the private profit of any company or individual.

Solution to Traffic congestion on H-1 during peak traffic hours


The mayor stated in his State of the city Speech that the West Oahu commuter wants traffic relief and they want it Now!



Here's the answer:



(1) City should declare Express Buses as "semi-emergency" vehicles equipped with flashing lights to indicate to vehicles close ahead to move to the side during peak hour traffic to allow unobstructed express bus travel. The flashing lights are to be discreetly used only during peak hours when the express buses are in the Zipper lane, Nimitz contraflow lane and HOV lanes on H-1 and H-2.



(2) City currently has 550 buses and over 900 bus drivers employed. OTS should increase from the current 50 express buses currently deployed to 200 (as demand requires) express buses during peak hour, am and pm. City should purchase more buses if needed as the Feds will pay 80 percent for new buses.



(3) Express buses are to provide non-stop, 55-60 mph travel from each community in West and Central Oahu to job centers in the Pearl Harbor/Hickam/Airport area and to downtown Honolulu and beyond to U.H. Manoa, Ala Moana Shopping Center and Waikiki.



(4) About 50 to 80 additional expresses buses may be needed at strategic locations for quick deployment to fill the "demand" gap in the West Oahu communities. Use of GPS, computers and communication systems must be used to optimize bus deployment.



The afternoon peak traffic will reverse the route by using dedicated HOV-2 lanes on H-1 and H-2.



For bicycle commuters, the city should :

(a) Provide secure bicycle storage lockers at each community transit center,

(b) Increase the bicycle carrying capacity on the buses (increase number of bike racks, add a bike storage trailer,etc), and

(c) Initiate action to provide high-tech rent-a-bicycle stations scattered throughout Honolulu, similar to the Bike Plans in the cities of Lyon and Paris, France.





(5) Traffic signal lights on King and Beretania Streets should be synchronized to optimize traffic flow.



(6) The city and state should encourage their employees to ride the van pool or buses by increasing their parking rates by 300 to 400 percent to match market rates. The city should also coordinate the Van Pool Program for all government and private workers to increase Van Pool usuage.



(7) Install contraflow lane on Dillingham Blvd.



(8) Stagger work hours

(9) Change UH class hours to not commence during peak rush hour



This will provide traffic relief on H-1 for several years until the Mass Transit system is completed.