By Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin
Traffic moves along the ZipLane -- the new contra-flow
lane on H-1 for vehicles with three or more occupants --
that opened at 5:30 a.m. today.
The townbound express lane
By Susan Kreifels
was more popular than expected
as it opened today with
only minor problems
Star-BulletinEven though traffic was light on H-1 today, van-pooler Shane Uemoto still saved 10 minutes on his commute from Mililani to downtown by traveling on the new ZipLane. And he figures by Thursday, when public schools start, he'll save a lot more.
At a backlog before the merger of H-1 and H-2, "we were moving 50 mph, and the traffic on the regular side was moving 25 mph," Uemoto said. "It was a good ride."
The new ZipLane proved more popular than officials expected this morning, with 1,199 vehicles using it between 5:30 and 8 a.m. That's almost half the hoped-for capacity -- 1,000 cars per hour by the end of six months -- and officials believe the numbers will jump when the Department of Education and University of Hawaii open for the fall semester.
Department of Transportation officials reported no major problems this morning.
"The first day was tremendous," said DOT spokeswoman Marilyn Kali. "When there's something new, people are wary to try. But they got in there and used it."
A few motorists passed other vehicles on the 22-foot-wide ZipLane, which is designed for one lane of traffic. And eight drivers received tickets for not carrying the required three people per vehicle to use the lane. Another 16 received warnings.
Kali said transportation officials are considering putting up "no passing" signs.
Passing cars in the lane "is very dangerous," said Lt. Alfredo Torco with the Honolulu Police Department's traffic division.
Torco also said some people were not aware of the three-person requirement, and they received warnings today. Fines can reach $250 and three months in jail. Motorcycle police traveled the ZipLane, and others were posted at the end of the lane at the Pearl Harbor interchange.
"But we're not going to warn too much," Torco said. "They're testing us and we're testing them. There will be strict enforcement."
Real test comes Thursday
The ZipMobile left the ZipHale maintenance shelter at the Pearl Harbor interchange at 2:30 a.m. It shifted concrete barriers from the median and crossed the lane to open up the 10-mile ZipLane. Engineers made a few stops to paint barriers along the way.By 5 a.m. they arrived at Manager's Drive overpass, and the lane opened to traffic at 5:30 a.m.
At 8 a.m. the ZipMobile started closing the lane and returned to ZipHale at the Pearl Harbor interchange by 10 a.m.
Transportation officials hope the lane will shorten the drive to work on the island's crowded freeways, saving 10 to 25 minutes in driving time.
Kali said up to 100 registered van pools and 87 express buses may use the lane.
Ann Thornock shares a van from Mililani to City Hall. She didn't save time today because traffic was light. "I'm looking forward to Thursday," Thornock said about the first day of public schools. "That will be the key."
Thornock and Uemoto said they were worried about backups at the merger of H-1 and H-2. And Uemoto said one driver traveled at 50 mph instead of the maximum 55. Officials hope ZipLane traffic will move at a steady maximum speed as an incentive for others to use the lane.
The ZipLane borrows lanes from the Ewa-bound side of H-1 to accommodate more inbound commuters in the morning rush hour. Officials and commuters said outbound traffic flowed smoothly today.
By Dean Sensui, Star-Bulletin
The ZipMobile moves zipper links into their stowed
position during a demonstration Friday.
"The lane felt very comfortable," Thornock said. "It was separated well enough that you don't feel any problems with traffic coming the other way."Officials in Dallas, which has had a zipper lane for seven years, say it will take a while for the ZipLane to catch on.
"It's a slow process," said Ali Rabiee, Dallas Area Rapid Transit facility manager. "Once you can prove this is valuable, people will respond well. It's a win-win situation for the city. But it's not going to happen overnight."
Dallas opened an 8-mile zipper lane in 1991 that is used in both morning and afternoon rush hours. Rabiee said the first day went without hitches.
Initial traffic of 10,000 vehicles on the Dallas lane has increased to 16,000. Commuters save 10 minutes and more.
"Have fun with it," Rabiee said. "In the beginning you'll probably have some people who will be critical, but they will love it after four to five years."
Hawaii transportation officials used the Dallas system as a model for their new 10-mile lane, which runs between Manager's Drive overpass on the H-1 freeway in Waikele and the Pearl Harbor interchange.
The ZipLane is open Monday through Friday. Buses, vehicles carrying three or more people and motorcycles headed toward Honolulu are able to use it.
A ZipMobile moves at 5 mph, transferring millions of pounds of movable concrete barriers from the median, where they are stored, to the other side of the ZipLane to divide it from oncoming traffic.
Barrier Systems Inc. has laid 130 miles of barriers around the world and provided 50 ZipMobiles to cities including Dallas, Boston, San Diego and New York.
Honolulu will get a second ZipMobile in two weeks. Local transportation employees will be trained to run the system over the next six months.
System 'relatively fail-safe'
For the first time, the ZipMobile today used an optical guidance system, following a white stripe on the pavement rather than buried wires.Barrier Systems President John Duckett called the zipper system a "relatively fail-safe operation" and expected things to go smoothly today.
Vehicles can enter the ZipLane at three locations: Manager's Drive overpass, the Honolulu side of Paiwa Street in front of Waikele Shopping Center, and the junction of H-1 and H-2, where Central Oahu commuters can enter.
Vehicles won't be able to exit the ZipLane until the end at Pearl Harbor.
There, zipper cops will give tickets to any vehicles not carrying at least three people. Officials say the ZipLane offers a flexible solution to traffic.
Planners expect development at Kapolei to eventually increase the number of people working west of Pearl Harbor. The ZipLane, which cost $16 million, can be dismantled then and moved elsewhere.
Zipper terms
Zidiot: A ZipLane violator.
Source: State Department of Transportation
