[ OUR OPINION ]
Commuters reluctant
to take the busMORE Hawaii residents are driving alone to work and fewer are car pooling or taking the bus, even though the commuting time has increased, according to the 2000 Census Bureau survey. That follows a national trend, and the only acceptable way to reverse it is through vastly improved public transportation.
THE ISSUE Commuters in Hawaii and elsewhere continue to prefer driving alone.
The 2000 census shows 76 percent of workers nationally drove solo to work, compared with 64 percent in 1980 and 73 percent a decade ago. In Hawaii, solo drivers accounted for 63.9 percent of workers in the 2000 census, up from 60.5 percent in 1990, as the commuting time rose to 26.1 minutes from 23.8 minutes.
Car poolers in Hawaii declined to 19 percent from 20.5 percent, and commuters using the bus or other means fell to 8.7 percent from 10 percent. Those who walked to work or worked at home dipped to 8.4 percent from 9 percent. So much for the telecommuting revolution.
Americans love their automobiles and the freedom to drive anywhere at any time, even if that means sitting in traffic for lengthy periods.
"In some ways, the only time people are in charge is when they are in their cars, not at home or at work," explains Michael Marsden, who teaches a course at Eastern Kentucky University on the automobile's role in society. "It's a very psychologically satisfying thing."
The only reason that many workers will leave their cars at home is when faced with the choice of an efficient system of public transportation or unrealistic parking-at-work facilities. The subway is why solo drivers in Washington, D.C., accounted for only 38 percent of workers, and New York City's rate was 44 percent. Small urban areas in the Midwest and South had the highest rates, ranging up to 87 percent.
Cheryl Soon, director of the city Department of Transportation Services, says there may be some improvement in commuting on Oahu as the "second city" of Kapolei evolves from being a bedroom community to an employment hub -- a long process. That may not change the number of solo drivers but it could shorten their commute.
The most promising improvement should come with completion of the city Bus Rapid Transit project extending from Waikiki to the Ewa plain. It is envisioned as a network of gasoline- or electrically propelled buses traveling two to four minutes apart during peak hours in bus-only or shared-traffic lanes. The $1 billion project is forecast to be finished in 10 years.
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