Editorials

[ OUR OPINION ]

Build terminals and
seafarers will come

THE ISSUE Plans are moving head for completion of both interisland and commuter ferry terminals near Aloha Tower.

THE state is moving ahead with completion of an interisland ferry terminal near Aloha Tower and plans for a terminal for ferries operating strictly along Oahu's coast, even though no ferries are operating on the island. The ambitious undertakings may be seen as presumptuous -- terminals of dreams -- but they will provide a foundation lacking in the past. That absence has hampered efforts to expand sea travel available on Oahu.

All this activity will not cost a cent in state money, according to the planners. The interisland terminal being built at Pier 19 -- Ewa across the water from Aloha Tower -- is financed by a $4.3 million federal grant. If companies are slow in taking advantage of the facility, it can be used in the meantime by cruise ships when docks at Aloha Tower are full.

Interisland terminals planned at Piers 5 and 6 on the other side of Aloha Tower will be available for use by companies willing to build them at their own expense. The Aloha Tower Development Corp., a state agency, has asked companies to submit proposals.

Although ferries successfully run from Maui to Lanai and Molokai, attempts to operate ferries serving Oahu have not persevered. Seaflite Inc. ran hydrofoils from Honolulu to Maui, Kauai and the Big Island in the 1970s, but it was shut down after three years because of financial losses elsewhere in its parent company. Efforts in 1992 and 1999 to operate a ferry between Barbers Point Harbor and downtown Honolulu failed for lack of support by commuters.

Seaflite experienced mechanical problems with its hydrofoil vessels but still might have been successful if its parent company had fared better. Technological advances during the past two decades should provide interisland travelers a smoother and more reliable trip.

Creating a viable commuter ferry operation serving West Oahu is more challenging. In past experiences, people who were in the habit of driving to work from the Kapolei area to downtown were hesitant about changing their ways. The operation relied entirely on those habitual commuting motorists, since Barbers Point Harbor was not served by the city bus system.

Part of the problem also may have been psychological. For commuters from the Kapolei area, using the ferry meant driving several miles in one direction to board a ferry heading the opposite way. That was exacerbated by the numerous traffic maneuvers involved in reaching the harbor from Kapolei. To make matters worse, the ferry's use for evening dinner cruises compressed the schedule, making it difficult for commuters working a full day to catch the ferry home.

Those problems are surmountable. Bus shuttles to Barbers Point Harbor and more direct traffic routes from Kapolei are essential, as are schedules that serve the needs of commuters.

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Published by Oahu Publications Inc., a subsidiary of Black Press.

Don Kendall, Publisher

Frank Bridgewater, Editor 529-4791; fbridgewater@starbulletin.com
Michael Rovner, Assistant Editor 529-4768; mrovner@starbulletin.com
Lucy Young-Oda, Assistant Editor 529-4762; lyoungoda@starbulletin.com

Mary Poole, Editorial Page Editor, 529-4790; mpoole@starbulletin.com
John Flanagan, Contributing Editor 294-3533; jflanagan@starbulletin.com

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