Harris will ignore Council
resolution to delay BRT
The City Council has called on the city administration to delay construction of the Bus Rapid Transit project.
The Council voted 5-4 on a resolution urging the administration to not proceed with construction on the in-town BRT until federal funds are received. A resolution has no force or effect of law.
Council members Donovan Dela Cruz, Ann Kobayashi, Romy Cachola, Rod Tam and Charles Djou voted in support of the resolution, while Nestor Garcia, Mike Gabbard, Barbara Marshall and Gary Okino were opposed.
The first Bus Rapid Transit segment calls for a high-capacity transit system with frequent service and limited stops between Iwilei and Waikiki.
Despite the resolution, construction has already begun with controversial improvements under way along Kuhio Avenue in Waikiki
Mayor Jeremy Harris said the city is going to ignore the resolution and continue with construction.
"I think the action by five members of the Council was shameful today. They have ... once again made the city the laughing stock of the nation," Harris said. "It's embarrassing, just infantile behavior."
Harris was referring to past instances during which the city did an about-face on transit projects, including a 1992 City Council vote that killed a plan for rail transit and resulted in the loss of more than $600 million in federal funds.
City Transportation Services Director Cheryl Soon said the city's loss of credibility has federal officials skittish about funding major transportation projects for Honolulu.
"Please stop this sad legacy," Soon told the Council in arguing against the resolution.
Soon said that the administration plans to submit to the Council shortly the application for $19 million in federal funds that will be used to widen Ala Moana and Kalia Road.
Councilman Garcia said that passing the resolution could send the wrong signals to federal officials.
But critics questioned whether it's wise for the city to continue with construction while a federal lawsuit is pending and questions surround the encumbrance of $31 million in city construction dollars, which were due to expire Dec. 31.
BRT opponent Cliff Slater said the resolution would have the city "hold off proceeding with the improvements until these questions can be resolved."
The vote came on the same day that Hawaii Teamsters and Allied Workers, the union that represents drivers and other employees of TheBus, protested BRT-related construction on Kuhio Avenue will result in narrower lanes, a condition the union and others considers dangerous.
"This project subjects our drivers to accidents, costs and losses beyond our control," said Charley's Taxi President Dale Evans. "The very design, the very size, the very obstruction are created by the narrowing of the lanes."
