MUFI VS. DUKE
THE RACE FOR MAYOR
What will they do
about this traffic?
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Traffic.
It’s No. 1
Traffic. It's the No. 1 complaint of residents. Not crime, not education, not even the economy generates as much talk as traffic.
The problem is obvious: There are too many vehicles on the road. Maybe there will be a radical shift away from personal transportation someday; in the meantime, we'll have to find other ways of making the situation more bearable.
The city administration has held up the Bus Rapid Transit system as the first step toward alleviating our traffic problem. As I have always maintained, the problem with BRT is that the state is unwilling to dedicate highway lanes and already congested streets will become even more crowded as lanes are taken away for BRT use. Now with federal money not forthcoming for the BRT, it's time to stop the project and look to other solutions.
Here are some ideas:
Long-term solution
Light rail: A light-rail, mass transit system holds the most promise. We've completed more than enough studies on rail, but never had the will to get the project going. Let's renew our efforts to identify the funding sources with a mayor who has a proven track record of working with the state and possesses federal experience that will complement our delegation's efforts to secure federal funding for a system.Near-term improvements
Kapolei: Our Second City was envisioned as a place where people could live and work. So far, only the former has been realized. Tools to stimulate job growth are already in place. For example, as a City Councilman, I spearheaded a major revision of the city's General Plan to support economic development with the appropriate infrastructure in place.
I also shepherded legislation to establish enterprise zones for the area, places where businesses can avoid taxes if they create jobs. We have the means, but what we need is leadership.
In leading by example, a Hannemann cabinet will work at Kapolei Hale once a week. Reversing the traffic flow by having more jobs in West Oahu will achieve the objective of ensuring a quality of life where residents can actually live, work and play in Kapolei.
Road repaving: Paving roads regularly may not be the kind of agenda that excites folks, but the sorry state of our streets is not only wrecking havoc with our vehicles, but exacerbating traffic congestion. The city is belatedly repaving some streets. My commitment is to repave every five to seven years.
Working hours: The city and state have instituted flexible and staggered working hours for employees to lessen commuting headaches. However, the requirement that most government offices be open from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. has not been adjusted in decades. We could reconsider our old way of doing business in order to meet the needs of our times. With shopping malls open late, it may be time for government to follow suit.
Coordination: Anyone in charge? Ever taken a detour because of road construction, only to find that your alternative route is also blocked? It makes you wonder who's making these decisions. We'll form a coordinating committee (T-Flo) consisting of those involved in, or affected by, road blockages: government transportation agencies; the Honolulu Police Department; the utilities; TheBus; the private sector; and others. This group will coordinate and authorize any work affecting traffic to ensure its smooth flow. It also can be authorized to approve parades and other public events that affect traffic.
State vs. county: The state and counties can do a much better job of eliminating the duplication of responsibilities for road construction and maintenance. The public is confused over which jurisdiction maintains which roads.
Meanwhile, each has its own planning offices, maintenance operations and funding sources. I also will look to combine our traffic control centers so that we'll improve the synchronization of traffic signals to make traffic flow smoother for East Honolulu, Urban Honolulu, Windward Oahu and Central Oahu motorists.
Metering: State Transportation Director Rod Haraga is exploring freeway metering -- involving installing traffic signals at on-ramps -- to regulate the flow of merging traffic. If the state proceeds, the city should cooperate to ensure this and other proposals succeed.
Ferries: Prior operations of the state's ferry linking West Oahu with downtown proved that some commuters were willing to use the ocean as their freeway. A private firm will be introducing a ferry in 2006 that will carry cars and passengers between islands.
Now is the time to encourage the state to launch a ferry again, but this time the city will link its buses to the ferries to make it accessible and attractive to use.
Defense dollars: If Hawaii is designated as the home for a U.S. Navy carrier group at Kalaeloa, it could mean thousands of military personnel and their families will join the daily commute.
The added burden on our transportation and other infrastructure needs may qualify us for federal dollars. Having established and headed the city's Military Affairs Task Force, I have numerous relationships, locally and in Washington, D.C., that I will call upon on behalf of our city.
We've suffered long enough. We have the ideas; we need the leadership and will to make the tough decisions that will truly address our traffic and transportation needs now and into the future.
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Congestion cure
Traffic is one of the most pressing problems facing Oahu residents. My plan to tackle Honolulu's transportation gridlock can be implemented in phases. It includes a long-term plan for rail and a short-term plan comprised of a blend of traffic solutions.
Rail transit
I believe that rail is the only viable solution to handle the sheer volume of commuters coming from Leeward Oahu to the downtown and university areas. Rail would be the centerpiece of a comprehensive, multi-modal system that will work in conjunction with other transportation modes such as TheBus, bike paths and pedestrian walkways. Furthermore, rail will complement the ongoing redevelopment of urban Honolulu, provide our burgeoning senior-aged population with another transportation option, and reduce the pollutants that we emit into our environment.Last fall, Governor Lingle's task force on transportation announced that the state supports a rail system and recognized the city's need to build a system. Critics of rail have called it an unrealistic solution, saying it will take at least 15 years -- too long -- to implement. I believe that any more time spent criticizing, and not acting, is time lost and time wasted. Honolulu needs a leader with the political will and courage to make rail happen.
How to do it, how to fund it
Past history has shown that bureaucracy and the length of time it takes to maneuver through the federal funding process has contributed to the loss of public support for rail projects in Honolulu. That's why I believe we need to learn from the experience and success of other cities that started the first phase of their rail system by utilizing various public-private funding options.Whether or not Honolulu can finance a rail system mainly on public-private partnerships remains to be seen. It is clear, however, that there are significant revenue options, other than just the riders and residents, that can help pay for the system. Just as important, accomplishment of the first phase of rail would help re-establish confidence in Honolulu's ability to build a rail project.
Options that have proven successful in other cities include transit-oriented development; that is, developing entertainment, shopping, restaurants and other activities for residents along the transit route. In essence, the city would share in the economic boom that results from the construction of a rail line. I would also explore "value capture" financing, which results in the city benefiting from development and sale of key station sites. Station sponsorships and advertising revenue also have helped defray the cost of transit systems in other cities. These options are in addition to ridership fares and parking revenues at major station locations.
Furthermore, the city should work in conjunction with Governor Lingle's administration to determine the availability of resources from the airport revenue fund.
As a former chairman of the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization, I spearheaded the update of the 25-year, long-range master plan, which prioritizes how Oahu's federal transportation funds would be spent. With my extensive transportation experience as both chairman of OMPO and the City Council's Transportation Committee. I have the background and knowledge needed to guide our city through what will undoubtedly be one of the most difficult projects the city will ever undertake.
Short-term solutions
In the short-term, we must maximize the transportation resources we already have. Our current bus system has been repeatedly recognized as the best bus system in North America. We should provide better service to our large college and university populations, and look at expanding our popular limited-stop service known as CityExpress and CountryExpress.One of the first steps to rail, however, is to complete conversion of our bus route system to a hub-and-spoke system. In a hub-and-spoke system, routes are reorganized around central locations or "hubs" with specific routes dedicated to travel between hubs, and community circulators dedicated to traveling routes or "spokes" into each community. The hub-and-spoke bus system will provide users with an easier transition to a future rail system.
Other projects that the city also must pursue in partnership with the state include extending zipper lanes and contraflow lanes, truly synchronizing city and state traffic lights, widening of the freeways in certain areas, utilizing constant tow truck and police patrols for rapid response during rush hours, increasing signage to help motorists and restoration of the state-county construction coordinating committee.
Honolulu needs a mass transit system now. I am committed to finding the best transportation solutions to problems, no matter who came up with the idea, and will work in partnership with the state to meet the needs of our residents. For the sake of our island's future economic vitality, as well as the desire to improve our residents' lives, we can and must achieve this goal.
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