Residents want superferry,
survey says

Most state residents support an interisland ferry service and the use of state funding for harbor improvements, according to a new survey commissioned by Hawaii Superferry Inc.

The telephone survey, conducted this month by Honolulu firm Market Trends Pacific, found that 86 percent of participants said they want high-speed ferry service. As many as 87 percent also approve the use of state funds for harbor improvements to accommodate the planned Hawaii Superferry.

Hawaii Superferry plans to bring the first local drive-on/drive-off ferry for passengers and vehicles into operation in 2007 with direct service between Honolulu and the neighbor islands.

Seventy-six percent of respondents said they would be very likely to use the service on their next visit to a neighbor island.

"The survey results prove that Hawaii's people want alternative interisland transportation," said Hawaii Superferry Chief Executive John Garibaldi.

Market Trends questioned 1,320 Hawaii residents on Hawaii Superferry's service. While most of the people surveyed responded favorably to the ferry concept, the idea has met with some public criticism, particularly about conflicts between the high-speed ferries and humpback whales, and the about the potential to carry invasive species between the islands.

The Hawaii Chapter of the Sierra Club sued Hawaii Superferry last month to attempt to get the company to perform an environmental impact statement before launching its product.

Hawaii lawmakers were also discussing a bill, Senate Bill 1785, that would have required the company to prepare an environmental statement, but the measure has been held.

The company has argued that preparing an impact statement could increase the cost of the project, and may cause it to lose its financing.

"(The survey) sounds like a late-night infomercial asking customers to buy now, but if the superferry is supported by a majority of residents and there is a dollar to be made, there will be someone to finance the project," said Jeff Mikulina, director of the Hawaii Chapter of the Sierra Club.