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Telecommuting could help
solve our traffic woes

It seems as if you can't pick up a newspaper without reading about our state's growing gridlock, particularly on Oahu.

During the past election, proponents of every conceivable bus, rail or automobile faction railed at each other over this issue. What was missing was any serious discussion about telecommuting.

Telecommuting is not a new idea for Hawaii. In 1989 the state funded a 12-month telecommuting demonstration project at the Mililani Tech Park. This long-forgotten endeavor (which included Bank of Hawaii, HMSA, IBM, Title Guaranty of Hawaii and Inter-Island Legal Services ) demonstrated that telecommuting works. Since then technology has evolved significantly.

With the proliferation of even more powerful home computers, high-speed Internet access, secure remote computer links and voice over Internet phone technology, one can telecommute from almost anywhere in the world. There is absolutely no reason in the world we can't implement this today.

The advantages of telecommuting to the employer are obvious. It can help retain valuable employees, reduce turnover and training costs, save on parking, expand recruiting options and lower barriers to growth. For the employee, telecommuting means fewer office distractions and disruptions, increased productivity, savings on commuting costs, a better work/life balance and enhanced morale.

Of course the clincher for our community is less roadway congestion, reduced auto emissions and greater economic competitiveness. Telecommuting is already working in Arizona where 16 percent of state workers, about 3,400), telecommute.

Hawaii has over 70,000 state and county workers who make a very significant impact on our commuting patterns. If state, county and private employers were to allow people to work at home for even a few hours in the morning it would reduce traffic on H1 drastically.

Rich Halverson, a PhD in communication and information sciences from the University of Hawaii, and founder of Guide.net, a Honolulu Internet software company, has studied telecommuting in Hawaii and he agrees it can make serious dent in traffic congestion.

He suggests the state, city and private companies establish guidelines regarding what categories of workers might be candidates for telecommuting and allow them to try working from home.

"Whether it's one day a month or four hours per day, it would only make sense for certain workers with certain job descriptions to take the plunge," he said.

He added that five of his company's staff telecommute daily.

We should also keep in mind that Hawaii executives can lead the way. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, on the mainland there are growing numbers of telecommuters from upper and middle management.

If local executives from some of the larger Hawaii companies were willing to go public with this information they would be terrific role models. Keep in mind that it wouldn't take more than a 5 percent drop in traffic during the prime commuting hours to make a significant difference our daily commutes.

Telecommuting is not a silver bullet but it can make a substantial impact in getting cars off the road.

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