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Smart growth will benefit
all island residents

The state Legislature and Governor Lingle's decision to give counties the authority to finance transportation projects of their choosing continues to fuel debate throughout the state. On Oahu, those discussions have focused on a transit system.

Oahu's population growth and resulting severe traffic congestion now compels us to study and evaluate all potential solutions to our problems and to develop a plan to address them. The process for solving our island's transportation problem has begun.

We already have data from numerous studies identifying the extent of traffic congestion on Oahu roads. The Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization recently updated a study that predicted what traffic would be like in 2025. If no improvements are made to ease traffic congestion, residents on Oahu could spend up to 80 minutes or more commuting during rush hour traffic by the year 2030.

According to the city Department of Planning and Permitting, approximately 61,000 homes will be built during the next few decades. We need to ensure that this growth does not end up as "sprawl." Sprawl is a losing proposition for residents as the government -- funded by taxpayers throughout the island -- is required to build and/or maintain roads, schools and other infrastructure if development is scattered and unplanned. We must plan for smart growth, and part of that smart growth planning includes providing people with a variety of transportation choices.

For those of us living in rural communities committed to keeping the "country, country," it could mean that smart growth translates to development along a mass transit line, primarily in the urban core area. Encouraging growth around a mass transit line will provide residents with a reliable and efficient alternative to their cars and relieve much of the pressure to expand development throughout the island.

In addition to keeping the "country, country," a mass transit system provides rural communities with a viable option to help alleviate traffic congestion. We have been working with the Department of Transportation Services to build transit centers in Wahiawa, Mililani and Haleiwa to implement a hub-and-spoke system for Central Oahu. The hub-and-spoke system, endorsed unanimously by all Central Oahu organizations and the neighborhood board, would feed into the mass transit line and provide access into town for people in Central Oahu and North Shore.

The hub-and-spoke system is vital to Central Oahu, the North Shore and Windward areas. It includes new local routes directly linking Wahiawa to Waipahu and Kapolei for the first time. The system also includes a new CountryExpress route linking Wahiawa with frequent, high-speed, all-day, two-directional service to downtown Honolulu, Ala Moana Center and Waikiki that we do not have today.

Additionally, we will be requesting the city Department of Transportation Services to conduct studies to determine service needs for CountryExpress and community circulator routes for Kahuku, Laie, Hauula, Punaluu, Kaaawa, Waikane, Kahaluu and Heeia communities. Once the study is complete, the new service routes will link the windward communities together and to the primary urban corridor.

I am convinced that the anticipated improvement in quality of life is reason to move forward. That is why we must have the courage and determination to act now. Yes, there is the issue of letting federal funds slip away once again. But there is the greater danger of losing our ability to control our growth and thus let the chance for a better future slip through our fingers. And that would be a greater tragedy.

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