Traffic would be fine if not for 'other guy'

THE ISSUE Commuting is set to get worse tomorrow when about 40,000 students in the University of Hawaii's system start classes.

AN ANNUAL mark of summer's end begins tomorrow, one that will undoubtedly exasperate tens of thousands of drivers thwarted from getting where they want to go in the time they've allotted for the commute.

The fault, as usual, will be due to the "other guys," those who have the gall to get on the road -- many all by their lonesome selves in their vehicles -- when they could be carpooling, taking TheBus, leaving home earlier or later, riding bikes or walking to offices, work sites and campuses.

The crush of cars on Oahu's roads and highways, already pressed with public schools in full swing, can only get worse when about 40,000 students in the University of Hawaii system start classes. In the coming weeks, private schools and colleges will add to the madness of morning and evening rush hours.

Gasoline-gobbling, mind-blowing, heartburn-inducing stop-and-go traffic will last through fall, winter and spring, with just a small measure of relief to come next June and July.

College students could avoid the turmoil as well as the tiresome search for a space to park by buying a $100-per-semester bus pass that allows unlimited rides. UH students even get direct, express service to the Manoa campus from East Honolulu, Windward and Central Oahu.

Working men and women also can get monthly bus passes, which at $40 a month is a bargain when compared to pricey parking garages. Vanpools offered by the state at about $55 a person per month cost far less than an SUV's weekly tankful of gasoline.

With all these advantages, drivers have to wonder why those "other guys" don't get out of their cars. Sometimes there's no accounting for foolishness.