Posted on: Friday, February 28, 2003

Island Voices
BRT plan would create a monster

Wally Bachman is a science adviser with Citizens Advocating Responsible Education.

The Legislature's new emphasis on fixed rail competes with Honolulu's plans for a Bus Rapid Transit system — a controversial billion-dollar proposition to seize some of these very congested lanes and turn them into "bus only" lanes.

I read the BRT plans in the latest version of the environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Primary Corridor Transportation Project dated November 2002.

Although the two volumes were almost 4 inches thick, the authors did not discuss the obvious increases in traffic delays for motorists that will result from evicting all private vehicles from the proposed exclusive and semi-exclusive bus lanes that would be created under the city plan.

Unfortunately, Honolulu has already spent $14 million developing this EIS, which tries to hide the main environmental impact of this lane-devouring beast, in what amounts to a cover-up of the BRT's fundamental flaws.

Not only does the EIS fail to measure or even estimate how many private vehicles will be evicted from the new "bus only" lanes, it jumps to the totally unsubstantiated claim that the BRT system would "reduce automobile travel, congestion and regional air emissions would be less." (Chapter 6, page 36.)

Obviously, squeezing the existing and often crowded traffic into fewer lanes on Ala Moana, Dillingham and Kapi'olani boulevards to make room for lane-grabbing BRT vehicles will lead to bottlenecks and increased delays for those using private vehicles on these main roads. Other streets and the freeway will also be impacted, as frustrated drivers will seek other routes to avoid the new traffic jams.

Since the new BRT buses will also have to travel one-third of their in-town routes on non-exclusive, regular-use lanes — they will also become trapped in these sections with the rest of the traffic backed up by the new BRT lane closures ahead.

It would be much more professional and scientific to test the planned changes using express buses in proposed BRT lanes. I believe the results will quickly show that we need to work on a fixed-rail plan that actually does provide fast and dependable public transportation.