Posted on: Monday, March 3, 2003

EDITORIAL
Contraflow lane just one of many remedies

The Nimitz Highway contraflow lane project is the perfect example of a modest project that could help smooth and speed up traffic on O'ahu.

Because the plain fact of the matter is, there is no single remedy when it comes to easing the gridlock. It's going to take many small changes, such as widening certain roads and intersections, adding turn lanes and expanding the system that times traffic signals for optimal flow.

It's worth investing in all these remedies because, aside from raising blood pressure, gridlock is expensive.

In the case of the Nimitz project, one 'ewa-bound lane would be converted into a townbound lane between 5:30 and 8:30 a.m. from the H-1 Freeway viaduct to Iwilei.

However, getting motorists speedily into Honolulu won't help if they're just going to be stuck in downtown traffic.

If everyone is entering Honolulu at the same time and vying for parking at the same lot, then naturally downtown remains a bottleneck.

And that's why O'ahu needs a viable second city to shift the emphasis from Honolulu and spread the wealth as well as the commute. Staggered workshifts, prohibitively expensive downtown parking and a smart mass-transit system are also pieces of the big puzzle to unclog our roads.