honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, September 2, 2003

Bus strike: How one rider adjusts

 •  Commuters learning to cope with strike
 •  Getting around without TheBus: Information you can use

By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer

Kalihi Valley resident Charmaine Crockett bought a bicycle a month ago and is happy she did.

Kalihi Valley resident Charmaine Crockett is dedicated to public transportation, so the ongoing bus strike has hit her particularly hard. But, despite the strike, "I still won't buy a car," Crockett said, as she wheeled her bike downtown.

Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

"I'm riding my bike more now. I have no choice," said the 47-year-old international human-rights consultant.

Crockett doesn't own a car for ethical reasons. Since the bus strike she has become a full-time bicyclist, riding as much as 30 miles a day. One day last week, she rode to Kahala Mall for an appointment.

"I lived in New York for 20 years and I'm not used to cars," she said. "Even growing up here in Hawai'i, my mother always stuck me on the bus. I've never been a car person."

Crockett is dedicated to public transportation and usually rides the bus to visit her mother in 'Ewa Beach and for her work, but the strike is having an unexpected health benefit.

"I put on a pair of pants this morning that (once) were a little tight, and now I could button them," she said. "I don't know if I could do it every day, but riding 30 miles does have its benefits."

Crockett attended several of the City Council hearings leading up to the bus workers' strike and is angry that it is happening.

"It's upsetting to me that the only two choices that have been considered are increased fares or to get rid of service and workers. There are more choices than that available."

The bus strike has changed her life in other ways.

"I'm canceling things," Crockett said. "I had to cancel a party. There is no way I'm going to get all dressed up, ride my bike and then come back at 11 p.m. So there are things I'm canceling unless people want to give me a ride. And then you have to impose on somebody else."

Crockett, who worries about safety while riding a bicycle on the street with cars and few bike lanes, hopes the strike ends quickly and things get back to normal.

"I'm hoping that something really positive comes out of this because the idea of raising fares, especially for elderly people, is very traumatizing to think about," she said. "I've noticed elderly people walking" and being affected by the heat.

"They are the ones suffering," she said.

Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2431.