EDITORIAL
Transit survey gives support for options
For fiscal, technical, logistical and political reasons it will be a long time — if ever — before Honolulu has a fixed mass transit system.
But it won't be for lack of trying. The latest boost for those who favor a fixed rail transit system is contained in a public opinion survey commissioned by the O'ahu Metropolitan Planning Organization (OMPO).
Clear support
The survey was designed to test public attitudes on congestion, traffic and transportation alternatives.There was clear support for a rail rapid transit system as a "long range" transportation solution for O'ahu.
And of the 70 percent who said they favor rail transit, more than half said they would accept a tax hike to pay for it. That's encouraging.
Indeed, most would agree, in theory, that Honolulu needs a mass transit system.
Yet while a solid majority said they believe rail transit is a good long-term solution, there was a clear division of the house when the respondents were sorted out according to whether they were drivers or current bus users.
Bus riders overwhelmingly said use existing resources to improve public transit. But two-thirds of the drivers said use resources first to make traffic flow improvements, ranging from widening roads to a variety of traffic management options.
'The other guy'
What seems to emerge is this classic picture: Yes, build a rail system; it will get the other guy off the road.
The fact that solid majorities are willing to support a tax hike tied to specific traffic improvements is a clear measure of current frustration with today's congestion on highways.
The most popular was road widening or extensions, but new roads, a rail system and improvements to the existing bus system all received majority endorsement.
It is important to note that respondents were not all that excited about raising taxes for the general purpose of "improving transportation." Rather, they said if there is to be a new tax, they want it tied to specific, measurable improvements.
Furthermore, those willing to accept a tax were quite specific. Just about half said if there is to be a new tax, it should be added to the existing general excise or "sales" tax.
If that happens, non-users of mass transit, including Neighbor Islanders, would be helping to pay for the project.
Experience in other cities has shown that building a fixed transit system (whether light or heavy rail, monorail or dedicated busways) does not lead to an immediate plunge in traffic congestion.
But that alone is a weak argument against a dedicated mass transit system. And even a marginal decrease in the number of cars on the road can lead to significant traffic improvement, as many drivers have noted when the UH and private schools are not in session.
Honolulu needs to view a quality mass transit system as a progressive approach to traffic management, one that will move us away from potentially having to endure draconian alternatives, including higher parking fees, tollways or pricing mechanisms that keep private cars out of congested areas during peak hours.
What we deserve
Honolulu deserves an adequate alternative.
Given the strong possibility that the federal government will be unlikely to offer much, if any, help to Honolulu for a fixed transit alternative, the best option for now appears to be building on our already well-regarded bus system.
The Bus Rapid Transit System has been reduced from an ambitious islandwide project to a stripped-down enhancement to the existing express bus system. Still, the framework of a sensible midterm solution to traffic alternatives is there.
Fixed bus-only lanes for newer high-tech buses, "flyovers" that will take buses over critical congestion points, smart interconnections between the bus system and other options (including ferries) and tough policies that make a quality bus system a better and better alternative are all part of the necessary package.
What about money?
These solutions, as well as a fixed rail system down the road, will all cost money. The OMPO survey suggests strongly that O'ahu residents and drivers are willing to pay more for solutions that work.
It is now up to the policy-makers at City Hall and in the Legislature to heed that message and have the political courage to do what is right.
