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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Friday, March 4, 2005

EDITORIAL
Commuter ferry has chance at success

What's changed in the five years since O'ahu's last commuter ferry service flopped?

A lot.

First, traffic gridlock between Central and Leeward O'ahu and town has worsened with the rapid growth of housing developments in Mililani, 'Ewa, Kapolei and Makakilo.

And as commuters' frustrations reach a critical mass, there's a better chance that more commuters are willing to try transit alternatives this time around, as long as they make logistical sense.

That's where the commuter ferry from Kalaeloa to Honolulu Harbor in under an hour could make a difference — if it's done right. That includes analyzing cost and benefits, and assessing viable ridership alongside fares and incentives.

Examining the downfall of the previous WikiWiki commuter ferry from a Pearl Harbor naval reservation to Pier 9 and the Aloha Tower Marketplace is also useful.

The weakest link was arguably the location of the WikiWiki's departure site at Iroquois Point and Middle Loch. Commuters would typically drive several miles to the out-of-the-way docking sites, in which time they could have been at least halfway to town. A ferry shuttle service was supposed to link up with various bus routes. But there was no direct bus route to the ferry, which meant transferring from the shuttle to a regular bus line.

Not so this time around. Under the Hannemann plan, buses coming from Ma'ili, Nanakuli, Makakilo and Kapolei would bring morning commuters to Kalaeloa Harbor. Meanwhile at Honolulu Harbor, waiting buses would take passengers to downtown Honolulu, Kalihi, Ala Moana, Waikiki and the University of Hawai'i-Manoa.

That coordination makes this proposal far more promising. Of course, a ferry service alone won't alleviate O'ahu's traffic woes. The city and state also should continue to look at multiple traffic solutions, including creating more opportunities to work and play closer to where people live in the 'Ewa and Windward areas. The ferry plan merits careful consideration as part of that effort.