Speedy action is a wondrous thing to imagine coming out of City Hall — or any government office, for that matter. It seems to have taken forever for rapid transit planning to build up a head of steam, so it's encouraging to see members of the Hannemann administration and the City Council put the pedal to the metal.

What's particularly heartening about the fast-track timetable is that an important commitment could be met. City politicians could set down a mass-transit plan before collecting money for it from the taxpayers.

The mayor's transit calendar promises a recommendation on a system by December 2006.

That's good, but some council members are pushing for something even better: a decision by that date.

A city consultant set the final decision for early 2007 and, rightly, Councilman Charles Djou argued that a vote should be taken before the end of next year. That way taxpayers will know what they'd be paying for before the tax hike takes effect in early 2007.

This quick pace should be doable, considering much of the spadework on transit alternatives has been laid down before in similar studies.

Consultant Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas has promised to examine the full gamut of options, starting with the prospect of doing nothing at all and encompassing alternatives such as ferries and high-occupancy transit.

The most important component at this point is ensuring public involvement in the process.

Planners say the first public meetings will be held the second week of December. And, in order to drum up participation in those forums, educational newsletters and Web sites that round up information on the project will be published in November.

Few efforts could mean more to the success of the enterprise than linking it with the people it ultimately would serve.

The public must feel satisfied that all contingencies have been considered before it "buys in" — through ridership and continued tax support.