The question is all about the best way to move people from A to B, so it's ironic that finding a starting point is such a struggle.

Of course, those wanting to weigh in on plans for a new Honolulu mass transit project can start on the Web: The city has a site (www.honolulutransit.org) for exactly that purpose.

But once there, the visitor is faced with a dizzying array of information. A list of downloadable files is posted for browsing, and while clicking through it quickly becomes clear that someone simply should have posted the information directly on a Web page.

Given the inconvenience, it might have been better if more than the two initial "scoping" sessions had been scheduled, making the options easier to sort through and understand.

There will, of course, be other options for citizens to weigh in, including the inevitable round of City Council hearings.

But more discussion at the beginning of the process would have helped.

The important point is that O'ahu taxpayers must begin the process of thinking seriously about the issue of managing public transportation. Our lawmakers at the state and county levels have committed the public to an excise tax hike to finance it, so the public had better see that decision-makers have all the facts in hand.

Jan. 9 is the initial deadline to submit comments through the Web site so that the process of writing an environmental impact statement can begin. The electronic comment form appears online (www.honolulutransit.org/get_involved); or, you can call a hotline (566-2299) and have materials mailed to you.

Already some critical observations are being posted, including public advisories against elevated rail on the one hand because it would look ugly, and for it on the other because it would afford a good view. Others don't care about rail configuration as long as it operates quietly.

Identifying the key factors for consideration is important at this stage. Other chances for public responses will arise when the EIS comes out, but that won't offer the same opportunity to influence the planning as directly as the invitation that lies before the taxpayer now.

Some cynics suggest that most of the decisions have been made. That's not the case, but it will be if the people most affected are not heard from, and soon.