Thursday, September 4, 2008

Supreme Court Lowers Boom on Stop Rail Now; Vote To Affirm Rail Set for 2 Months from Today

Corky Trinidad’s Honolulu Star-Bulletin cartoon notwithstanding, the Stop Rail Now petition-driven effort to kill Honolulu’s proposed transit system has run out of track. The State Supreme Court’s refusal to hear an appeal is the end of the line for the group’s petition-driven effort. (Maybe backers will try the International Court of Justice in The Hague.)

As noted yesterday, though, citizens will still have a vote on the project thanks to a Charter amendment approved by the City Council and endorsed by the Mayor: “Shall the powers, duties, and functions of the city, through its director of transportation services, include establishment of a steel wheel on steel rail transit system?” The Stop Rail crowd now will attempt to generate a majority “No” vote on the proposition.

We’ve been writing this blog primarily for the undecided voters, presuming there are any between the two main camps in this controversy. We’ll repeat here the principal reason we believe they should vote in the affirmative to allow this project to continue – an issue we’ve previously discussed.

Mobility!

Grade-separated transit (in this case, an elevated guideway) is the only way to guarantee a time of arrival when moving through a city. That guarantee amounts to assured mobility – knowing your time of arrival when you start your trip. The inevitable disruptions to traffic flow prevent true mobility today.

Rail critics say building a different form of grade separation – elevated highways – is a better alternative to transit, but is it? The High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes manage traffic flow by charging tolls; as traffic starts to build up on the HOT lanes, the tolls are increased, acting as a disincentive for new drivers who can’t afford or simply won’t accept the tolls on top of gas, maintenance and parking costs. Plus, HOT lanes eventually dump their vehicles right back to surface streets and highways with the thousands of other vehicles creeping along in traffic.

Compare that experience to the City’s proposed rail system. Those who choose to ride will avoid traffic altogether. It’s that simple -- assured mobility for the thousands of riders who will decide rail is the better alternative.

Total System Improvement

And let’s not forget the hundreds of millions of dollars of road and highway improvements that will be made in the next two decades. Transportation on Oahu constitutes a total system of streets, roads, highways and transit operations. Add to that changes likely to be made in work and school schedules to improve traffic flow and it’s clear there will be a massive ongoing effort to improve the commuting experience in addition to building the rail system.

Voters will have their say two months from today. We urge the undecided among us to put the Mobility issue to rail’s opponents every chance they get.

No comments: