Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Count the Ways to Submit Draft EIS Comments: In Writing, Online or at 1 of 5 Public Hearings

The flag is up and waving, so if you have comments to submit on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Honolulu Transit Project, now’s the time to act.

Written comments may be sent to the Department of Transportation Services, 650 South King Street, 3rd Floor, Honolulu, HI 96813. Comments must be received or postmarked by 4:30 p.m. on January 7, 2009.

Copies of the Draft EIS can be reviewed at State libraries, the City library, the Department of Transportation Services (at the above address) and at the Rapid Transit Division office, 1099 Alakea Street, Suite 1700. The Draft EIS is also available online.

The project website has additional content: a video guide to the Draft EIS and a computer-simulated fly through of the two alternative alignments covered in the Draft EIS; the Salt Lake alignment and the Airport alignment. Renderings of rail transit station characteristics will be added to the website in the coming days. Residents can request a free DVD with the Draft EIS, the video guide, computer simulations of both alignments and renderings of rail transit station characteristics by calling 566-2299 or visiting the website.

Other Things To Know

Here’s the schedule for public hearings on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the City’s elevated transit system:

Dec. 6 – 9 to 11 a.m., Kapolei Hale, 1000 Uluohia Street.
Dec. 8 – 6 to 8 p.m., Hawaii Suites, Neal Blaisdell Center, 777 Ward Avenue.
Dec. 9 – 6 to 8 p.m., Salt Lake District Park, 1159 Ala Lilikoi Place.
Dec. 10 – 6 to 8 p.m., Filipino Community Center, 94-428 Mokuola Street.
Dec. 11 – 6 to 8 p.m., Bishop Museum, 1525 Bernice Street.

The entire Draft EIS is available at the project’s web site. The public comment period will remain open until January 7. The public comment period is mandated by federal and state laws. All comments received will be considered as the Final EIS is prepared by the FTA and the City. All substantive comments will be responded to in writing.

Regarding the Hearings

Persons wishing to speak at the hearings should sign up at the hearting site.

Elected and public officials will be heard first. Persons desiring to testify should register at the entrance to the hearing room, and will be called in order of registration.

Any individual may appear and speak for him or herself, or if duly authorized, for any local civic group, organization, club or association, subject to the rules provided below. Speakers should give their name and address. If representing a group, this information should also be given.

Speakers must limit their statements to three minutes. Additional prepared statements or literature, pertaining to the project, may be submitted at this hearing or through 4:30 p.m. January 7, 2009 to: Department of Transportation Services, 650 South King St., 3rd Floor, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813. These statements will be made part of the official record if they include a legible name and address.

For these hearings, all statements, oral or written, should be directed to the Hearing Official and must be related to the subject matter of the hearing.

Each person speaking before the audience must do so at the floor microphone. A court stenographer will record and transcribe the hearing procedures. If required, the Hearing Officer will announce any other specific rules governing the hearing.

As part of this public hearing process, the Honolulu Rail Transit Project Team is not allowed to respond to any questions or concerns raised by the speaker. The Project Team will be available to address questions in an area outside the hearing venue.

The meeting sites for the public hearings are accessible to persons with disabilities. Individuals requiring reasonable accommodation may request written materials in alternative formats, sign language, interpreters, physical accessibility accommodations, or other reasonable accommodations by calling (808) 566-2299 (voice) or e-mailing info@honolulutransit.org at least 48 hours prior to the planned hearing.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Public Hearings Set for Draft EIS Comments

Here’s the schedule for public hearings on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the City’s elevated transit system:

• Dec. 6 – 9 to 11 a.m., Kapolei Hale, 1000 Uluohia Street.
• Dec. 8 – 6 to 8 p.m., Hawaii Suites, Neal Blaisdell Center, 777 Ward Avenue.
• Dec. 9 – 6 to 8 p.m., Salt Lake District Park, 1159 Ala Lilikoi Place.
• Dec. 10 – 6 to 8 p.m., Filipino Community Center, 94-428 Mokuola Street.
• Dec. 11 – 6 to 8 p.m., Bishop Museum, 1525 Bernice Street.

The entire Draft EIS is available at the project’s web site. The public comment period will remain open until January 7.

Public Hearings Set for Draft EIS Comments

Here’s the schedule for public hearings on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the City’s elevated transit system:

• Dec. 6 – 9 to 11 a.m., Kapolei Hale, 1000 Uluohia Street.
• Dec. 8 – 6 to 8 p.m., Hawaii Suites, Neal Blaisdell Center, 777 Ward Avenue.
• Dec. 9 – 6 to 8 p.m., Salt Lake District Park, 1159 AlaLilikoi Place.
• Dec. 10 – 6 to 8 p.m., Filipino Community Center, 94-428 Mokuola Street.
• Dec. 11 – 6 to 8 p.m., Bishop Museum, 1525 Bernice Street.

The entire Draft EIS is available at the project’s web site. The public comment period will remain open until January 7.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Rail Route (Cont.): Council Eyes Shift to Airport


The Advertiser and the Star-Bulletin provide details on yesterday’s City Council vote to shift the rail system’s alignment back to the airport routing. The stories also describe the events two years ago that produced the current Salt Lake plan.

We’ll be posting the schedule for the upcoming hearings on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement just as soon as it’s released.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Airport Route Pushed as Election Dust Settles

Suggested route would increase ridership by 7,000 daily passengers.

Visitors to this blog from beyond the reef can’t be blamed for wondering what’s next in the quest to build Honolulu’s commuter rail system.

The latest wrinkle surfaced less than 24 hours after the polls closed on Tuesday, when voters gave thumbs up to the project. Now comes a long-standing rail opponent who says he’ll change his vote if the route is switched to the airport alternative from the Salt Lake Boulevard routing.

Both the Advertiser and the Star-Bulletin give prominent treatment to this scenario today (including this supportive editorial). We’ll leave it there for now and invite you to comment on this proposal by clicking the link, below.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

‘Community’ Isn’t Dead After All; Rail Survives Election Test as Oahu Voters Affirm Big Picture

With today’s victory at the polls (scroll to page 3), Honolulu’s rail system is closer than ever to becoming the long-sought alternative to sitting in traffic in Honolulu’s congested urban core – a goal envisioned by politicians as far back as the 1960s.

In 1966, then-Mayor Neal Blaisdell said:

“Taken in the mass, the automobile is a noxious mechanism whose destiny in workaday urban use is to frustrate man and make dead certain that he approaches his daily occupation unhappy and inefficient.” (Honolulu Star-Bulletin, May 24, 1966)

Thousands of today’s drivers who share Blaisdell’s dim view of car commuting can now anticipate with confidence a new commuting mode that will liberate them from their twice-daily grind behind the wheel.

The really heartening news in the election is that so many Oahu residents voted beyond their own self-interest in affirming the need for a multi-modal transportation system built around a core rail line.

Most residents won’t ride the train – that’s a given – so for “Yes” to win, the majority had to endorse the City’s message that rail will be an alternative to traffic congestion and will enhance the quality of life of all Oahu residents, not just those who live and work along its route.

As we said the day we launched this blog, rail makes sense for Oahu residents no matter where they live. Today’s vote showed that an absolute majority agrees.