Sunday, October 10, 2010

Best Thing To Keep ‘Running’ Will Be Rail

A page-one headline in today’s paper predicts the new mayor will “hit the ground running.” The story predicts his administration’s top propriety will be rail transit.

This blog is written to support Honolulu rail, which explains our own headline today. We’ve added several posts recently (October 4-7) to highlight issues we think should be appreciated by all Honolulu citizens.

We predict the new administration will hear from citizens who oppose the current plan – the one with a completed Final Environmental Impact Statement. Like most controversial issues, even ones with majority public support (see QMark survey under General Information tab at HonoluluTranst.org’s Library), the loudest voices belong to the opponents.

Their proposals include building more highways instead of rail, building rail at ground level, building rail in the middle of the H-1 freeway, building it along the old OR&L rail right-of-way, building it between the airport and Waikiki, and so on.

What any open-minded person needs to know in late 2010 is that the FEIS summarizes years of analysis and study, including all the variables and technology options – highways, at-grade rail, etc. Virtually all objections and proposals raised by opponents are addressed in the FEIS.

Fast, frequent, reliable and safe transportation that restores mobility through the urban corridor is the critical need in our community. Honolulu rail’s elevated system will provide it and is the only way to achieve the goals we enumerated in Thursday’s post.

Hitting the ground running can include staying the course on elevated rail.

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