On the Eve of Honolulu Skyway’s Launch and Culmination of Decades of Planning, Let’s Thank Everybody Who Has Brought Us to this Extraordinary Moment

Thousands of people have helped achieve grade-separated traffic-free commuting that will become a reality with the start of Skyway’s inaugural service Friday afternoon. 

 

Obvious among them are those who’ve worked locally to move the project along in the past decade-plus. But many non-local people helped shape the vision that will become a reality on June 30.

 

Their number includes even the international community of employees of the French, Japanese, Canadian, and American firms that submitted proposals to build Mayor Frank Fasi’s plan in 1991. Even though that project ultimately wasn't executed, their efforts contributed to more thinking and planning that proved valuable in later years.

 

Politicians also deserve plaudits for their commitment to Honolulu rail – from members of Honolulu’s City Council who authorized local funding of the project, to State legislators who thought beyond their districts’ boundaries and gave their approval to help Oahu residents whose lives are degraded by grinding traffic congestion. And let's not forget Federal government employees who were critical to moving the project forward along the way.

 

Four successive Honolulu mayors supported rail, starting with Mufi Hannemann, who resurrected the project after his 2004 election, and continuing through the administrations of Peter Carlyle, Kirk Caldwell, and now Rick Blangiardi. Each of them defeated candidates who actively fought against this day ever happening.

 

Public Opinion

 

Perhaps most deserving of our thanks are the citizens of Oahu whose support for rail was repeatedly revealed in polls conducted by Hawaii firms that sampled views on rail of all citizens, not just voters. 

 

I’ve repeatedly criticized Civil Beat and, at times, the daily newspaper and its television partner for using voter-only polls to sample public opinion on rail. That is not a legitimate practice; public infrastructure projects serve the entire public, including approximately half of the population that chooses not to vote – a cohort more likely to use public transit than voters (you can look it up).

 

I personally thank Mufi Hannemann for asking me to join the project’s Public Involvement Team in 2007. He took note of my involvement with French firm Matra Transport, which bid on Mayor Fasi’s project, and my continuing efforts over the next dozen years or so to push back at the anti-railers' media presence. For examples of that push-back, go here, here, here, and here.

 

Now that Honolulu elevated rail has become a reality, Yes2Rail transitions to a less argumentative voice – but not without one last recollection of the August 2011 salvo from four highly visible anti-rail campaigners. 

 

They were attempting to lead the public away from the only transportation mode that, beginning Friday, will offer total relief from traffic congestion in Oahu’s southern corridor between Kapolei and eventually urban Honolulu.  

 

We called the anti-rail op-ed piece on Sunday August 21, 2011 a Hail Mary pass tossed into the rail debate out of desperation by the four critics we dubbed the “Gang of Four.” 

 

We resurrect their piece only to publicize our push-back arguments – to maybe use again in case a new gang steps forward to blow more smoke.