So That's Life?

A couple months ago, I went to a training class in Waikiki and didnʻt want to hassle with parking so I caught the bus. When the class finished at about 4:00pm, I boarded a bus on the far end of Kuhio Avenue near the zoo. It must have been shift change time because, as the bus headed out of Waikiki, it became packed with uniformed hotel-workers and almost none of them were speaking English. I point this out only to highlight that these were immigrants who work in the hotels and use public transportation daily. I got off at South King but the bus was still full and I imagined them headed to transfer points and then to areas where they lived. Areas probably outside of central Honolulu where housing costs are affordable to them.

These are real people who will benefit from rail. It will probably save them between 30 and 60 minutes of commute time every day. Additional time they will have to spend with their family that they would never have otherwise. And eventually, when the line is extended into Waikiki, they will enjoy even greater time savings. These are people who perform the work that our #1 industry relies on. Is it asking too much to do something that will benefit them?

Regarding the polls in the paper and on television. They’re welcome to do this but public policy should NEVER be driven by polls. I can’t stress this point enough because if it is, all that will get us is politicians with their finger in the air, who can never see past the next poll or election. In 2008, voters approved the rail charter amendment by a 52% – 47% margin. If rail opponents were really interested in killing the project because it is so unpopular, why didn’t they start a ballot initiative of their own? Instead, they choose to run candidates who promise to kill the project. My guess is that Mr. Cayetano is more interested in the power of the Mayor’s office than actually addressing the issue of providing the people of Honolulu with effective transportation. Otherwise, he should have left it up to the voters and trusted that they would show up to vote rail down.

Here is my perspective on the main rail issues:

• Yes, itʻs a job program. Design, construction, and maintenance will provide jobs and tax revenue. Yes, the jobs go primarily to the construction industry but the taxes they pay benefit us all.
• Stop whining about how much it costs you. The additional .5% tax only adds up to $50 on $10,000 spent in a year. Even if it had to be extended for a few years, whatʻs the big deal to the average tax payer? Tourists contribute a large portion of the sales tax and poor families have tax exemptions. So, all in all, it’s fair and quite reasonable.
• News flash, the landscape and views were already spoiled by far too many hi-rise buildings from the 60ʻs and 70ʻs. Where were these same anti-rail people back then? Probably investing in those condos or living in them today. This issue is just a smokescreen by opponents looking for converts to their cause.
• Want to keep the country, country? Rail reduces the need for expansion of the urban blight into the country areas by allowing more people to live in the Honolulu – Kapolei corridor.
• Stop claiming that we should add more buses and increase road capacity. The existing roads are already not maintained very well. I was in a bus going down South Beretania the other day and I swear that I had fillings that were shaking loose. More buses will only make the roads worse.
• Don’t concentrate on where it does or doesn’t go. Once the main line is in place, it is inevitable that additional routes will be added. This has happened in virtually every city where rail has been implemented.