The Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Honolulu's proposed 20-mile rail elevated system contains comments from Kamehameha Schools (formerly known as Bishop Estate). It is a 20-page document that must be read carefully — between the lines, so to speak. After reading it, you will end up convinced that Kamehameha Schools wants no part of elevated rail.
Amongst other matters, it asks for,
• A better and more complete economics impact analysis in the EIS by an independent urban economist, noting that 30 percent of businesses along the Salt Lake City rail route closed because of disruptions during construction. And in Vancouver, 40-60 percent declines in business were experienced.
• A more detailed study of the impacts of parking in the neighborhoods surrounding each of the stations. • Disclosure of how the homeless use elevated rail in Miami, increasing crime and litter resulting in lower property values. • Disclosure of the economic losses of the “visual blight” that elevated rail causes.
• Provide 360 degree visuals for multiple cross sections of the rail line with particular emphasis on stations.
• Analysis of elevated rail’s impact on property values with the suggestion that they may decline rather than increase.
• Requires more information on acquiring and compensating for properties taken, including partial takings, and compensation for goodwill lost.
• Provide a study by independent economists to determine the beneficial and adverse impacts of building an elevated rail line.
• Provide a detailed study of why at-grade light rail would not be preferable.
City's Latest Newsletter Misleads About Energy Saving from Rail Use
The City's latest rail transit newsletter (not yet up on their website) says that, "Electrically powered rail transit will reduce the amount of energy our island uses for transportation. Rail utilizes 25 percent less energy per passenger mile on average than cars and 40 percent less than trucks, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's Transportation Data Book."
That is because the Data Book does not disaggregate energy usage by rail system but only shows a weighted average. Where the City attempts to mislead us is by including New York's highly energy efficient subway systems in a weighted average. Since New York is 61 percent of all rail use in the U.S., this totally distorts any understanding of what we would experience in Honolulu.
The U.S. Dept. of Energy has measured the energy use of rail by system and finds the following:
“Because of the inherent differences in the nature of services, routes available, and many additional factors, the energy intensity of transit rail systems can vary substantially among systems. The charts below show that for 2000, light rail systems varied from 1,600 Btu per passenger-mile to over 8,000 Btu per passenger-mile; energy intensity for heavy rail systems ranged from 2,200 to 6,200 Btu per passenger-mile.” See quote and tables
The average energy usage among modern rail lines is 4,400 Btu per passenger mile while cars, as actually used in practice with a typical 1.15 people per car, use 3400 Btu per passenger mile according to the U.S. Dept. of Energy. For confirmation of car usage see the 2008 DOE Energy Data Book. Table 2.13.
The Honolulu Advertiser — Transit Tax Coming Up Short
While Sean Hao's story in Sunday's The Honolulu Advertiser shows that the City's tax collection's this year will be significantly short, it does not cover the outcome if the rail tax collections continue to fall short according to the Council on Revenues' latest projections.
Through 2015 that shortfall is likely to amount to $238 million. And, if from that point on, we use the City's own projections of annual percentage increases in collections, they will be short $760 million by the time the tax sunsets in 2023.
For more information, log onto http://www.honolulutraffic.com
