More and more analysis of the Rail DEIS comes to the conclusion that alternatives were not actually studied in the city’s rail program. Besides the EPA comments, here are two videos that point out alternatives that were not actually studied.
First, the American Institute of Architects has a new video that compares light rail to heavy rail.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDPQeigIezQ
Second, here is Toru Hamayasu at the League of Women Voters Forum in October of 2007 admitting that the Alternatives Analysis did not actually design or engineer the Managed Lanes in the report.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onHwxy2x_vU
This is a long video. Go to minute number 8.
If the city used a drawing from a consumer group website for its Managed Lane design, what value is the comparison between rail and Managed Lanes? Another name for this type of chicanery using our transit tax dollars is fraud.
The city is clearly misusing the transit tax dollars in order to create a false impression that we need rail. Now is a good time for the State to take these funds away from the city, for a few years, to help balance the budget. This will slow the city planning down and force the city to actually look for traffic solutions along the H-1 corridor.
The proposed rail does not provide the two most important benefits H-1 Corridor commuters need and want. One is to actually reduce travel time to work from what it is today. Two is to improve the certainty that once you start commuting; you will actually get to work in a certain number of minutes. This is the anxiety factor included in the daily commute.
Both of these goals are achievable, however not with rail.
John Brizdle, a resident of Palolo Valley, Hawaii, can be reached at mailto:jlbriz@gmail.com
