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Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0508.002 1996-1998 ~ t 1'd DOX 62 ~ KA1tVA-ltAt14, 3~lewA1' 194701 r (608) I24-f491 ~ F4X (8if8) 327-9429 i, Radvo ofDlrecrcmi ~acstivctt_t= ~onf`c 7rcatx„t Darbara E. Ih®3,. Vice ProrD~rt i b~+++g+~m~• 'TO: COM7151TTEE ON PUBLIC FVOAICS B[ PARKfi TreayurcY '~"•Q" ~ ATTN.: AOMT~lC 1~AGONG, CHAIR sarres,.ry N ncy Ergo. I FROM: AN, r C. PETERSON 'y S/, ' .G,~T~~.-: Rtck Gw,trkM Sh«wy A1c>vtkHaat ~ DATE: 1VOVE;V1BE1214, 199". Scott l.,ittci.efl Mk~~~l%~m SuSJECT: LONC RANGE ,1'{AS~; TRAY$1T PLAN Pra>,L• }i. 5ayra. DOS La+.ra MaTlery Says ~ Aloha'. Ta++O4.tr LMDa ja,w tfellay ! Please distribute the fotloa~ing testimony fn support of a long range transportation Scott Si+ar(r¢ awe plan to members of the Committee on Public Worke & Parks. Am+ G P~K¢r~pr, ~ Mahalu for your kind efforts: A ra~v;nn fir p£OMV7U traAk ~ wfrh cJucallovi, anJ a cafe v++wronmanfon ror>waysar~tragi ~ ~ (7 - (a• rc: rrwtb.~, ~ ~ i 1 dMnutrvenq~y of = lranerortaMmr . ! ~ r . I i WCU-r/C: ~ ,vwW~MJa7irrw.?pN)i ~I 'tiiOOi~ ]lq i E-...alF W~Ft'nlahanrr ~ rtle ,~~,~~,~RV~ stet. TOI Pr@sN~ $ lyyr~ 1 Ref. Dste-_,___,_ _ . PDBox vz ? KAnvA-Korn, }lawAr' 1 96745 i (808) 116-9495 O ~aX (808) 32f-9x29 IIo.v'D ofDtrccrom The Long-Range Transportation Plan that Isn't D+rY~ra G Dwl,. rresrtv..i ~t ~ It's called the "Hawaii Long-Range Land Transportation Plan". It was shelved midway ~Hig„~air., i through file process for a year or so while the Florida consultant firm went `through a r'~'""`~ erirxi of internal reorganization and st<~ffing overhauls". But, the Citizens Advisory 14r¢n 4 Dwvb, j p se¢.~+„i Committee (CAC) to the °Pian" ws called back into session in mid-September. ~'~"`c°~`n Scott Shar e and Ron Reilly 4vere the PAl'H representatives to the C.AC from the g~++* ~£M ~ west- and ear-side of the island, respectively. Ron is back on board, but because scrn ~.cn~n Ron R¢Gly Scott's job keeps him oft-island so much or' the time, i am sitting on the committee for uk,,.a t. Rk1+.n the west-side. fr+rJc li. S+yr¢. DDS u+..+,~+y*¢ The positior, seemed ovenr~helming contemplating something so critical as the Toni Dl+k future transportation needs of our island home, however as I listened, the decisions ~~+t+~+~~+ placed before the committee became simplified. The plan only addresses roadway s<rnsh..m¢ construction projects. Our charge is to prioritize a listing or almost 7'.) projects Ercrunw nsrcxi~x designed almost exclusively to relieve die projected gridlock and congesticn through Anw C P¢t¢YM11 ~ the construction of more high;a-ays and traffic lanes. The projected needs are based mr,,,,"'r„~;,-„~ on current use patterns multiplied by the projected populat;on for the year ZO?o. The s~,¢s>~,~.rro,*w,+a I roections do not include consideration of the new technolo ies currently under •,s.f?¢>rvlrvnHrnrran p 1 g ,,,,~,„,+y,,,,,o~+r, ~ study to address gridlock. Mere importantly, {and use and communi~~ development !°"'~'~i°"'' issues are not addressed. ~r¢.nb>.~¢,or The "Long Range Transportation Plan" does not include any funding for planning. If we only have a limited amount of money to spend, and so much land to use, II planning is essential ro optimize what we have. Further, the "Transportation Plan" does noe adequately address public transit or pedestrian and bicycle needs. The consultant explained that there were separate plans t`or each of those concerns. I That's when I asked "Why is that document called a 'transportation plan' when it doesn't include all modes of transportation in a comprehensive manner." Ga figure. I As Ron said, it's more like a "Lrng-Range Car Plan." if we're facing a transportation problem, let's look at what has and hasn't worked in other communities. The traditional approach to trat""fir, problems (and the approaches being proposed on our island) is to build more roads to improve traffic flow and reduce Congestion. experience has shown that this does not work. The expanded highways spread communities out, leaving people farther away from stores, i work, schools, and ether such destinations making ears all the more necessary. A transportation plan should build comm;~nities, not four and six lane high~~-avs which encourage single-occupancy automobile use. We can learn from what has happened on pahu. There the extensive multi-lane ~i highway system is clogged with traffic. The bus system is not working in-part because was-,+,r it uses the same traftic lanes as c~.,er~, other vehicle jockeying for space the ~'`,~;Q°'"'~"`' %I advantage of using public transit to avoid traffic woes and get quickly and safely to p.d~nleh+~.r one's destination is clearly not there. Commuters may just ns ~-ell he stuck in traffic in their ~,wn can. Oahu missed the chance in the 1980's to adequately prepare for a bright transportation future ~chen they turned their backs vn develolament of a .=apkl transit linE:. The situation- has gotten so bed that HoncLrlu is now looking at an incredibly innovat+ve transportation mode to move people through the mess. the bicycle. Following a program in Seattle and some other communities, "yellow bicycles" are made avai''~able to folks to "borrow" to get from one destination to another. The cast of the program is low (even aa;ounting rot the inevitable thetti. using unclaimed birycles recovered by police, which arc then refurbished and paineed yelfo~~-, Thr^ repair worw' painting is often performed through a youth program ur a voiunletr effort. This cuufci he a workable solution since Oahu is planning its roadways to xrammodate bicycles, twith bike routes and lanes throughout the island. Back to the assignment at bane!: the Island or Iiawai'i in the year 2020. Sane new c:rrnmunities are developed, including one mauka of the airport, as defineu in the Keahole tv Kailua Plan. A university is there, along wilt, 3,000 new homes, shopping centers, {~Lrygrounds, and other such things ru,rnd in run,re communities- In my mind, the questions which get ro the heart of whether or not a~~r curare communities pro~~de a high quality lifestyle are: Does ti~e• community `avc~ charm4 U~x~s it invite community interacticnf is it a draw for the important tourist dollar? Does it allow people of ~rll wcio- economic levels to get around in a dignifieJ, comfortable, and p{easurable fashion? Can we r~~alk Or cycle rrom school to home or to the store, ,~r deg we hake tc. ;et in our c,}r 3 times to get irnm the post office to the drug srore to the supermarket as What we can do to insure that wr, don't end up with Oah,rs and many mainland cities tr,rnspartation problems -and follow their lead into hours ar ~nrstratiny imprisonment, stuck behind thc• vrhPel, entombed in tons of steel and glass, in the vast vehicle desert i.:reated by building ratter highways? Easy! Plan rot extensi~~e multiuse corridors linking coi~ununitics together, so that folks have ala•rnatjve transportar;on choices. believe me, "if you build it they will come", and nation-wide, these ft~ilitiCS have proven ro t<ake some of the load oft vehicle commuting. Further, we need to begin planning arnf -.cuing aside land rot a rapid transit system. We need to do the up-t"runt Manning for this system now, ~+.-bile we still have land available. Surprisingly for maybe not), when this idea was voiced at the cummiu~e meeting it 4vas met with criticism that the need is not there rn>w to support public transportation. I really had a hard Gme with this one, since we met to disr..s~ t!7e iulure need. The need is not here for h lane highway<., but the plans are here to build them, and t1e knr3w thev~ don't work, anclonce theo're built it's too lace to recapture the naG,re they displaced. Can you sense m~, frustrauvn? ~,ti'here does this lead...'wish I knew. 1"hc way thin consultant left it was tl7al wc~ would meet asain in mid•Uctober to decide on the priority. This listing would cone up for review in a ~ommunit~~ inciting, The final decision on the priority is left t~, the Pc~li~ Committee, which is a three member group including Department oP Transportation Directr, i:azu Hayashida. The consultant added that this was a "hurry-up and wait process" -that the plan is Ilkel~; to get shelved until funds become available. rvnaybe there's stall time, but ~+~e can't just sit back and let it happen. ~ .et vocal in a positive way if you care! tivritten fur P,~TH's newsletter, TRACKS, OUc~ber 19v" Ann lr. Peterson