VIEWS FROM THE COMMUNITY EDITORIAL BOARD

The Advertiser's current Community Editorial Board consists of local citizens who meet with The Advertiser's Editorial Board on a regular basis to discuss the important issues facing Hawai'i today.

ANDREW AOKI

I give credit to the proponents and opponents of rail. They've dedicated themselves to an issue that will change O'ahu for generations. That is more than I could say, which I'm a little ashamed to admit as a citizen of Honolulu.
To rectify this, a Kanu Hawai'i colleague and I recently conducted a quick policy analysis of rail. We concluded that if the goal is merely to reduce traffic at the lowest cost, then Stop Rail Now has sound arguments. However, our goals, which we believe parallel the interests of future generations, go beyond traffic. They include objectives like reducing our dependence on oil and more smartly designing our city. Toward these ends, rail has its deficiencies, but at least it creates an opportunity to better achieve these goals. It is the best feasible option remaining.

But rail will only be worth the massive investment if we all stay involved: advocating for renewable energy to enhance rail's environmental benefits; pushing for policies that steer development toward transit hubs and away from suburban sprawl; encouraging businesses to give employees incentives to ride the rail. And we ourselves must use rail, and avoid viewing it as a way to keep others off the road so we can drive in less traffic.

It'll take much more than a rail sales pitch to generate this level of public commitment. And the caustic, largely confusing and unconstructive public "debate" we have had on this issue is getting us nowhere. If anything, it has only eroded the community spirit of aloha that we claim is our strength. I think we all know we can do better.

Andrew Aoki is co-director of Kanu Hawai'i, a father and a husband. He lives in Kailua.

RAYMUND LIONGSON

Most of those who argue against the rail live on the opposite side of the Leeward area or are not along the proposed rail path. But I challenge them to experience a week of Leeward traffic, preferably when schools and universities are on, and they will understand why many people on this side of the island are cursing the horrendous traffic every day.

O'ahu has reached a point where its roads and freeways, particularly H-1, can no longer accommodate the number of vehicles that continue to increase each year. It is no longer a question of efficiency; it is a problem of capacity.

Opponents to the rail project argue that people will not use it and it will not ease up traffic congestion. But the increase in ridership in TheBus, given the unabated rise in gas prices, suggests that O'ahu residents are willing to leave their cars in their garage and take alternative mass transportation.

Many of those who oppose the rail now were opponents of the idea years back, yet they have not come out with anything better. We are sick and tired of endless rhetoric and calls for more studies. We want to see something concrete. We cannot ride on empty talks and in paper vehicles ripped from piles of reports and studies.

Why rail? Judging from its impact on traffic, fossil fuel consumption, carbon footprint, the economy and potential for federal assistance, rail is clearly the way to go. The call of Stop Rail Now to put the rail project on the ballot is not about making people decide what is best for them. It is, in fact, an effort to totally eliminate a promising option.

Raymund Llanes Liongson is an assistant professor of Asian/Philippine studies. He lives in 'Ewa Beach.

BETTY MOW

The rhetoric from both camps on the pros and cons of having rail as a viable option to help resolve O'ahu's traffic problems has reached a level that has caused the focus of the issue to be lost.

The traffic woes on this island are very real, and rail may be part of the solution. However, the focus should be for the development of a long-term plan that incorporates a variety of means to alleviate the traffic congestion. This may include the use of rail, buses, other mass-transit options, and some ways to cut back on the use of cars into the city center, such as a toll or tax.

Lenny Klompus' Island Voices column on July 11 defended the governor's recent position on allowing the issue to be placed on the ballot so that the people can decide. Yet in the same article he states that the governor's basic position on the use of rail has not changed; she is supportive of it. These statements do tend to add to the confusion on the issue.

The Advertiser's editorial last Sunday advocated the need for more constructive community dialogue on the topic.

This would include having accurate, unbiased information on costs, for the construction, implementation and maintenance of the system. I do agree with this viewpoint; all of us do need to be a part of this discussion, since it will affect the quality of life for all of us today and for the future.

Betty Mow is a retired educator. She lives in 'Aiea.

BOB BRETSCHNEIDER

Tell me something that the government does well or executes as promised.

Our public schools have millions of dollars of backlogged physical repairs. Our main university campus has lost valuable research to leaky roofs and bad drainage. Our prisoners have to be sent to the Mainland because we don't have room for them here. Our stadium, planned to rust with a thin film, has been nothing but a bottomless money pit.

On the city level, our roads, sewer and water systems, as well as our parks and pools, are years behind in proper maintenance. Waimanalo Gulch landfill must be kept open beyond the promised closure date because of poor planning. By the way, what happened to burning all of our rubbish? The mayor has to fight the EPA to avoid updating the Honouliuli Treatment Plant and spending millions.

Now the city wants our support to spend BILLIONS of dollars on a mass transit system that even their consultants say will not alleviate the worst of our traffic problems. Even Councilmember Todd Apo, who supports the mayor, says that this will work only if we have learned from the past. Please, Mayor Hannemann, tell us what you've learned.

Bob Bretschneider has been self-employed for 28 years. He lives in Waipahu.

RICHARD M. SMYLIE

As the two-decade-old debate continues, to build or not to build a rail system for our state, we are faced with a critical need to find a workable solution to help eliminate the congestion choking our freeway system. While there are no perfect solutions, the rail option is a start in the right direction in order to address this important problem.

The bottom line is the transportation crisis facing Hawai'i and our country will not get better overnight. We must accept the fact that high oil and gas prices are here to stay for the near future until alternative energy solutions are developed on a commercial basis.

The same arguments that we hear from Stop Rail Now are nearly identical to those voiced by the opponents of the cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, Ore., and Washington, D.C., when their mass transit projects were initially proposed. We know that in each case the four new transit systems have had a real impact on reducing individual transportation costs, aiding regional economic development and improving the environment. Yes, there have been problems, but it is better to have this system than sit on our hands and debate the subject for another 10 years.

We cannot afford to prolong implementing this project any longer. We are at an important crossroads, and it is time for the elected officials of the city and state to demonstrate leadership and assume responsibility to move this project forward.

Richard M. Smylie is a retired CIA senior operations officer and a retired investment bank vice-president. He lives in Hawai'i Kai.