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I don't know much about the Skytrain in Vancouver. But how's it working for Vancouverites?
Very Successful , Vancouver was sprawly and the Highways and buses were overcrowded...but now thats no longer the case. And the city got denser along the lines...get at least 406,000 daily riders... It started out with only 60,000 daily back in the 90s , i'm sure that Honolulu will be the same. With the route chosen and some infill developments you'll probably see the same amount of Ridership of Vancouver in 10 years...
Very Successful , Vancouver was sprawly and the Highways and buses were overcrowded...but now thats no longer the case. And the city got denser along the lines...get at least 406,000 daily riders... It started out with only 60,000 daily back in the 90s , i'm sure that Honolulu will be the same. With the route chosen and some infill developments you'll probably see the same amount of Ridership of Vancouver in 10 years...
Seems to me like Honolulu would be ideal for it.
I think most Americans haven't lived in well-planned public transportation cities. But living in Japan, South Korea, and having visited many other cities with great public transportation - most of Europe, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc. New York being the best in the U.S.
But with limited space like Honolulu (or even Vancouver), these places really shouldn't be inundated with a gazillion private automobiles clogging up every inch of space.
I think most Americans haven't lived in well-planned public transportation cities. But living in Japan, South Korea, and having visited many other cities with great public transportation - most of Europe, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc. New York being the best in the U.S.
But with limited space like Honolulu (or even Vancouver), these places really shouldn't be inundated with a gazillion private automobiles clogging up every inch of space.
Unlike Tokyo, Seoul, London, Paris, NYC - Oahu doesn't have the topography to get one from many Point A to Point B places via trains - nor has the volume of population to pay/support it. With that said, the rail is a good first step......
I think most Americans haven't lived in well-planned public transportation cities. But living in Japan, South Korea, and having visited many other cities with great public transportation - most of Europe, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc. New York being the best in the U.S.
But with limited space like Honolulu (or even Vancouver), these places really shouldn't be inundated with a gazillion private automobiles clogging up every inch of space.
Great poster, and totally spot-on. The sprawl and waste inherent in designing systems and spaces so that everyone has to rely on automobiles is a sickness in bad need of a big cure in America.
Great poster, and totally spot-on. The sprawl and waste inherent in designing systems and spaces so that everyone has to rely on automobiles is a sickness in bad need of a big cure in America.
This is a discussion forum about the railroads of Hawaii; past, present or future; prototype or model; equipment, people, and related industries and activities. Common carriers, plantation lines, tourist trains, trolley cars, preservation groups, and museums are all valid topics. Restorations of Hawaiian equipment, equipment histories and dispositions, and models of Hawaiian railroads are all encouraged topics.
Oahu seems ideal for rail because it is already fairly dense (at least the south side of the island), almost all of the development is on the perimeter of the island because of the big mountain range in the middle, and the busses already head up into the individual valleys.
The traffic is already God awful on the H1 pretty much anytime that the sun is up and most of the surface streets are terrible too so people should be open to riding... especially if you are coming from the Ewa side to town. I worked with tons of people in Waikiki that lived in Salt Lake, Ewa, or Waipahu because that was where they could afford the rent. Something like this would be great for them.
The current bus system is pretty comprehensive, the problem is that the busses have to sit in that terrible traffic as well. It used to take me 45 minute to get from Liliha st to UH using the bus vs 30min by bicycle (plus had to shower afterwards because the sun is HOT out there) and about 15 by moped... so I took the moped. If I could have just ridden my bike or taken a bus to the bottom of Liliha valley then hopped on the train that would have been ideal.
The objections/concerns are just that it is gonna cost a ****ing grip of money before it is all said and done. I used to work for the city and county of Honolulu... nothing gets finished on time and nothing comes in under budget around there. Not to mention all of the environmental assessments, archaeological issues, eminent domain problems etc...
That being said, in the long run it is probably a good long term investment and a great step in the direction of Oahu being self sufficient. Run that thing on renewable electricity (which Hawaii has great potential for) and you reduce the imported fuel requirements by a ton. So I say buck up now and make a better place for the kids... like that old greek saying goes, "A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in."
Whenever I hear the opposition to it, I always assume the people have never been to ASIA, where rail works wonderfully.
The mainland cities are in trouble. They just keep getting more and more traffic congested, and establishing rail is just going to be so much more expensive and so much more difficult in the future. I'm amazed there is so much opposition to it. It's something that almost any developed (and many 3rd world) large cities in the world have, but most mainland u.s. cities do not. Something so basic and essential.
I love that Honolulu is so much more proactive and long-term planning with this. It just makes the city that much better to live in.
The main argument against rail of any type, is that it rarely pays for itself and relies heavily on taxes to keep going. Many people wonder why they have to pay for something they're not going to use.
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