Enhance Quality of Life

Improve Employment, Education & Investment Opportunities

Upgrade Infrastructure and Review Our Master Planning Process
:Land Transportation Improvements
:Cost Effective Energy Solultions
:Sustainable Water Availability

EMC Recommendations

Summary of Recommendations

2005 Final Report

Traffic congestion occurs on every major roadway in every county in Hawaii during commute hours especially on school days. It is a common occurrence with people spending more time in cars, buses and trucks stuck in traffic degrading their quality of life and pushing up their cost of living. If solutions are not found soon, gridlock will occur on the most congested roadways. This is a serious drag on the state’s economy

One estimate was that only 20 U.S. cities had worse congestion than Honolulu in 1996 and that trip times by residents were expected to increase by 30 percent by 2025. In 2003 62,712 autos were sold a 17.6 % jump over the year before. Hawaii drivers are estimated to spend 24 hours in traffic delays every year costing each one an estimated $550 annually in extra fuel and other costs which adds up to $285 million in expenses and lost income for the entire state according to a Honolulu Advertiser 2000 article. With a growing population and economy in all counties the situation, if left as is, will only get much worse.

Congestion is the result of under capacity most pronounced during commute hours when schools are in session. Under capacity is when vehicles are routinely unable to move on roadways at acceptable speeds either because there are few, if any, alternative routes or other means of transportation, too few lanes or too many vehicles or all of these.  In our auto centric society capacity should be looked at in terms of supply (i.e. roads) and demand (i.e. vehicles on the roads).

The challenge is to correct the under capacity of existing transportation corridors by either increasing supply by, for example, building new roads, adding lanes, increasing efficiency, and/or by decreasing demand by reducing the number of vehicles on the road by, for example, encouraging use of other forms of transit (e.g. buses, car pools, van pools, mass transit etc.) and staggered work or school hours. Future demand can also be mitigated by reducing the reasons for trips such as bringing jobs, schools etc and homes closer together through land use planning, for example, higher density in-fill residential and commercial development in the urban center.

The solutions for under capacity and traffic congestion can be very costly and often inadvertently cause inconvenience to some, and, therefore, are highly controversial. Political will is needed to implement solutions in the face of opposition with the objective of providing for the greater good with the most attractive cost benefit while attempting to mitigate the impact on those who may be inconvenienced.

The traffic congestion is the result of several major factors including:

• Too many cars moving at the same time in the same direction (commute hours)
• Major corridors reaching maximum carrying capacity with few, if any, other roadway options.
• Commuters living some distance from employment requiring them to use the roadways.
• A growing population combined with a preference for auto ownership
• A lack of economical transportation options
• Widely dispersed new developments with major job and housing centers at some distance from each other
• A preference by Hawaii residents for low density (single family) homes in the suburbs often some distance from major job centers
• Increasing higher SF house price within the urban core with relatively lower prices in the outlying areas 
•  Minimal acceptance of traffic mitigation efforts, such as, van and car pools.
• Limited government resources available to fund transportation improvements and maintenance combined with escalating construction costs
• Length of time needed for government to make roadway improvements
• A limited number of corridors because of the geographical limitations of being a mountainous island state
• Poor urban land planning separating commercial and residential uses
• Businesses, schools, universities etc all starting at or about the same time
• No meaningful economic incentives or disincentives to use other modes of transportation such as van pools, buses, etc or to car pool
• Transportation solutions typically are costly or inconvenient for some so often face community and political opposition
• Limited local government resources to fund transportation improvements.

A caveat: The fact that this “challenge” statement focuses on land transportation alone does not diminish the fact that this island state also has unique challenges in air and sea transportation. Reliable, economical air and ocean cargo service between our islands is Hawaii’s equivalent of the Interstate highway system on the Mainland, providing essential movement of people and goods. These elements of a holistic transportation system are especially critical to such locations as Molokai and Lanai.