Reps for Rail

Supporters of a mass transit rail system for Oahu gathered near the Father Damien statue this afternoon to stage a rally and encourage folks to vote Yes for Rail. In addition to Congressman Neil Abercrombie, lawmakers who support rail joined the group. Representing the House were House Speaker CalvinSay, Majority Leader Kirk Caldwell, Finance Chair Marcus Oshiro, and Representatives Sharon Har, Ken Ito, Jon Riki Karamatsu, Joey Manahan, John Mizuno, Karl Rhoads, Mark Takai, Roy Takumi, Glenn Wakai and Ryan Yamane. Representing the Senate was Senator Will Espero.

As it was Halloween, it was noted that the even "the Devil", "Men at Work", and the "Filipino Dracula" supported rail. After the rally, those who had not yet voted walked over the City Hall to cast their vote in favor of rail.

Another Train, Another State

Californians will be voting on a ballot initiative this election on a rail project of their own. Proposition 1A dedicates more than $10 billion for a high-speed rail line running from Sacramento to San Diego. The trains would run at 220 miles per hour making them the fastest trains in the country. In comparison, the high-speed trains running from Washington DC to Boston clock at 150 miles per hour. Critics predict that the initiative will fail given California's current budget woes.

If you build it, we will ride

That's what a group of young adults from We Will Ride, a grassroots organization supporting the development of a rail system, announced to elected officials this afternoon during a rally by Go Rail Now supporters and Mayor Mufi Hannemann in the Rotunda of the Capitol.

Jonathan Khil, 19, a Hawaii resident studying at Claremont McKenna College in California, developed the campaign to ensure that the opinions and perspectives of members of Generation Y and Generation Z were being heard. "We have heard what the adults and politicians have to say, but mass transit is an issue that will largely affect the younger generation," reads a description of the campaign on the We Will Ride Facebook group profile page. Since creating a Facebook group two weeks ago, membership has grown to 337 social networkers. Today, the young rail supports just launched their website.

"What kind of Hawaii do we want to inherit? We want it cleaner and greener, full of jobs, and traffic-free. We want paradise," they emphasize on Facebook.

Also in attendance to support the groups initiatives were several House and Senate members, including Reps Say, Mizuno, Rhoads, Lee, Manahan, M. Oshiro, Chong and Brower and Sens. Espero and Gabbard.

Grooving to the beats of Quad City DJ's "C'mon 'n Ride The Train," many of the lawmakers choo chooed their way to the streets and sign waved with rail supporters.

Photo (top): Youth supporters of rail and members of We Will Ride address the crowd at the Go Rail Now rally at the State Capitol.

Photo (bottom): Rep. Marcus Oshiro stands on Beretania Ave. in front of the State Capitol waving signs with supporters of rail.

Update: Rep. Marilyn Lee pointed out that I had made a mistake in naming the lawmakers who attended the rail rally. Rep. Evans was listed as attending the rally, but it was actually Rep. Marilyn Lee who joined other lawmakers in addressing the crowd and sign waiving on Beretania Avenue.

New car, no gas, nowhere to go

 The simple cartoon above by John Pritchett reminded me of the blistering battle between Stop Rail Now proponents and Mayor Hanneman over the construction of a light rail system. Pritchett created this cartoon in March 2004 for the Honolulu Weekly, that's over four years ago. Now let's doodle in 109,615 vehicles to the cartoon and…ta-da…we have the 2008 version.

In a blog post today on Daily Kos, the author argues that Hawaii is in grave need of mass transit and emphasizes the fact that the number of cars on the road (1,167,240) is almost equivalent to our population (1,283,388). He also sums up the contentious controversy and outlines its past and current developments. It's a great post to read if you've been out of the loop and somehow missed the dozen of commercials for and against light rail, and the almost daily newspaper headlines, op-eds and news broadcasts.

The transit debate has bombarded the media, political blogs and even the Legislature, with some House and Senate lawmakers signing the petition or not signing the petition to allow voters to decide whether light rail should be constructed in Hawaii. Lingle also signed the anti-rail petition.

All Aboard the Tren Urbano

The Tren Urbano - or urban train - is Puerto Rico's new mass transit system, currently covering a 10.7 mile course through the capital city of San Juan. Rep. Marilyn Lee was in Puerto Rico for legislative business and received an invitation to learn more about the project. As Honolulu prepares to develop its own mass transit system, the comparisons between San Juan and Honolulu contained many similarities. Her observations are published today in the Honolulu Star Bulletin. Tren Urbano cost S2.25 billion and an extension is planned. Ridership is lower than projected, but increased 7.5% from 2005 to 2006. General fare is $1.50.