PanosForProgress Feed Informer http://feed.informer.com/images/fd.gif http://feed.informer.com/ http://app.feed.informer.com/digest3/TFP44VDF5I.html Respective post owners and feed distributors http://feed.informer.com/ FTA commits $1.55 billion to pay for Honolulu rail system says today's breaking news (http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100202/BREAKING01/100202030/F).That sounds like such good news for Hannemann but it is not. The article says that IF all environmental reviews complete successfully, then FTA may be able to release construction money on or after September 30, 2011.Note that there is http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2010/02/fta-will-pay-for-honolulus-rail-maybe.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2010/02/fta-will-pay-for-honolulus-rail-maybe.html? Tue, 02 Feb 2010 04:54 GMT Let's talk about the much touted "rail jobs."Although public project construction jobs are only a small part of Oahu's economy, politicians and some union heads are literally shouting that we need the rail for the jobs that it provides to save Oahu from its economic slump.First, much more than half of the planning and design work for the rail is done by outside professionals. Local engineers do http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2010/02/rail-jobs-apply-now-for-121212.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2010/02/rail-jobs-apply-now-for-121212.html? Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:55 GMT Today, on the Rick Hamada show, I announced my intent to become a candidate for mayor of the City and County of Honolulu when the office becomes vacant.As you know, the regular election for mayor is not until 2012 but Mufi Hannemann has declared an interest in the race for Governor. However, unlike U.S. Representative Neil Abercrombie who declared his intent to resign, Mayor Hannemann has not http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2010/01/panos-for-mayor-subject-to-incumbents.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2010/01/panos-for-mayor-subject-to-incumbents.html? Mon, 25 Jan 2010 06:48 GMT Which new word Mufi will bring us from Washington, DC? LIVABILITY.This time it is not Mufi's fault. It's President Obama's through the mouth of his transportation secretary (and past pork meister) Ray LaHood.Obama promised that large projects won't be done based on political whim and strong arming. He promised transparency, accountability and (indirectly) cost-effectiveness. In other words, http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2010/01/reality-vs-livability.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2010/01/reality-vs-livability.html? Sun, 24 Jan 2010 05:32 GMT A couple of local TV stations posted online polls after covering the presentation by the Hawaii Chapter of the American Institute of Architects at the Capitol hosted by Governor Lingle on January 18, 2010. A fairly comprehensive and neutrally worded poll was developed by the FOX affiliate KHON as part of their well-watched Channel 2 News. The poll asked "How should the City and State proceed http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2010/01/mufis-rail-scrap-whole-thing.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2010/01/mufis-rail-scrap-whole-thing.html? Wed, 20 Jan 2010 06:34 GMT The panel presentations of the Hawaii Chapter of the American Institute of Architects hosted by Hawaii governor Linda Lingle on January 18, 2010 revealed many of the weaknesses of the city's proposed rail plan. Here is a sample:The city is stuck with its environmental compliance and cannot issue a final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS.)The city's EIS is too deficient to withstand scrutiny at http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2010/01/state-of-rail-stuck.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2010/01/state-of-rail-stuck.html? Mon, 18 Jan 2010 10:14 GMT Today Sunday January 10 is my second day in a five day day visit in Washington, D.C. where I attend the 89th annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board, a unit of the National Academy of Engineering.I decided to introduce Metro to Katie and 15 month old Endie so they can visit the Capital Mall, the Smithsonian and other fine museums while I am at the conference.You will not believe the http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2010/01/washington-metro.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2010/01/washington-metro.html? Sun, 10 Jan 2010 03:34 GMT The news from Cleveland is that in October 2008, construction finally ended along one of major avenues. "The crumbling Euclid Avenue corridor had become a sparkling link between downtown and University Circle. The sleek buses, the slick stations and the smooth road offered a potential path to urban renewal." (1)What spurred this renewal? A bus rapid transit, or BRT system. The same can be http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/12/revitalize-honolulu-with-brt.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/12/revitalize-honolulu-with-brt.html? Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:54 GMT Climate Change has been the less alarmist moniker for Global Warming. Of course since the beginning days of Earth, climate have been, is and will be in constant change. Global Warming on the other hand has been a direct accusation that anthropogenic (man made) green house gas emissions have altered Earth's climate.I have been a skeptic of Global Warming since U.S. Vice President Al Gore http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/11/global-warming-fact-or-fraud.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/11/global-warming-fact-or-fraud.html? Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:19 GMT Unlike most other urban areas, where congestion decreased slightly from two years ago, the latest Urban Mobility Report from the Texas Transportation Institute shows that congestion has gotten worse in Honolulu:The number of hours per person spent stuck in traffic increased from 24 hours to 26.The travel-time index increased from 1.22 to 1.24, so it takes 24% longer to make a trip at rush hour http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/11/is-there-plan-to-solve-traffic.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/11/is-there-plan-to-solve-traffic.html? Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:27 GMT The 2nd International Symposium in Freeway and Tollway Operations was held in Honolulu, Hawaii from June 21-24, 2009. More than 200 experts specializing in freeway and tollway operations gathered from around the world to share their research knowledge and experiences. These series of articles summarize some of the major presentations with useful lessons for Hawaii. Our thanks to Hawaii Reporter http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/11/lessons-for-hawaii-from-international.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/11/lessons-for-hawaii-from-international.html? Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:18 GMT Randall O’Toole is one of the most knowledgeable people when it comes to government subsidized transportation and transit systems in particular. He is an analyst at CATO Institute in Oregon and he dubs himself the AntiPlanner who is “an active cyclist and avid rail fan who nonetheless recognizes that the automobile is the greatest invention of the last 200 years.” His recent article is http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/11/irrelevance-of-transita-brief.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/11/irrelevance-of-transita-brief.html? Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:31 GMT As appeared in the Honolulu Star Bulletin and the Hawaii ReporterFull of tyrants and myths? At least when it comes to rail, yes!Only a tyrant would tax people for a rail project years before the proposal has been found to be environmentally acceptable and federally funded. Only a tyrant would award contracts unlawfully for a project that has neither state nor federal environmental and other http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/10/is-modern-oahu-like-ancient-greece.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/10/is-modern-oahu-like-ancient-greece.html? Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:26 GMT Transit Oriented Developments (TOD) are advocated as an integrated mass transit and housing solution that lessens the dependency on private vehicles, thus they may also reduce congestion, fuel consumption and pollution.TODs are a major reason why Oahu's large developers and bankers are behind the heavy rail proposal. It presents a massive opportunity to build and finance real http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/10/tod-do-not-work-for-traffic-and.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/10/tod-do-not-work-for-traffic-and.html? Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:33 GMT There is no better proof that traffic congestion will worsen in the future than the regional transportation plan being prepared for OMPO. OMPO is the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization. It's a federally mandated agency that coordinates city and state transportation improvements on Oahu.OMPO is governed by its decision making Policy Committee consisted by directors of transportation and http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/10/oahu-needs-change-we-can-believe-in-or.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/10/oahu-needs-change-we-can-believe-in-or.html? Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:54 GMT Although I am mindful of the climate change issue I have not purchased any stock in the Global Warming company which is a mother lode of "environmentalist" scare tactics and problematic scientific scenarios of future earth disasters.Now BBC headlines this: WHAT HAPPENED TO GLOBAL WARMING?"This headline may come as a bit of a surprise, so too might the fact that the warmest year recorded globally http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/10/warmest-year-recorded-globally-was-1998.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/10/warmest-year-recorded-globally-was-1998.html? Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:43 GMT "Gary"This is just garbage. Sure when, and it is very rare when SkyTrain has a problem, they need to go back to manual operations which compared to the automated operation is very slow. But the reality is that SkyTrain operates more efficiently than any other system. There has never been an accident with SkyTrain on automatic control. Never a loss of life accident like in Washington. The trains http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/10/gary-okino-versus-cliff-slater.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/10/gary-okino-versus-cliff-slater.html? Tue, 13 Oct 2009 04:34 GMT 1. FLORIDA: (Miami Herald) The Florida Department of Transportation has claimed victory against chronic traffic congestion on Interstate 95 northbound thanks to the new toll express lanes.Motorists who use the two variable-toll express lanes now travel at an average speed of 56 mph during rush hour -- 36 mph faster than before the lanes opened. Even drivers who use the four free lanes are http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/10/3-success-stories-of-hot-lanes-oahu-is.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/10/3-success-stories-of-hot-lanes-oahu-is.html? Mon, 05 Oct 2009 05:24 GMT Developed into an international airline by shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, bought by the Greek government and operated by pro-socialist unions; successfully run into the ground.Olympic Airlines declared bankruptcy on 29 September and ceased all operations. Olympic Airlines last flight from Vienna. Flight 160, Boeing 737-400. Low pass over runway 03R and landing at runway 03R in Athens, Greece, http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/10/olympic-airways-rip-1957-2009.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/10/olympic-airways-rip-1957-2009.html? Sat, 03 Oct 2009 05:45 GMT I quote from TIME magazine:Utah state was the first in the U.S. to mandate a four-day workweek for most state employees, closing offices on Fridays in an effort to reduce energy costs.Not a furlough. Salaries were not cut; nor was the total amount of time employees work... (5 x 8 = 4 x 10)The compressed workweek resulted in a 13% reduction in energy use.Employees saved as much as $6 million in http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/09/4-x-10-workweek-does-wonders-for-utah.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/09/4-x-10-workweek-does-wonders-for-utah.html? Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:10 GMT HONOLULU ROAD WORK SYMPOSIUMTuesday, Sep. 29, 2009, 10:30 a.m to 3:00 p.m.Neal S. Blaisdel Center"The Symposium will outline the City and County of Honolulu’s Road Work project schedules and opportunities totaling over $100M of work." Another colorful flier from the City touting a forthcoming infrastructure achievement. How about a reality check?Oahu has 1628 miles of roads and only 88 centerline http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/09/road-work-symposium-fixing-roads-or.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/09/road-work-symposium-fixing-roads-or.html? Mon, 28 Sep 2009 03:55 GMT There is no subject more important than the cumulative federal budget deficit. It is one thing to say that Washington has lost touch with America, and quite another when the deficit is brought down to understandable levels and the crisis hits home. The three visualizations below show what a $56 trillion in unfunded obligations really means.One Trillion Dollars Made EasyHow much is one trillion http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/09/federal-deficit-made-easy.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/09/federal-deficit-made-easy.html? Fri, 25 Sep 2009 04:57 GMT U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has been quite vocal with the bankrupt idea that (pseudo) high speed and other trains will be beneficial to the nation. Far from it. They will bankrupt the nation and harm the environment, while highway congestion rages unabated and the economy suffers. Today LaHood said this in Ohio: Trains might never shuttle Ohioans to ballgames, http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/09/lahood-official-trains-are-ticket-he-is.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/09/lahood-official-trains-are-ticket-he-is.html? Wed, 23 Sep 2009 05:21 GMT The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute conducted research supported by Sustainable Worldwide Transportation to estimate the vehicle fuel economy improvement from the 2009 vehicle scrappage program, CARS, popularly known as “Cash-for-Clunkers” program. (http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/64025/1/102323.pdf)About 690,000 vehicles were purchased (and traded in) http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-much-did-cash-for-clunkers-improve.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-much-did-cash-for-clunkers-improve.html? Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:22 GMT Readers of this blog and of HonoluluTraffic.com are akamai about the maintenance nightmare that elevated heavy rail is. The weight and vibrations of trains are severe for concrete compared to the much lighter and rubber tired vehicles on elevated roadways.Here is a quote from the September 18, 2009 issue of The Philadelphia Inquirer: "The Frankford elevated line, which was completely rebuilt in http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/09/frankford-elevated-line-worrisome.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/09/frankford-elevated-line-worrisome.html? Mon, 21 Sep 2009 05:12 GMT