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/ 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 The brief but precise analysis done by HonoluluTraffic.com on the procedural steps for the proposed rail system of Honolulu to move forward is available at Hawaii Reporter: http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?274effb2-d6f8-4b05-8939-6c124dbf324a http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/09/five-hurdles-hannemann-administration.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/09/five-hurdles-hannemann-administration.html? Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:34 GMT The 2009 Commuter Pain report, an annual study conducted by IBM was released before Labor Day. It is based on surveys of 4,400 commuters in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Forth Worth, Los Angeles, Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York, San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, and Washington, DC. Here are some of the study findings [http://www-03.ibm.com/press/attachments/28320.pdf]. As http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/09/2009-commuter-pain-report-lessons-for.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/09/2009-commuter-pain-report-lessons-for.html? Mon, 14 Sep 2009 06:54 GMT Honolulu's per person cost for rail will be $4,300. No other community has paid such a heavy tax. Phoenix recently opened its light rail service at a cost of under $180 per person!The $4,300 per person is based on numbers from the project's promoters, Mayor Hanneman and his well paid consultants. The fact is that the project will cost much more because utility relocations, stoppages of iwi and http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/09/summary-of-scoops-on-honolulus-elevated.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/09/summary-of-scoops-on-honolulus-elevated.html? Tue, 08 Sep 2009 04:56 GMT Although it does not take a genius to realize that investment in public transportation in the U.S. is a counterproductive exercise, the pace of that investment continues unabated and the U.S. is determined to keep throwing good money after bad money in the futile effort that the trend will reverse itself. What trend you ask? The trend of the share of trips done using public transit, or the http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/09/investment-in-expanding-public-transit.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/09/investment-in-expanding-public-transit.html? Tue, 01 Sep 2009 06:33 GMT The International Maglev Board has published an series of short and informative articles of the advantages of magnetically levitated train and questions USA’s inertia and conservatism in thinking about steel-on-steel medium speed rail. They begin by asking: Why is America embarking on a high-speed rail initiative that is so prejudiced against maglev and so weighted in favor of 45-year-old “ http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/08/national-debate-on-high-speed-rail.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/08/national-debate-on-high-speed-rail.html? Sun, 23 Aug 2009 06:42 GMT This article from one of the members of the editorial board of The Denver Post is a breath of journalistic fresh air: http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_13059445In the article it is made clear that light rail is more polluting that regular sedans and far more polluting than hybrid cars. In fact, that article is titled: Prius effect: Energy-efficient cars undercut the appeal of light rail.Note http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/08/light-rail-v-prius-or-denver-post-v.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/08/light-rail-v-prius-or-denver-post-v.html? Wed, 19 Aug 2009 04:03 GMT We seem to have set the bar quite low with our expectations for advanced compact vehicles delivering anywhere between 50 and 80 miles per gallon (mpg). Popular hybrids such as the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius deliver about 50 mpg in mixed traffic. Some European and Asian diesels reach 80 mpg. But 230 mpg? That's the news for General Motors and its anticipated (late) 2010 Chevrolet Volt which http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/08/230-miles-per-gallon.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/08/230-miles-per-gallon.html? Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:55 GMT It is no secret that the roads on Honolulu are generally in mediocre to poor condition. A 2009 report of the American Association of State and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) makes this negative distinction official: Honolulu is 4th worst in the nation. As a consequence of this, the average vehicle in Honolulu suffers about $700 in annual road damage in tires, suspension, etc. The analysis http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/08/honolulus-pavements-among-nations-worst.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/08/honolulus-pavements-among-nations-worst.html? Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:17 GMT This is hot off the press from the federal Department of Transportation:Economics: Pricing, Demand, and Economic EfficiencyThe 24 page report can be found here: http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop08041/fhwahop08041.pdfIn their words: The application of tolling and road pricing provides the opportunity to solve transportation problems without Federal or state funding. It could mean http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/07/us-dot-guidance-for-road-pricing-to.html Fix Oahu! http://fixoahu.blogspot.com/2009/07/us-dot-guidance-for-road-pricing-to.html? Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:00 GMT