THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	76
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2012
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

urging the honolulu authority for rapid transportation to determine cost-effective and revenue-generating ridership levels for the rail transit system.

 

 

     WHEREAS, rail transit will provide people living and working from West Oahu to Ala Moana Center with a fast, reliable alternative to driving in traffic congestion; and

 

     WHEREAS, with the ability to carry more than 400 passengers, which is the equivalent of more than six buses, rail transit is more economical and efficient than buses for heavy-volume passenger loads; and

 

     WHEREAS, by 2030 there will be an estimated additional 40,000 car trips per day on Honolulu's highways and surface streets, which rail transit will alleviate, and rail transit is also expected to reduce delay due to congestion by eighteen percent; and

 

     WHEREAS, thirty-five percent of construction for rail transit is being paid for with funds from the Federal Transit Administration; twenty-three percent is being paid by tourists visiting Oahu as part of the existing one-half percent general excise tax surcharge; and forty-two percent is being paid by Oahu residents and businesses through the general excise tax surcharge; and

 

     WHEREAS, during each year of its construction, the rail transit project will create an average of 10,000 jobs in construction, engineering, and other areas, which will increase demand for goods and services at local businesses and increase tax revenues to the City and County of Honolulu and State; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation ("HART") was established as a semi-autonomous public transit authority, approved by voters in 2010, and is responsible for planning, construction, operation, maintenance, and expansion of the City and County of Honolulu fixed guideway system; and

 

     WHEREAS, HART determines that thirty-five percent of Oahu's population lives in areas of low-income districts expected to benefit significantly from low commuting costs that will increase transit ridership by twenty percent; and

 

     WHEREAS, development and redevelopment should be focused along public transit corridors to optimize public transit ridership, and HART should coordinate with stakeholders on ridership goals; and

 

     WHEREAS, much information exists regarding the building and planning of the construction, location, and financing of the rail transit system; however, a very limited amount of information exists regarding the sustainability of the project beyond its completion; and

 

     WHEREAS, information on the number of riders per day required to make the project cost-effective and revenue-generating is needed to ensure the proper planning and financing of the project; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2012, that the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation is urged to determine cost-effective and revenue-generating ridership levels for the rail transit system; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation submit a report of its findings to the Legislature at least twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2013; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, and Chairperson of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

HART; Ridership Levels Data