HONOLULU -- Nearly half the people who answered a KITV/Honolulu Star-Bulletin poll said they believe light rail is the best solution for Oahu's traffic problems.

The next most popular choice among Oahu residents for a traffic solution is enhanced bus services.

Right now people are discussing three possible solutions to Oahu's traffic problems: light rail, elevated toll roads and enhanced bus services. If you had to choose the best solution today, which one of those methods would you choose: light rail, elevated toll roads, or enhanced bus service?
Light Rail	47%
Elevated Toll Roads	12%
Enhanced Bus services	27%
Other	4%
Don't Know	9%
Refused, would not choose	1%

If you had to choose the best solution today, which one of those methods would you choose: light rail, elevated toll roads, or enhanced bus service
ANSWER	ON ROUTE	OFF ROUTE
Light Rail	50%	46%
Elevated Toll Roads	13%	12%
Enhanced Bus Service	26%	28%
Other	2%	5%
Not Sure	9%	9%
Would Not Choose	4%	10%

The poll also found a slight majority either do not like or are not sure about the city's choice of steel-on-steel as technology for rail transit.

The KITV/Honolulu Star-Bulletin poll asked 402 people on Oahu to choose from three solutions to the island's traffic problems.

Forty-seven percent of them chose "light rail." The next-most-popular choice of enhanced bus services received approval from 27 percent of the people, like Hazel Hostetter of Hawaii Kai.

"You know, that might work, because the bus system worked for Hawaii all these years," Hostetter said.

"More buses alone are not the answer. Right now, the buses can only operate on time 65 percent of the time on schedule," Mayor Mufi Hannemann said.

Just 12 percent of the people like the idea of building elevated-toll roads.

"Considering how little the media have covered toll roads, I'm surprised it gets that much," Stop Rail Now leader Cliff Slater said.

The city is moving forward with steel-on-steel rail technology. Fifty-four percent of the people in the poll said they either do not like that technology or are unsure about it. People like Cyrus Chen who lives in the Ward area.

Do you think the proposed steel-on-steel rail transit system is the best solution to Oahu's traffic problem?
Yes	46%
No	36%
Not Sure	18%

Do you think the proposed steel-on-steel rail transit system is the best solution to Oahu's traffic problem?
ANSWER	ON ROUTE	OFF ROUTE
Yes	44%	48%
No	36%	36%
Not Sure	20%	17%

"You know, I don't think I have enough information. That's what the experts say, so I'll leave it up to the experts. If that's what it is, then that's fine," Chen said.

"We still have some work to do there, but clearly it still remains the No. 1 choice -- 46 percent of the people say steel-on-steel," Hannemann said.

Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi, who is running against Hannemann, supports a different rail technology, rubber tire on concrete.

"It's less than half the cost and it accomplishes the same thing. So, you know, it's 'Why not?'" Kobayashi said.

SMS Research conducted the transit poll for KITV and the Honolulu Star Bulletin via telephone from July 18 through the 23. It has a margin of error of 4.8 percent.