HONOLULU -- The 2003 Honolulu City Council's first committee meeting tackled one of Oahu's biggest problems Monday: traffic, specifically, the proposed Bus Rapid Transit System.
The new council promised to take a critical look at the controversial project.
It was just an informational briefing to the transportation committee, but council members fired off some tough questions.
"What it shows is that it would be faster to drive to town than to catch the BRT. Why is that?" Council Chairman Gary Okino said.
"The formula we have to use includes wait time and walk time," Cheryl Soon, the director of the City's Department of Transportation, said.
"Will you be requesting more money for phase one? " Councilman Nestor Garcia asked.
"I do not know yet," Soon answered.
About $14 million has already been spent in planning. Another $31 million has been set aside for the first phase of a project projected to cost close to $500 million to get up and running.
The opponents appeared in force.
"This particular BRT is being proposed like a bad trip to never-never land," BRT opponent Dale Evans told council members.
Soon urged the council members to support the city's latest answer to Oahu's traffic problem.
"It does not make sense to start from scratch as if nothing ever happened. Learn what's happened up until this point and build on it, not just start all over again," Soon said.
The new council has many concerns, mainly, if BRT has the state's support.
Council members made no bones on where the buck stops.
"In the end we are the ones who are policy makers and we are the ones who will be making the decision one way or the other in respect to the BRT," Garcia said.
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