Back-to-School Jam

So, how's traffic?

Comments

Horrible, I expect, now that the strike's official.

Star-Bulletin article, or Advertiser, depending on your taste, I guess.

So, for those of you who bus, how are you all getting to school, work, or play, today?

Oh, and I was glad to find that you can get a refund on your bus pass, they'll give you back some amount according to how long they strike.

I now know that a casual stroll from Chinatown to UH-Manoa takes just under two hours. I think this will very rapidly become quite boring. :)

Traffic was not as bad as I thought it would be. But then again my commute to and from work is about 2 miles each way along either Kapiolani Blvd., Beretania or Ala Moana Blvd. Today Kapiolani was OK to downtown... about as busy as a busy Monday morning. Of course with the busses not using the rightmost lanes, more cars can go through a little faster now, even though there are more cars on the road.

Afternoon commute back on King St. was about as bad as a typical Friday. Again no busses hogging the most right handed lanes, means that more cars can use them without stop and go.

Think that macpro is right, more cars on the road is offset by not having to contend with buses blocking the right hand lane. Would be great however to have the buses running again, especially for those who depend on them as their sole method of transportation. Okay, don't get bent, for all those environmental reasons also.

Yes, the late afternoon traffic on the first day of the strike seemed to me (as a pedestrian watching it from the sidewalks) about the same as a typical Friday afternoon.

Although I must admit, I've never understood why traffic is always so much heavier on Friday afternoons here. It's not like so many have weekend getaway homes they're anxious to reach (as in NYC).

One thing that is really annoying me about this stupid strike is how the heavyweight politicans are staying right out of it. Lingle reportedly doesn't want to "get involved". Errrrr ... isn't that just an ordinary part of her job description?

The ironic thing is, traffic seems to move a lot faster through the city because there is now an extra lane and there are no buses slowing down the traffic.

I agree, Lingle's reluctance to take a stand is quite annoying. There's definitely more to it than what she's telling the press.

It's been a long time since the last strike, and Hawaii is generally friendly toward union action like this. But I really wonder how long the honeymoon will last. I certainly have less sympathy for the drivers than I've had for other groups that have recently held strikes over labor negotiations.

It's hard for me to say what effect the bus strike is having, since it happened on the heels of back to school. Either way, it's noticably worse than it was a month ago. I head against the majority of traffic both ways, and the sea of cars on the other side of the concrete median is sometimes mindboggling. (When I'm taking the westbound Airport/Nimitz offramp and see the cars jammed up coming down from Red Hill? Whew.)

While I don't think the overall tradeoff that's giving us no buses but more use of rightmost lanes is a good one to make in the long run, it is noticable (now I can take Dillingham home with less chances of frustration). I would rather take it as Exhibit A against the ridiculous BRT initiative than anything else. Imagine if those lanes were gone completely?

It is too early to be blaming the Governor for not taking action on this matter. For one thing, the dispute is between the union bus drivers and the firm they work for.. Oahu Transportation Services (OTS) which is the contractor to run The Bus for the City and County of Honolulu. As far as the State is concerned at this time, this is a City & County matter.

That said, the State has tried to help alleviate some of the problem by keeping the Zipper lane open longer and lessening the requirement from 3 passengers (or more) per car to 2 or more. The state is also allowing single driver cars to use the HOV lanes on the freeway, not that those lanes have been entirely enforced prior to the strike.

Latest news is that the 2 sides will go back to the bargaining table tomorrow. There is a possibility that this bus strike could be a short one.

As for the BRT proposal, it is a bad idea that merits an entirely new topic on this board.... anyone want to start that????

yeah, lingle did what she could without the state "micromanaging" the situation. (Remember that word? I feel old...) But hey, looks like new negotiations tomorrow. Betcha buses are up and running again on Friday.

Sorry, I think Lingle should have taken a much more active part in this mess. If even that wimp Harris could, then she should have.

So what if the power-company employees decide to strike. No electric power on the island of Oahu.

Would Lingle still not want to "get involved"?

Probably.

Gee. I don't know, Albert. I know this strike is affecting you more than most others, and I know you're not a big fan of the governor, but this is a city matter. If it were a union (in a similar situatioj) in one of the other counties, would you expect the governor to get involved there, too? Especially with the city council and mayor calling radio stations and trying to work stuff out?

I'm not a Lingle apologist, but the bad guys here are the bus drivers. There's a great column by Charles Memminger that I think sums up public sentiment quite nicely.

Well, after yesterday's so-called "talks", my sympathy for the bus drivers has dropped to near zero.

But hurrah for the "City Van" service! Even if I did get from UH-Manoa to Ala Moana Center the long way around via Waikiki, it surely was better than walking it in the afternoon sunshine. And the price is definitely right. $0!

There's a reason why, even if it is a local or a private business matter, the White House gets involved in some disputes, such as when it involves a utility, manufacturer, or major labor action. This city bus strike might not be her business technically, but as a person in power, there is a place for strong opinions, if not direct intervention.

Actually, I'm less annoyed that she's playing hands-off than I am about the fact that she's going out of her way to say, "I'm not getting involved." We get it already. Your ass is covered.

I hinted above that I don't think the bus drivers will have the hearts and minds of Honolulu for long, and Memminger's column is indeed a great summation of why. With the person on the street easily noting the pay disparity with police officers and firefighters (time on the job and raise schedules notwithstanding), you know they're not making much of a case.

But, if only out of tradition, I'm strongly inclined to blame it on Jeremy. He's trying to pin it squarely on the other side, when he's really making a tough call of his own. From the article: "They're really saying, given our priorities, there's no money for you."

Well bus drivers are saying "We wouldn't be in this mess right now if Harris hadn't expanded the bus service in 2000 in order to get votes for the election." Their beef was that there was nothing wrong with the bus system then and Harris' decision tapped into more money than the city was ready to spend. So yeah, I'm inclined to blame Jeremy as well. I wish someone would bring that up and hold the mayor accountable for that publicly.

Being in Hilo, this doesn't affect me much in normal life. However I was in O'ahu this past weekend and didn't notice a HUGE difference in the amount of traffic through Waikiki. It was just strange NOT to see The Bus all over the place.

But I usually take an anti-union stance in most things. I say fire them all and hire people who ARE willing to work for the amount of money they make now. I'm sure it wouldn't he hard to find people willing to get paid what they make (more than HPD officers?!).

I was watching the news on Friday night, and one of the bus drivers was quoted as saying "Harris should mind his own business in this matter," So I'm not sure Lingle's involvement would have been viewed any better.

I just hope that the city bus workers would be back to work soon. Forget all these brainy less jealousy people out there. They dont know nothing, and its like they are the one who got turned down with their applications. Now these are the chance to say their comments beat it guys. Just think about those people who need ride and its the best transportation anywhere anyway!

Hey Chris, well if you dont live here in Oahu it would be better for you to stay out of this.cause evedently you dont know our ways of life here each day. You probably dont have any idea about how many people depend on the bus. The cost of living and youre talking about Hawaii which one of the most expensive place to stay. I dont think we can survive without the bus.

Can't we? Survival without the bus might be no picnic, but we're managing decently right now. I think one of the dangers of a protracted strike, frankly, is that people will slowly stop missing the bus - the alternate arrangements they make will seem familiar and fine. I'm carpooling with a coworker now, and I'm beginning to think I could keep ridesharing even after the strike ends. I've heard the same from a couple of temporary bike commuters. With HandiVan minimally servicing those in dire need...

Trust me, I'm proud of our "best in class" bus system, and hope things get worked out. But I also know larger cities lumber along with much less. In addition to the huge drop in public support, I'd advice the bus drivers to take into consideration the faint possibility that they're not as irreplacable as they think. I can just see the cash-strapped tour operators and the growing "City Van" program quietly growing in to fill the deepest voids.

And there's the dirty little secret of a bus strike: better traffic flow on congested corridors (Dillingham, Pali Highway, S. King Street) where buses no longer gum up the right lane. You know, the lane they at least share with cars? Rush hour lasts longer, yes, but overall I have noticed (at least through Chinatown) less stop and go. Now if they could only ban street parking a little later into the afternoon.

And to think BRT advocates are using the strike as an opportunity to make noise. Pshaw. BRT, that would take entire lanes, still require heaps of unionized drivers, and now - under the latest proposals - cost a premium over "regular" bus service. And sorry, fancy, sexy new articulated buses do not a fixed-rail equivalent make.

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