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Fixing Hawaii's Traffic Crisis
(cross posting from the transportation group)
I have two thoughts in this area:
A) We should cap the total number of cars on each island. Our islands have a finite capacity for large gas guzzling vehicles. Its time to recognize this and set limits. We don't have the luxury of allowing every teenager in the family to have an SUV.
B) We should require every company with over 100 employees to provide the option of telecommuting to 25% or more of its workforce (with appropriate exceptions - this obviously doesn't work for doctors or construction crews.) This solution costs tax payers nothing and would have an immediate significant impact on traffic. Companies could offer this as an incentive for top performers. In my experience, top performers are generally equally productive when working from home.
Tags: telecommuting, traffic, traffic reduction
6 Comments
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Comment by Daniel Leuck on May 12, 2008 at 9:59pm
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Hey Kaunaloa,
Thank you for your comments.
A) I'm not particularly fond of any outside entity, let alone the state, dictating how many of a certain machine I can own ...
I'm not fond of it either, and if we lived in a state the size of California I wouldn't be recommending it. My point is that our choices are either to cap the number of cars or accept a significantly different lifestyle 15 years from now. If your kids have to share a car, is that really a completely unacceptable compromise?
counteroffer: how about we "make" state employees telecommute -- there's WAY more than 100 state employees -- ever notice how smooth traffic is on a state holiday?
I beat you to it :-) In the same post on the transportation group I clarify that government is included. In fact, they are one of the primary targets.
My bad for posting this in two places. Now we have disjointed threads :-/
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Comment by Kaunaloa on May 12, 2008 at 10:18pm -
"My point is that our choices are either to cap the number of cars or accept a significantly different lifestyle 15 years from now"
well, I would posit a 3rd choice; a combination of technology and innovation that obviates the need for vehicle caps yet would still allow for personal mobility via roads throughout the island -- and the only way to get there is to let the market dictate that, not the state ...
and, fwiw, if my kids think they're getting a car the moment they get a license, well, they've got a sharp learning curve ahead re: the ways of the world ...
:-)
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Yes, but do you really want "roads throughout the island"? I'd prefer a good electric rail system that includes the airport and heavy use of telecommuting for information workers.
and, fwiw, if my kids think they're getting a car the moment they get a license, well, they've got a sharp learning curve ahead
:-)
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Comment by Dan L. on May 13, 2008 at 4:58am -
I think it's better to provide alternatives than to mandate limits. A good public transportation system will reduce the need to drive everywhere, and high gas prices are already reducing the popularity of gas-guzzlers.
The issue of commuting can be dealt with through incentives rather than requirements as well. Give each employer a tax break for every employee who telecommutes, and perhaps offer such a break to each employee as well. Another possibility is to limit the number of parking places businesses can reserve for their employees, though that veers towards coercion once again.
But I have a larger question: Are these issues for a constitution, or for a law? I'm very reluctant to write into the constitution things as narrow as transportation and commuting options. It would be better to institute an initiative process, which then can be used to write laws the legislature doesn't want to handle.
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Give each employer a tax break for every employee who telecommutes, and perhaps offer such a break to each employee as well.
I really like this idea. Perhaps the mandate should apply only to government and for private business we take a point off their GE taxes for each 10% up to 30%.
A good public transportation system will reduce the need to drive everywhere
I'm a strong supporter of a comprehensive electric rail system as well. I don't like the current proposal because it is not electric and doesn't include the airport.
But I have a larger question: Are these issues for a constitution, or for a law?
Definitely a law. A broader energy independence mandate should be in the constitution. I clarified this in the same thread in the transportation group.
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B) I'm equally not fond of any outside entity, particularly the state, decreeing how private employers should conduct their business -- counteroffer: how about we "make" state employees telecommute -- there's WAY more than 100 state employees -- ever notice how smooth traffic is on a state holiday?
/jus' sayin' ...