A K LEO T H E
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20 to TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 2012 VOLUME 107 ISSUE 5
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Against the flow: Cayetano talks transit, UH DAVIN AOYAGI Editor in Chief
mer governor Benjamin Cayetano Former gathers media attention as the sole candidate d to rail, but his alternatives to the rail opposed project and his views on the university’s role for lu County are less known. Honolulu ving retired from the state’s highest ofHaving fice in 2002, Cayetano sat down with Ka Leo for nute interview on rail, rail alternatives a 60-minute and the university.
needs. He pointed out that by 2030, Honolulu’s population will have increased by an additional 100,000 people, and that rail would not achieve its intended purpose. “I would tell a UH student to go on-
R A L LY I N G AGA I N S T R A I L
Cayetano, yetano, who announced his candidacy yor on Jan. 19, was motivated by his for mayor tion to rail. opposition ne reason why I came out of retirement “One is that I didn’t like what I saw happening in the ayetano said. “I thought the spending city,” Cayetano was veryy reckless, and I really feel that the rail system is something we can’t afford.” e rail project is expected to stretch from The West O‘ahu ‘ahu to Ala Moana Center. If ted, it will cost the City completed, ounty of Honoand County .2 billion, aclulu $5.2 g to the ofcording ebsite for ficial website olulu Rail the Honolulu Transit Project. yetano, Cayetano, r, stated however, that the cost will ser to be closer on. $7 billion. He said that rail fails to adodress Honolulu’ss f ut ure trans on portation
line [and] Google this stuff ... [They’ll] fi nd it won’t reduce traffic congestion ... The city had to admit this as well,” Cayetano said. Cayetano also criticized rail due to the locations it will service. “The fi rst thing that all students know is that it will probably never go s to Mānoa. The reason is that the Mānoa spur would cost about $1.8 billion in addition to what’s already on the table.” grow Cayetano dismissed the potential job growth projections due to the rail project, stating tthat, “The city says 10,000 jobs a year. What does the University of Hawai‘i economics departm department say? 2,000 [jobs] for the entire project.”
Cayetano referred to a 2003 Envir Environmental Impact Statement as a basis for his alternative transit plan. According to Cayetano, the EIS stated that an expanded bus rapid transit (BRT) sys system was better than rail for three main reaso reasons: “First, it was less costly. [Second] ... the ridership riders was forecasted to be a little higher than ra rail ... t Third, it’s much more flexible so, they try routes, it doesn’t work out, and you can change. O Once you build rail, that’s it, you’re stuck with it it.” See Cayetano, page 2
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HIGHER HIGH G ER S STANDARDS? TANDARDS? S? Campus members weigh in on Cayetano comments
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This article is part of a three-part series covering the candidates for mayor of Honolulu County. Ka Leo interviewed mayoral candidate Ben Cayetano on June 8, 2012. To watch the interview, go to kaleo.org
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