Bus stops should be for bus riders

Bus stops are being reclaimed for bus riders — which the city was duty-bound to do at some point, even if it’s another not-so-gentle nudge against the homeless population.

The mayor has signed Bill 99 into law, which makes lying down at bus stops illegal except for the hours between 1 and 4 a.m., when buses aren’t running.

Other cities have opted for variations on this theme. Last year in Anaheim, Calif., for example, bus benches were removed altogether from the stops. The riders themselves already had lost the use of benches long ago — to those setting up camp at the stops — Anaheim officials said. There’s standing room only.

In Honolulu, city transit has experimented with benches discouraging sleepers, designs such as the “leaning” benches not geared for sleeping or even sitting, and benches with hard dividers to discourage anyone inclined to nap there.

Bill 99 did draw opposition, and from expected quarters. The American Civil Liberties Union urged the city instead to focus on providing more shelter and services before adding another law affecting the homeless.

The counterargument, though, is much stronger. These are facilities that are intended for another constituency — bus riders. Depriving them of a seat does not serve the greater good; homeless provisions should be a separate consideration.

UH audit on Mauna Kea use is welcome

Between a rock and a hard place is a tough spot — and it gets exponentially tougher if that spot is atop the revered mountaintop of Mauna Kea.

That’s why it’s prudent that the University of Hawaii Board of Regents this week tasked its internal auditor to look into the university’s management of the Mauna Kea Astronomy Reserve. Nearly a dozen world-class telescopes dot the summit of Hawaii’s tallest mountain, and the prestigious Thirty Meter Telescope remains intent on joining that community despite vigorous opposition from some Native Hawaiians who claim Mauna Kea as sacred.

Several efforts are underway against UH control: an Office of Hawaiian Affairs lawsuit; state Senate Bill 3090, to establish a new management authority; and Senate Bill 757, which would have the state auditor conduct a forensic financial audit of UH’s financial dealings regards to Mauna Kea. While some activists want all activities off the summit, others, ironically, say UH is not reaping enough money from users of the mountain.

The regents’ audit, then, would provide needed fresh eyes, on a path that doesn’t exploit — yet doesn’t shortchange — Mauna Kea’s unique resources.

Some 20 years ago, a scathing state auditor’s report justifiably criticized UH oversight of Mauna Kea; since then and several audits later, a comprehensive strategy has been crafted, and followed. It’s hard to see how any proposed new management under a fledgling management authority or even the chronically dysfunctional OHA, would improve things.

The UH regents’ financial management audit will be worthwhile to guide better practices. The goals, as UH senior adviser Greg Chun noted, is “to look at all the costs and how the money flows through and around the mountain,” and to be transparent about it. Worthy goals indeed, which the public will be tracking.

Seems fair to tax EV, hybrid drivers

Oahu is just 44 miles long and 30 miles wide, with nearly 230 miles of shoreline. Our relatively short commuting distances make the island potentially perfect for electric vehicle (EV) technology. And that meshes with the state’s much-touted ambition of eliminating dependence on fossil fuels.

In an effort to encourage the switch away from gas-guzzling vehicles, state-mandated incentives include free parking for up to 30 days at the airport, free parking in county and state facilities, free use of metered street parking stalls, and the OK to use the lesscongested high-occupancy vehicle lanes regardless of the number of car occupants.

Given such freebies, it’s hard to complain about a bill legislators are weighing to put in place new state registration fees for electric and hybrid vehicles, which also do not pay the gasoline tax.

Supporters of Senate Bill 1011 rightly maintain that since the gasoline tax is one of the primary sources of funding for maintaining the state’s network of roadways, it’s only fair for green-car drivers using those roads to somehow pitch in.

Senate Bill 1011 would impose an extra annual registration fee of $70 for EVs and $35 for hybrids to try to equalize the tax burden between conventional and more fuel-efficient hybrids and electric cars.

The state calculates that most Hawaii residents drive an average of 10,000-plus miles a year and pay about $70 in state gasoline taxes, which was the basis for the proposed EV fee. Since hybrids use roughly half as much fuel as a conventional car, the proposed fee was set at $35.