According to the U.S. Census data, Oahu’s population grew by more than 80,000 people. Ewa Beach led the way with a 359 percent increase.
Geographically, West Oahu experienced the greatest overall change in population — a 35 percent increase. North Shore was a distant second, with only a 14 percent increase, while Kailua and Kaneohe actually experienced a 3 percent decrease. It’s no wonder that the H-1 corridor is ranked one of the Top 5 most-congested freeways in the nation, since the population growth has been concentrated in Kapolei.
The growth on the Ewa Plain was no accident, and most of us accepted development when we moved there. It was really the only affordable alternative for working-class families, and as much as people in other communities complain about development, high density projects like Ho‘opili will ensure that our keiki have affordable housing alternatives in the future.
The General Plan — our island’s overarching land-use planning document — designates West Oahu to absorb our island’s growth, addresses the increase in population and need for housing, and alleviates development pressures in other communities. And any time you add more than 80,000 people to an area, traffic is going to get worse. Rail transit will give us respite from gridlock, contribute to our quality of life and address the next wave of people moving to the west side.
The people of Oahu cannot ask our families living in West Oahu to absorb our island growth without providing a reliable transportation alternative. We already spend two to three hours in traffic — on a good day. One accident and even a little rain can easily turn that into a four-hour round-trip commute. As working-class people, our lives revolve around transportation and the need to anticipate how long it will take us to get to town — and back again — so that we can care for our families.
The Oahu General Plan enables the rest of the people on our island to enjoy their quality of life with little or no development or disruption to their communities. We, in West Oahu, have sacrificed so that the rest of the island can enjoy and preserve their rural country living, cozy little towns and scenic natural resources. Without rail transit, gridlock in West Oahu will be unbearable. And without rail, there is no reason why the people of West Oahu should bear the brunt of growth for the island.
Without rail, there is no reason to focus economic development on the second city of Kapolei. Without rail, the city must revisit the General Plan and require other communities to share the burden of island growth. Without rail, there will be no incentive to redevelop the urban core and, therefore, little or no affordable housing, since the higher real estate communities of North Shore, Windward Oahu and East Honolulu can accommodate new but only expensive housing options.
Without rail, all agricultural land will be in jeopardy because there will be fewer safeguards in place for targeted growth. Without rail, our population will continue to grow, communities across the island will share double-digit increases, travel by car will be the accepted mode of transportation, and traffic congestion as well as a typical four-hour commute will be a normal part of everyday life — for everyone, not just those living in West Oahu.
The General Plan holds paramount the ideal of “fair distribution.” Without rail, it’s only fair that the rest of the island should share in development to accommodate growth. So imagine a 35 percent population increase in your community. Now imagine what happens to your roads. Just for a minute, imagine what life is like for those of us living in West Oahu facing a 25-mile drive into Honolulu during rush hour traffic.
If you oppose rail because you won’t ride it or you don’t want to pay for it or it’ll ruin your view plane, then you’re forgetting the most important reason why you should support it: to preserve your quality of life and the quality of life in your community. Without rail, your community will soon look like Ewa Beach.
