Letter: Felix right to urge changes to rail plan

Heartfelt kudos to one of Hawaii’s most revered senior statesmen, John Henry Felix, on his commentary on stopping the rail at Middle Street (“To preserve Hawaii’s sense of place, stop rail at Middle Street,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Feb. 14).

For a Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board member to come forward is truly transformational, similar to the time when Oz Stender and others exposed the Bishop Estate trustees’ malfeasance.

This should be a tectonic juncture. Other politicians must look deep into their Hawaiian hearts and stop the rail madness before it bankrupts the city and possibly the state. Other HART board members should resign en masse.

Felix makes key points: “forensic audits and changes in rail’s governance” are desperately needed for a system that has become totally dysfunctional; and “sea level rise will eventually imperil rail’s current South Shore route.”

Dozens of smart people, including former Gov. Ben Cayetano and professors Panos Prevedouros and Randall Roth, have long argued against rail. Now an actual HART board member joins their chorus. It’s time to stop the “gone off the rails” insanity now.

Brad Coates

Downtown Honolulu

Click here to read more Letters to the Editor.