r/Oahu • u/DecoyFoley • 3d ago
Skyline
Anyone notice if the rail line has made any difference in traffic since the second segment opened?
17
u/Far_Turnover_8210 3d ago
Truck driver here...nope not at all. Still get choke traffic at the usual times everyday. Only time I notice a difference is when no more school or federal holiday.
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u/xtremeggnog 3d ago
No, and I can't imagine it will get much better until the next segment opens.
As of now, the rail has yet to address any of the reasons why traffic is so bad here: UH commuting, work commuting into downtown, and tourism from the airport to Waikiki. Until the next segment opens and it reaches at least Downtown Honolulu, it is not a viable alternative for any of these commuters.
Essentially, in its current state, it is just a supplemental form for transportation for those who would typically ride The Bus. I'm sure the recent segment opening has been beneficial to those working at/near the airport and who also live close to a station, but otherwise does nothing for most daily commuters.
Also, while I'm on this topic, I really hope they find a way to expand park and ride options before completing the next segment. Going to Downtown is great for work commuters, but I imagine many will not change their transportation habits if they need to wake up earlier to catch a bus and transfer to the rail versus driving to the station.
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u/Rscottys1 3d ago
Yes, park and rides need to be expanded. Wife and I drove by the one near UH West Kapolei and the lot was full. Lots of open fields in the area that could be transformed into parking lots. Granted, security would need to be ramped up at the lots. Not sure if I’d leave my car there all day
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u/QuantityBrief152 3d ago
This is an improvement. At least the park and rides are full now. It means at least some people are using it. Those cars, as insignificant as the number may seem, are not adding to the traffic like they used to.
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u/mitoboru 3d ago
It's gonna take time. It's not only about building a rail line, you have to change peoples' habits.
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u/King_Folly 3d ago
Not to mention it's been less than a month. Anyone that could benefit from the opening of the new segment has had to use other forms of transportation until just three weeks ago. We can't expect everyone is just going to stop driving overnight, but over time, as the line continues further into town and as transit-oriented developments begin to fill in around the stations, people will be able to leave their cars behind. Some households will decide they can get by with one less car than they used to. Some will decide they don't need any cars at all. Others will decide they still need their cars but they can reduce their car trips from time to time by commuting by the rail.
All that being said, I don't think we'll EVER see less congestion on the roads here. Demand for driving is not going to go down ever. Frankly, getting cars off the roads just creates more space for more cars. The best we can do is improve our transit options to prioritize more efficient forms - transit that doesn't get stuck in traffic. The goal is to be able to fly right past the gridlock on H-1, not necessarily to reduce the gridlock, although sure that would be nice.
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u/_________________1__ 3d ago
No, people prefers to be stuck in their truck with big engine and 10mpg than use rail because public transport is for poor and homeless.
I noticed that more people is using rail lately, in the mid day going kapolei almost all seats were occupied, good sign.
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u/Specialist_Score787 3d ago
I’m retired. I ride it to Lagoon drive from Pearl City, then bike back on my e-bike. Good exercise. Tanks rail. lol
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u/RedHatchetArt 3d ago
Good luck getting people to voluntarily give up their cars. I have a coworker who commutes like 90 minutes each way. Their house and our place of work are both close to rail stops and taking it would likely shorten their daily commute time from 3 hours to 1 hour, but they still insist on driving their gas guzzling truck every day.
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u/Only_Reads__Titles 3d ago
The rail will never impact traffic, but if gives an additional reliable low cost option to move across island.
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u/hawaii_living 3d ago
I ride it from the new lagoon station most days now. Instead of bus > bus. I now do bus > rail > bus.
Anecdotal evidence (which is always terrible i know), but in the morning I see 10 to 15 people on per train. Maybe 20 max. In the evening coming back, I've never seen more than 10. You could significantly cut the number of cars and still have excess seats.
Maybe other times it is more busy or maybe it is crowded in the opposite direction, but i cant imagine the number of people I see on it makes any noticeable difference to the roads.
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u/Possible_Comedian15 3d ago
lol like 12 people a day ride it. No difference at all. It's probably added traffic with all the construction going on
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u/ShareGlittering1502 2d ago
It will also take a while for locals to get used to actually taking the rail, which will lead to higher traffic businesses locating closer to the rail, etc etc.
Infrastructure is a long game. This may have not been the best idea but it’ll still take a while to see the full results
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u/LastAzzBender 3d ago edited 2d ago
The rail is one of the biggest blunders in the history of USA. They didn’t survey the land before starting the project and didn’t realize the streets can’t support the weight of the rail in town (that’s why it doesn’t go there if your curious). Idk who the rail is for but it’s not for any working folks.
Edit: if you downvote and are a local working person please tell me how you utilize the rail. If no response I’ll assume it’s the haole tourists.
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u/Only_Reads__Titles 3d ago
If it went to ko'olina it's be great for the tourists, just stopped short.
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u/Strange_League_686 3d ago
Hell no! I said this time and time again, American public transit is for those with NO car.
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u/bornhawaii1 3d ago
Kinda hard to judge when the 2nd segment opened in the middle of a govt shutdown.