A fight over whether to build a rail line along Honolulu's traffic-clogged oceanside corridor is the dominant topic in Saturday's mayoral vote, with opposition candidates pledging to stop the project in its tracks.
Mayor Mufi Hannemann was once considered a sure bet for outright re-election, but contenders emerged to give a voice to those who believe a steel-rail commuter train would be an eyesore for these tropical isles that attract 7 million tourists a year _ six times the permanent population.
The first-term mayor wants to build the $5 billion, 20-mile rail line to relieve pressure on the only highway from the suburbs to the city, which would give commuters an alternative to an increasingly crowded island bus system.
"We're at a crossroads. People are tired of being stuck in traffic. They're tired of studies and they want action," Hannemann said. "People in Honolulu for the first time will be able to get up in the morning, and it won't just be a choice between car and bus."
His opponents in the nonpartisan race, Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi and University of Hawaii professor Panos Prevedouros, think a rail system would be too ugly, too expensive and won't reduce traffic.
"I'm for whatever, as long as it's not steel on steel," Kobayashi said. "It just doesn't fit our island. Visually, it's going to ruin our city." One proposal calls for more rubber-tire buses, possibly on a new fixed guideway.
Prevedouros is new to politics, drawing on his civil engineering background to argue for a three-lane, 12-mile elevated toll road with reversible lanes _ combined with six underpasses _ at a cost of less than $2 billion.
"I'm addressing the 90 percent of people who time and again choose a car-based mode of transportation," he said. "We're making so many mistakes. We need somebody who will stop the mistakes and make progress."
The mayor, who governs all of Oahu with a city council, is trying to win the race outright Saturday, which he would do if he receives more than 50 percent of the votes among nine candidates. If no candidate receives a majority, the top two vote-getters would face off in the November general election.
One candidate even changed her name so that "J Stop-Rail-Transit Maly" would appear on the ballot. She's a retired University of Hawaii professor formerly known as Jacquie Maly.
A runoff in the mayor's race could imperil the project. Hannemann himself won a runoff in 2004 after trailing in the primary.
Kobayashi, Prevedouros and organized rail opponents question whether the rail system will do much to reduce commutes of more than an hour or more for many residents who often start their trips before dawn.
But proponents say Oahu motorists need transportation options so they can avoid the island's narrow urban sprawl. Oahu has about 900,000 residents, plus another 100,000 or so tourists each day.
A single accident can tie up island-wide traffic for hours. Similar bottlenecks occur on other islands' urban centers, where smaller populations couldn't support mass transit.
Hannemann boasts a high approval rating and has raised far more money than the other candidates, but the anti-rail movement is driven by a sentiment that his administration is inefficient and catering to unions, which would benefit from a long, costly public works project.
The city's rail experts predict the commuter train would reduce estimated traffic in 2030 by 11 percent compared to what it would be like if the rail isn't built. The idea for the elevated, reversible toll lanes would trim traffic in 2030 by just 0.6 percent, according to the city's analysis.
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On the Net:
Mufi Hannemann: http://www.votemufi.com/
Ann Kobayashi: http://www.kobayashiformayor.com/
Panos Prevedouros: http://www.panosforprogress.com/
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