A new bill could see private companies building toll roads in Hawaii.
Chairman of the House Transportation Committee Representative Joe Souki, who introduced it with two other representatives, thinks it should be a part of Hawaii’s transportation future.
"It can relieve the traffic because for those that take the toll road it will leave more room in the current road that we have right now," Souki said.
Souki says rail transit alone won’t solve Oahu’s traffic problems. "You would need a combination and there is many communities that are not going to benefit by the rail anyway."
Representative Sharon Har said, "and if rail is now no longer a viable option, will toll roads then be the solution for commuters who are stuck in traffic every day?"
The bill allows the DOT to place tolls on existing state highways if an alternate route is available, though the bill still requires a feasibility study and prior approval by the DOT.
DOT Director Glenn Okimoto does not envision such a scenario. "My idea is to do it for new roads, not for existing roads," he said.
With gas saving vehicles gaining popularity the amount of money collected through fuel taxes for the construction of new roads continues to drop.
Souki believes Hawaii may have no choice but to turn to privately built toll roads – possibly on top of those that already exist.
"The bill merely gives the DOT a tool that they can use or not use," Souki said.
However some believe toll roads will not work in Hawaii. They say many low income drivers who live in the suburbs simply cannot afford it.
"Many of us on the Leeward side have always been opposed to toll roads because of the inequity," Har said.
While the toll road measure was deferred, two bills that would install fixed cameras to catch speeders and those who run red lights passed a vote Friday in the House Finance Committee.
Both bills would give counties, not the state, the authority to establish photo enforcement programs.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Hawaii Bicycling League testified in support of the bills.
They say counties can decide how to best utilize the technology.
In 2002 an anti-speeding program known as the "van cams" was shut down after backlash from the public.
The program used mobile platforms to catch speeders, not cameras that are fixed in one location.
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
