ALOHA,

TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT (TOD)

TOD's are great on paper, but when placed into reality, they need tons of tax credits and government subsidies to stay afloat. TOD's are failing across the country where implemented due to one simple fact:

Some planners think they can social engineer residents into rail- and the outcome is, the vast majority of people will still use the preferred mode of travel - which is by buses and cars if they cannot walk or bike and reject utilizing the rail.

Even in circumstances where certain planners try to force residents into using rail by making it harder and harder to use a car in a TOD, residents prefer to use the automobile over rail 90% of the time.

Watch John Charles of the Cascade Policy Institute give a short presentation on Transit Oriented Development- recorded on February 28, 2012 at Kapolei Hale:

SMART GROWTH ANALYZED

Smart Growth is a term used by pro-rail enthusiasts to describe utopian development schemes when in practice - it is dumb growth that counters the American Dream. It's like calling the landfill near Ko' Olina the Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill so folks think the landfill is in Waimanalo and think it is sanitary . . . same kind of deception with Smart Growth. The misnomer of Smart Growth can be summed up best by those that are pitching it - these are the same folks banking on everyone else riding the rail so there is in theory, more room on the roads for them . . . see it for yourself in this 25-second explanation captured on youtube:

The biggest disservice about Smart Growth, TOD's and rail, is that the very legislators pitching and promoting them, are the very ones in most circumstances with cars, a driveway, and a garage to accommodate their vehicles. Smart Growth is about no cars, no driveways, and certainly, no garages. Yet, politicians and those running for office depend on their cars to get re-elected. Have you ever seen a politician use the bus and load up their signs on it to get to the side of the road for sign-waiving activities? If these candidates are not taking the bus now with their signs to campaign, why would they take the rail if and when available? Answer - they think you will ride the rail so they will have more room on the freeway for their own exploits.

SMALL BUSINESS FAIR LEEWARD