Commute Programs Urged to Help Ease Traffic Congestion

As part of a broad strategy to help rein in congestion, our administration has stepped up efforts to get more commuters from Kapolei to quit driving alone to work in Honolulu.

The latest example of this occurred on July 8th, when our state Department of Transportation changed the minimum ridership for the zipperlane on the H-1 Freeway from two to three people per vehicle.

While no one-size-fits-all solution exists for clearing congestion in areas such as Kapolei, where commuting pain is greatest, early indications are that this effort has the potential to put drivers into carpools.

That was a key finding in an authoritative report from the state Department of Transportation, where we have been tracking West Oahu commuters who drive toward Honolulu between 5:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.-the period of peak congestion in the morning.

The report shows that, during that period, a daily average of 1,705 vehicles has been traveling the zipperlane, which requires at least three people per vehicle. At the same time, a daily average of 5,050 vehicles has been traveling in the high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane, which requires at least two people per vehicle.

Meaning, a total daily average number of 6,755 vehicles is carpooling from West Oahu to Honolulu during the period of peak congestion in the morning. That is roughly 25 percent of the total daily average number of vehicles carrying West Oahu commuters to Honolulu during that timeframe.

By comparison, a daily average of 20,999 vehicles is driven by West Oahu commuters, who travel alone toward Honolulu in the morning.

Not surprisingly, these commuters account for about 75 percent of the total average number of vehicles in traffic on the H-1 Freeway during the peak congestion period in the morning.

Clearly, getting these vehicles into carpools is challenging. But it is a critical component in clearing congestion on the H-1 Freeway, where in Kapolei traffic is creating delays and wasted fuel.

And for us to succeed, it is going to require the active participation of commuters who are willing to change their daily routine of driving to work alone.

Lt. Governor Aiona is a resident of Kapolei

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