HHUA MISSION
To ensure a strong and efficient transportation infrastructure and distribution system for Hawai'i and US; to accommodate many diverse highway uses, to afford mobility, choices and reliability to properly serve the needs for public safety and homeland security; to foster fair competition, economic stability and quality development; to advance the knowledge and science of transportation/distribution within government and industry; to actively lobby and provide education and open dialogue on important issues affecting transportation, distribution and travel-related issues in the U.S. and Hawai'i. MEANS
To ensure that highway revenues are used only for highway and bridge improvements to promote the maximum freedom of mobility for Hawai'i's motoring public.
Dedicate highway revenues only for highway and bridge improvements:
- Restore trust in the Highway Trust Fund.
- Utilize technological innovations and management techniques to upgrade the efficiencies and safety of our roads, highways and bridges and intermodal connections.
- Involve fully the private sector in the transportation decision-making and evaluation process for transportation projects' planning, operation and cost.
BENEFITS OF HIGHWAY INVESTMENTS
- Increasing Highway Safety - save lives, reduce crashes and severity of injuries and damages, minimize hazards
- Speed Emergency Services - fire, police, ambulance and rescue teams need faster response times to save lives
- Improve Productivity and cost - to ensure competitiveness in global economy
- Improve Efficiency - smoother traffic, reliable travel speeds for on time deliveries, minimize wear and tear
- Improve Quality of Life - protect the environment (conserve fuel, reduce emissions)
- Promote Quality Growth - for new and growing developments
HHUA PHILOSOPHY
We must fight for pro-highway policies at the federal, state and local levels of government. The price of bad transportation policies is an inadequate, antiquated highway system, unsafe, overcrowded, inefficient.
Diversion of funding and other abusive tactics and the defeatist mantra that "we can't build our way out of congestion" delay road improvements and threaten the mobility of people and goods.
Traffic congestion requires traffic solutions: a comprehensive attack on bottlenecks and gridlock.
Traffic safety requires investment in roadway safety improvements.
Restore trust in the Highway Trust Fund. An efficient highway system requires highway taxes be dedicated to highway and bridge improvements.
Quality Growth requires providing necessary public infrastructure in roads as well as schools, water and sewers.
Funding must be fair: user taxes collected from private sector should not be used to subsidize a government-subsidized monopoly that competes against them.
Rules must be fair: rules that permit states to use highway funds for mass transit should apply to using mass transit funds for highway projects.
Efficient highways ensure mobility in the movement of passengers and goods, productivity and cost savings in commerce, and the economic viability of our State.
Efficient highways promote transit efficiency and O&M cost-savings.
Opponents: Anti-automobile and extreme "smart growth" (new urbanism) advocates seek to change the behavior of a community's residents and businesses, i.e. social engineering. The plans include: Increasing urban density through TODs (transit-oriented development) and shifting highway investments to transit alone. GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Non-discrimination. Highways serve multiple and diverse legitimate purposes. Efficiency and Equity -- not discrimination -- must be the basis of prioritizing projects and usage.
Accountability and disclosure. The government shall make available reports on its operations, that audits should not be the only way for the public to ascertain the cost benefits of government's subsidies of operations and other expenditures
Private sector participation. The transportation planning process must include the private sector to the fullest extent possible.
Public involvement. Public information and awareness must be open, complete and unbiased, promoted from the very beginning of and throughout the transportation planning process
Residents first. The Bus must first serve the residents of Honolulu. Tourists must not receive extra consideration or services that discriminate against residents.
Federal funding. Transportation projects must be selected based first on practical local use, not be top-down driven based on available federal funding.
Quality growth. Increased urban density requires increased road investments. A balanced, comprehensive assault on traffic congestion must include both targeted expansion of our highways and improvements to the operation of existing highways and transit.
[Ref] Legislative Portfolio, Legends and Realities, "The Road to Congress, How Highway Issues Can Strengthen Your Campaign"
