Letters for Monday, January 18, 2010

•How ‘bout a quarter for the bus?

How ‘bout a quarter for the bus?

A consultant hired by the County of Kaua‘i recently released the first public draft of the Kaua‘i Energy Sustainability Plan. The County Council commissioned this plan several years ago to help our community address the growing challenges of climate change and escalating energy costs. The draft plan was generated by the consultant with input from numerous community meetings and guidance from a committee of local leaders. Now that the first draft has been released, we all have an opportunity to participate in its review and continued evolution. The plan is of course far from perfect, but it is already serving one of its key purposes, that of focusing us on how to solve these problems and providing an informational foundation to initiate a productive debate.

When they originally initiated this effort, our County Council wisely tasked the consultant not only with generating proposed energy solutions, but also with making specific proposals for funding of measures contained within the plan. The most controversial proposal that came out is in the section on transportation. We have all been reading the headlines; “Energy plan calls for 50¢ gas tax” (TGI, Jan. 7) and more recently, “Members criticize ‘ridiculous’ 50-cent fuel tax proposal” (TGI, Jan 15).

Though I would not have chosen to call it ridiculous, I can certainly relate to that reaction one council member offered in this recent headline. We all understand that such a tax would be a difficult burden on our community. Perhaps the most trying aspect is that in the current setting; this is a regressive tax, meaning that it places an increasing burden on those least able to afford it. In addition, the bulk of the revenues are proposed to go towards creating incentives for hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles on Kaua‘i. No matter what the good intentions may be here, those of us really feeling this recession know it’s gonna be quite a while before we can afford to buy a new car, especially one that carries a price premium like a hybrid or a yet-to-be-seen plug-in hybrid. And the last thing any of us want to do is take money out of the pockets of low income families and give it to the more affluent. Even with all this said, though, our energy problems are simply too great to ignore, and we just cannot afford to shut down every proposed solution at the first sign of difficulty. So what do we do?

One of the advantages of a gas tax (as pointed out by our consultant) is that it has the effect of discouraging people from excessive and unnecessary driving. When gas hit $4.50 a gallon in 2008, we all recall the shock at the pump that had us being a lot more thoughtful about when and how often to jump in our cars for any old reason. Yes, this impacts us on the necessary trips as well, including going to work every day, to the doctor, or to the grocery store. If the tax revenues are used appropriately, however, maybe that impact can be mitigated in many instances. Certainly we can all agree to the concept of keeping more money on Kaua‘i, instead of sending it off to all the remote and sometimes hostile corners of the globe where we buy petroleum.

So, is there any way to address the negatives if we were to, as a community, decide to significantly increase the tax we pay for gasoline? Could we mitigate the difficult burden of this tax, and take advantage of the positive outcomes it might offer? One suggestion that has come to the surface is to allocate a major portion of the revenue to fund dramatic improvements to the Kaua‘i Bus. In my view, this idea has merit. Currently, the bus takes about 4.2 million dollars a year from the general fund. The current fiscal crisis has the county looking at the difficult decision of reducing bus service at the exact moment when we need to be doing the opposite. Here’s a stab at an alternate vision:

You jump in your car in the morning (or on your bike) to drive to a nearby park and ride, and board the bus for your daily commute to work. You don’t have to worry about the schedule because it runs every 15 minutes during morning and evening rush hour. You have a bus pass through your employer’s special discount program for employees. They offer it so they can preserve valuable parking for customers, help their employees during hard times, and to get a tax break. Instead of white knuckling it through traffic, you ride in to work sipping hot coffee (with a no-spill lid) and use the on-board Wi-Fi to check your e-mail. The bus drops you off only a block from your job. Late day at the office? No problem. The last bus isn’t until 9:30 at night. Hey, you can even ride to church on Sundays with your neighbors because of new expanded weekend bus service. With a bus system like this, we might even see a return to one-car families who can save thousands of dollars annually between insurance, car payments, maintenance and, of course, gasoline.

Twenty-five cents a gallon would give us about 7.5 million bucks a year to expand the bus. That includes jobs for drivers and dispatchers. It includes better options for our kids, our grandparents, and even those pesky tourists who we love to accommodate. Even those people who would drop dead before they ride the bus would see a benefit, as a significant increase in ridership would mean less traffic, less road maintenance costs, less emissions, and generally more time for all of us to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.

Let’s continue to have an open discussion on this and related energy issues, Kaua‘i. We all know it’s gonna cost money to fix our current mess, and more than likely, we’re going to need to do things a little differently in the future. So, whether you want to get on the bus or not, let’s commit to taking positive suggestions like the ones posed in the Kaua‘i Energy Sustainability Plan with open minds. And of course, if you have a better idea, let’s hear it!

Ben Sullivan, Lawa‘i