Expect traffic: College campuses, private schools back in session

HONOLULU—On Monday, August 23, the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus and four community colleges on Oahu will make up the largest group heading back to class with a combined 40,000 students. Some private schools will begin instruction earlier this month, with Kamehameha Schools and Mid-Pacific Institute starting classes tomorrow on Tuesday, August 10.

Some general commuting tips from the City and County of Honolulu include:
·    Planning your commute earlier or later during the rush-hour period to avoid peak traffic.
·    Anticipate longer commutes with the increased traffic.
·    Keep your vehicle maintained to prevent stalls and break-downs.
·    Use alternative modes of commuting like walking or biking.
·    Encourage ridesharing, such as carpooling, vanpooling and riding TheBus.

TheBus offers 34 commuter express routes serving riders from various suburban areas of Honolulu to Pearl Harbor, Downtown, Waikiki, and University of Hawaii at Manoa. For more information on bus route service, call (808) 848-5555 or check TheBus website at www.thebus.org.

A University Bus Pass Program or “U-PASS” provides bus passes to Oahu’s university and college students at reduced cost. Currently, there are 15 participating institutions, which include all University of Hawaii campuses on Oahu, Hawaii Pacific University, and Chaminade University.

TheBus also offers a commuter transportation program that distributes bus passes or transit voucher benefits to employees of participating companies.

Vanpool Hawaii organizes vanpools of 7 to 15 people who share the commute to and from work in Vanpool Hawaii vans for $65 a month for each participant. Vanpool Hawaii organizes vanpool programs for commuters who live and work in the same geographical area and have similar work schedules. For more information about the program, check Vanpool Hawaii’s website at www.vanpoolhawaii.com or call (808) 596-VANS.

City transportation director Wayne Yoshioka said that the City Department of Transportation Services (DTS) is currently in the process of optimizing traffic signals islandwide to improve traffic flow. This optimization effort is anchored by its Traffic Management Center which also helps identify and respond to traffic incidents in coordination with the Honolulu Police Department, the State Department of Transportation (DOT), and the traffic reporters who provide information during rush hours.

Yoshioka said that the planned Joint Traffic Management Center will expand the capabilities of the Traffic Management Center by eventually housing, under one roof, the traffic control operations of DTS and DOT, as well as operations of first-responder agencies such as Fire, Police, Emergency Services, and Emergency Management.

Honolulu Police Department Chief Louis Kealoha also reminded motorists to drive with Aloha as a courtesy to other drivers and pedestrians.

“Drivers who have to be on the road during peak hours should leave early and pay attention to the cars around them; many collisions are due to rushed or distracted drivers,” Kealoha said. “At the same time, we ask motorists to drive with Aloha as our keiki walk or bike to school.”