Let’s see. Now the city’s insistence on the all-elevated rail has run into a major snag at the airport where the 4-story elevated tracks reportedly intrude into protected air space. The Advertiser’s Sean Hao reports this morning that required changes could delay the EIS six months or more. One very obvious solution the city will again avoid considering: Adopt flexible light rail so that the train can come down to run at street level where necessary or desirable. Light rail is quicker and easier to reroute. The city’s previous argument has been that to shift to light rail would cause delays in the EIS. But since the EIS is being delayed for other reasons, the justification for plunging ahead with the existing plan and ignoring alternatives no longer holds up. Just a thought.
Speaking of the Advertiser…I’ve been inundated with emails pointing to another YouTube version of that Hitler video, this time on the Advertiser’s downfall.
And an alert reader notes that the Advertiser’s entire archive of back issues is now open.
Finally got thru to a live person and was told that, with the paper “closing,” they decided (with management approval) to put it all online. It will stay there at least thru April 30, but what happens after that is entirely unknown.
Bottom line is that the Advertiser’s web edition back to 2001 is now completely accessible online, free of charge, the way it used to be when you could just monkey with the URL to get the issues that were more than 2 months old, except now you can just go straight to it.
I am quick to criticize and must remind myself to be as quick to recognize when recognition is in order.
Peer News editor John Temple has announced their starting staff lineup, including Treena Shapiro, who is jumping from the Advertiser; Katherine Nichols, from the Star-Bulletin; PBN’s Chad Blair; and Mike Levine from the Garden Island. Read their backgrounds and the rest of the team on Temple’s blog.
And in Hilo, a press release from the Newspaper Guild announced its members will picket the Hawaii Tribune-Herald between noon and 1 p.m. today.
Tribune-Herald workers have not had a pay increase in more than eight years. Last December newspaper management canceled the contract raising the threat of a lockout by the company, unilateral implementation of the company’s proposals, or a strike by union members or other action.
Wayne Cahill, the Guild’s administrative officer said, “we know the economy is bad right now, probably as bad as it has been in our lifetime, and many businesses are hurting, but this newspaper is doing very well. The company’s lead negotiator told us the Tribune-Herald is making lots of money. He said, the company can afford to give pay raises, it just doesn’t want to.”
Besides the economic issues, the company wants the union to agree to the hiring of subcontractors, freelancers and outsourcing work which would put long-term employees at risk.
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It’s about time the Advertiser got around to figuring out what’s really holding up the EIS. They did plenty of stupid stories over the past few months triumphantly announcing that there is a delay and parroting the governor’s nonsense, without really telling readers anything.
Bravo, I guess.
But I can’t help but laugh at the ridiculous headline atop today’s graphic, “Rail invades airport space.”
And perhaps your conclusion that “the justification for plunging ahead with the existing plan and ignoring alternatives no longer holds up” is a tad presumptive and premature.
Just a thought.
I don’t think the airport issue is one of at-grade or elevated rail. Rather, it’s the route–it’s inside the FAA’s runway zone. As I read the story, it wouldn’t matter if the rail was on the ground or 100 feet high.
DOT’s brennan morioka is quoted on the story saying basically you can’t build within the runway zone.
It’s easy to see how one could get the impression that the height if the rail is an issue with the Advertiser headline: “Elevated rail’s route too close to runway”. That could have easily dropped the ‘elevated’ and not prejudiced the reader’s opinion.
As an architect, I have designed structures near runways and the issue IS the height. The protected zone is a funnel shape that tapers down towards the end of the runway.
A lower structure (i.e. at grade rail) could be approved WITHOUT moving the location!
Wake up Mufi it is time to revise the EIS to look at at grade rail in those locations where it makes sense.
Rlb-hawaii, each runway has approach and clear zones that require imaginary sloped surfaces to be free from obstructions. This is a major planning constraint that obviously the city’s planners either did not understand or ignored when siting this station and alignment. See this site for a visual depiction: http://www.tpub.com/content/engineering/14071/css/14071_224.htm
It was a major oversight.
Wow, that Advertiser Hitler video was dumb.
They’re still going to have problems with the
PKK Federal Building. It runs too close to that,too
An interesting article from across the blue water.
http://railforthevalley.wordpress.com/2010/03/17/costly-skytrain-technology-choices-baffle-from-the-north-shore-news/
And not from the ‘Black’ press.