Construction of Oahu’s rail system that is currently underway should continue as planned to achieve the goal of alleviating the worst traffic problem in the country. As the subject of heated debate since [year rail was put up to vote], when 53 percent of the residents of Oahu voted in favor of having rail (author), there are loud voices in the community calling for termination of the project and one mayoral candidate is running with rail opposition as his sole platform. This essay argues that the people of Oahu are in dire need of this transportation system to reduce frustration and wasted time spent on the road, and addresses the flawed reasoning of those who oppose rail. People on Oahu need rail because traffic in Honolulu is ranked as the worst in the entire country. A 2011 poll conducted by __company__ found that traffic in Honolulu, based on distance traveled over time, was worse than traffic in well-known congested cities like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. If you ask any resident about their commuting experience, their response is highly likely to be filled with only complaints. It is very common for people who live in west Oahu (Kapolei, Makakilo, Ewa, Waipahu) and central Oahu (Mililani, Wahiawa) to spend between two to three hours commuting to town every weekday, possibly more if there is a stalled care or accident. However, traffic is not only a problem on weekdays – freeways and surface roads can be equally congested on weekends. With the population on Oahu continuously growing every year, the number of cars on the road is only increasing and worsening the problem. Having rail would certainly help to ease the traffic issue. A rail system on Oahu would benefit many people on Oahu by reducing their monthly expenditures. Driving through Honolulu, the average price of a gallon of gas currently seems to be just over $4 a gallon. This is not the highest average the state has seen, however, the current price is higher than it was one year ago today. With oil prices fluctuating and continuing on an increasing long-term trend, it is only reasonable to expect that gas prices will continue to rise over time. Filling up a 12-gallon tank currently costs about $50, and assuming the average person fills up four times a month, that’s about $200 in gas alone every month (Lindo). There would even be more than enough left over to drive on the weekends. The one thing I don’t hear factored into the cost of using a car is the price of parking. A person who parks in any building in downtown Honolulu will pay about $200 a month, sometimes more if it’s a reserved stall. Some opponents of rail claim that the price to ride it will be too high and will discourage people from using it. Even if a monthly rail pass costs even $80 (which is probably an over estimate), this would still be much cheaper than driving to work everyday and paying for parking. Having rail would thus save many commuters a lot of money, freeing up their hard-earned dollars to be spent on other things. Rail will also bring the benefit of urban planning to areas on Oahu that are growing. As more of the rail lines are constructed, businesses, housing communities and other entities will be planned around them. The city center of Honolulu is so densely populated that other surrounding and further areas will experience increased development. With the coordinated effort for office buildings, parking lots, and leisure places to be located along the rail lines, people who live in these growing areas will have the convenience of the transportation system. This planning construction will also help to stimulate the economy, as it creates jobs that pay incomes to families and increases spending in local communities. The three main arguments made by people who oppose rail are funding, projected use and order of construction. All opponents of rail argue that we cannot afford this system. The entire project is estimated to cost $______ (author). This is a very sizeable cost, especially when the state faces severe budget issues. But a better solution to the traffic issue in Hawaii is needed, and the longer we wait to start it, the worse the issue become and the harder and more expensive it will be to do so. The City and County of Honolulu has been collecting an additional sales tax since __year__ (author) to help finance rail. So far, they have collected $___ (author). However, construction of rail has only been possible due to the federal funding that was pushed for and obtained by Hawaii’s Senator Inouye, currently President Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate and, more importantly, Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee that appropriates federal dollars. Because of his age, this may be his last term in office, and if it is, Hawaii will not have a high-ranking Senator to secure federal funding at a later time if the current project is abandoned. Any rail system would require federal funding to offset the state’s cost, so the time to build rail is right now when we already have the approved funding. Projected use of rail is also commonly questioned. People write letters to the editor in the local newspaper and argue in everyday conversations that people will not use rail because they need their cars to run errands, take their kids to school and soccer, go to the doctor, get groceries, etc. It is definitely most convenient to have your car to go where you want, when you want. However, it is ridiculous to say that people cannot do these tasks without a car. Obviously, the tens of thousands of people who use the rail and subway systems in New York, Boston, Chicago and Washington, D.C. manage to get all those things done. It’s just a matter of changing people’s mindset. Most people living in Hawaii today have no experience living in a city that is serviced by mass transportation. But once the lines are built all the way into town, and once businesses and other related services are located along rail lines and near rail stations, they will soon see the incredible convenience of such a system. While it will likely take several decades to get lines built to service all pockets of the island, it will be future generations who grow up always having had a rail system as an efficient and affordable option. Finally, those who oppose rail often criticize the order of construction of planned lines. The initial phase starts with the line from Kapolei and runs through Pearl Highlands, which is still outside of downtown Honolulu. Many people say that this is not far enough for anyone to actually commute, and therefore usage will likely be low and not include anyone who works in downtown or goes to UH, unless they can get a ride from the Pearl Highlands stop. While this is true, construction of the lines must start somewhere. Other large rail and subway systems on the mainland were not built overnight. They took decades to be the full-service, all-reaching systems they are today. Construction of Hawaii’s rail could have started in the city center, but it didn’t. This does not mean that the needed project should be abandoned. Construction has already begun, and the first pillar to hold the above-ground system is already completed in west Oahu. We must carry on and move forward with the project. Hawaii’s rail project is very much needed. We have the worst traffic in the country, our population is growing, gas prices are rising, and the city is overflowing with people. Majority of the people of Oahu have voted for it, funds have been collected locally and brought in from the federal government and people deserve to have a mass transit system that decreases their very long commutes to spend more time with family and doing things they enjoy. Thirty-five other cities in the country have a light rail system, and 13 more are currently under construction (Sutherland) – we should continue to be among that group, our quality of life could be in jeopardy.