Alex: I understand that the main issue in the Mayoral Election is the Fully Elevated Rail that is scheduled to be built in Honolulu. Why you are opposed to it?
Panos: Honolulu has major traffic problems. And in 2008, the people approved a “Fixed Guideway” a.k.a. a Rail System with just over 50% of the vote to alleviate those problems. However, through the political wrangling, the proposal came out to be a Fully Elevated Rail that will cost $5.4 billion, a huge expense for the local taxpayer. Honolulu has 900,000 residents. That puts the cost of construction to $6000/resident, which is a preposterous amount. In comparison, Washington DC built a top-of-the-line rail system that cost $3300/resident. Phoenix has one that cost only $108/person. To add insult to injury, the rail will cost in excess of $100 million per year to maintain. The rail is also environmentally unfriendly in Hawaii. The project has been on hold for months due to inability to procure the appropriate environmental permits. If you consider that Hawaii, unlike any other US State gets 95% of its electricity from burning diesel fuel, we need to burn diesel just to run the rail, a very polluting proposition.
 Alex: So what would your solution be to the ongoing traffic congestion?
Panos: We can implement other, less expensive solutions and ones that are better for our island, such as reversible highway lanes and signal upgrades. Reversible lanes have been implemented successfully in Orange County, CA. What you do is you basically dedicate the middle lane to the direction where traffic is the heaviest at a particular time of day. Traffic signal upgrades can better regulate traffic and improve the environmental and fiscal impact of driving by minimizing idling. When you say you want to build a rail system, it sounds environmentally friendly and a major change for the better. But we need to be methodical and examine the details of every project. Sometimes we don’t need to tear down everything and build from scratch. In our case, less earth-shaking solutions are more effective and less expensive.
Alex: The Rail issue is of course the main issue in this election. People acknowledge that a Traffic Engineer might be the best person for the Mayor’s spot at this time. Yet some people say that you are a one-issue candidate. What do you have to say to that?
Panos: I have solutions for Honolulu that go beyond my opposition to the Fully Elevated Rail. Wastelands and trash is a major issue in the city. We pay a lot for landfills and they are a deterrent to tourism, which is our island’s lifeline. I have ideas to address this issue in an environmentally and fiscally sound way. Also, we need to reconsider using Nuclear or Solar Energy for electricity generation. People are opposed to a nuclear plant because of the fallout potential but we have 6 nuclear submarines at Pearl Harbor. It’s irrational. Tourism is another major concern. It’s 40% of our economy. I have ideas to encourage tourism.
Alex: Speaking of a place living off tourism and a government that is reckless with its spending, what are your thoughts on the recent developments in Greece?
Panos: Greece, like Hawaii, is a beautiful place. My parents still livethere and I try to visit them at least twice a year. The current financial condition in Greece is where we are all heading unless we start living within our means. Although the Athens 2004 Olympic Games were a public relations success, they proved to be a fiscal disaster. The country overspent in security and construction. Continued lack of fiscal discipline brought about what we see today. But Greece is not alone in this predicament. That is why we need to examine and make sure we are cautious with how we spend our taxpayer’s dollars.
Alex: Finally, is there a big Greek-American community in Hawaii?
Panos: We have a small community. There are about 30 first-generation Greek-Americans and a few hundred second and third-generation. We have a landmark church of Saint Constantine & Helen. Alex: Well, thank you for your time and good luck in your efforts. |
Panos was born in Patras, Greece and got his degree from Aristoteleio University of Thessaloniki. He holds a Ph. D. in Civil Engineering from Northwestern University and is considered a national authority in Transportation Engineering and Highway operations. He is currently the Chairman of the Freeway Simulation Subcommittee of the National Research Council on Freeway Operations.
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