ATI The Alliance for Traffic Improvement

What follows are all four of the mentions of BRT on Bainum's website: www.dukebainum.com:

Statement on his website: "Duke supported the BRT when it was first introduced to the City Council. But the BRT project Duke supported is dead and not what is being implemented on Kuhio Avenue."
ATI FACT: Duke supported BRT from the beginning until he left office in December 2002 and absolutely nothing has changed of significance in the BRT plans since before that time. Someone should ask Bainum, "What specifically changed in BRT that caused you to change your mind?"

Misleading Statement # 4: Mufi Hannemann claims in his commercial that during the time Duke spend on the City Council, Duke spent tax dollars on things we really didn’t need like the Bus Rapid Transit project (BRT) - "spending millions to go 1.9 minutes faster"
Response: To start, we do not know where Mr. Hannemann obtained the "1.9 minutes" statistic.
The Primary Corridor Transportation Project Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS approved July 25, 2003, page S-34) contains a simple chart that compares projected transit travel time savings between various end destinations for the No Build, Transportation System Management and Bus Rapid Transit options. None of the comparisons therein calculated out to 1.9 minutes.
What the FEIS Executive Summary (page S-2) actually states about the Initial Operating Segment is that when comparing the time it would take to go on the proposed BRT Initial Operating System route with the time it would take to go on the same route using the current bus system, the time savings between Downtown and Waikiki is in the 10-15 minute range.
ATI FACT: BAINUM'S RESPONSE TO THIS IS REAL SHIBAI. FIRST, THE NUMBER IN THE TABLE BAINUM REFERS TO IS 1.3 MINUTES, LESS TIME SAVINGS THAN 1.9 MINUTES. SECOND, THE FTA CRITICIZED THE CITY FOR USING TIME COMPARISONS OTHER THAN BETWEEN THE ENDPOINTS OF TRAVEL.

The Flips	The Flops
“The Bus Rapid Transit project will likely rank among the most significant acts of legislation passed during (my) two terms in office.” Duke Bainum, Star Bulletin, June 27, 2000	“It’s pretty much dead on arrival.” “It was the only thing we had at the time.” Hawaii Kai Republican Precinct Meeting 3/6/04

The Truth is: the Star-Bulletin attributed the first statement to Duke, but it is not a direct quote. What Duke is quoted as saying is: “We can complain about traffic, or we can move ahead and take a chance,” Bainum said. The plan is “not perfect,” he said, “but certainly better than anything that’s been proposed before.”

ATI FACT: HE ACTUALLY MADE THE FIRST STATEMENT IN FRONT OF STAR-BULLETIN REPORTER GORDON PANG ON JUNE 27, 2000 AND, OF COURSE, IT IS A QUOTE. BAINUM DID SAY IT; PANG IS A VETERAN REPORTER .

SMEAR #2: “Duke Bainum pushed hard for the BRT plan, a fifty one million dollar bus transit system that would shave just one and a half minutes off one’s commuting time….He now favors a light rail system, but would like to give developer rights to build high rises all along the route.”
RESPONSE: The BRT plan would actually have shaved 10-15 minutes in travel time, not 1.5 or 1.9 minutes. Duke has consistently said the city needs a blend of financing to fund light rail, including federal, state and city funding. He has also proposed funding sources other cities have employed successfully, such as transit-oriented development, train advertising and station sponsorships, and value-capture funding.
ATI FACT: THE TIME SAVINGS FROM DOWNTOWN TO WAIKIKI IS SHOWN IN THE PLAN AS BOTH 1.3 AND 1.9 MINUTES SINCE IT IS A SLOPPILY WRITTEN DOCUMENT. SECOND, CHECK CLOSELY WHAT BAINUM IS REALLY SAYING; HE DOES NOT DENY SAYING WHAT MUFI ACCUSES HIM OF SAYING.

THE PLAIN FACTS ARE THAT:

# 1 BAINUM WAS THE FOREMOST COUNCIL PROPONENT OF BRT FOR HIS ENTIRE TIME IN OFFICE, AND

# 2 THE PROJECT HAS NOT CHANGED FROM WHAT HE RUTHLESSLY SUPPORTED WHEN IN OFFICE.