Minutes of the
Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization

POLICY COMMITTEE

Monday, March 25, 2002, 3:00 p.m.
City Council Committee Room, room 205
Honolulu Hale, 530 South King Street, Honolulu, Hawaii

Members Present:
Senator Cal Kawamoto, Chair
Councilmember Duke Bainum, Vice Chair
Councilmember John Henry Felix
Councilmember Gary Okino
Representative Willie Espero
Representative Mark Moses
Representative Joseph Souki
Cheryl Soon (DTS Director)

Members Absent: Councilmember John DeSoto, Councilmember Steve Holmes, Senator Fred Hemmings, Senator Brian Kanno, and Brian Minaai (DOT Director)

Guests Present:
Cindy McMillan (Councilmember Bainum)
Dennis Galolo (Councilmember Cachola)
Robert Sato (Councilmember Gary Okino)
Ronald Tsuzuki (DOT, HWY-P)
Bruce Turner (FHWA)
Abraham Wong (FHWA)
C.S. Papacostas (UHM & HLTAP, CAC)
John Sato (ASCE, CAC)
Michael Leidemann (Honolulu Advertiser)
Stan Ching (PBQD, OMPO ITS consultant)

Staff Present: Gordon Lum, Shevaun Low, Michelle Kurisu, and Pamela Toyooka

The meeting was called to order at 3:05 p.m. by Chair Cal Kawamoto. A quorum was not present, so agenda items were taken out of order.

I. STATUS REPORT ON THE INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS

[Handout: PowerPoint presentation slides for Oahu ITS Regional Architecture status report]

Gordon Lum made introductory remarks regarding the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) project.

Stan Ching of Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas (PBQD), ITS consultant, gave a presentation on the status of the ITS Regional Architecture project.

Representatives Joseph Souki and Willie Espero arrived at 3:15 p.m. A quorum was now present.

Questions & Comments

• In response to Representative Mark Moses' question, Mr. Lum stated that the Transportation for Oahu Plan 2025 (TOP 2025; OMPO's long-range transportation plan for Oahu) indicates that there is $100 million estimated for ITS projects over a 25-year period. Many of the projects identified in the City's ITS Early Deployment Plan will be included in the ITS Regional Architecture and as well as future Transportation Improvement Programs (TIP). Mr. Lum added that ITS projects must be in the ITS Regional Architecture in order to qualify for federal funding.
  
  In response to another of Representative Moses' questions, Mr. Lum stated that the addition of Discretionary funds is a possibility. Those funds are not included in the $100 million.
  
  Cheryl Soon and Mr. Lum agreed that there is probably less than $10 million currently budgeted in the Fiscal Years (FYs) 2002-2004 TIP. So, the ITS program would be looking at the remainder of the $100 million plus any Discretionary funds that could be secured.

• Vice Chair Bainum asked whether the freeway management system included a highway advisory radio system, whereby a driver could receive information about current and future road conditions via a designated radio station. Ronald Tsuzuki of the State Department of Transportation Highways Division responded that he thought that the design portion of the freeway management system has been started. However, no one was present who could definitively answer the question.

• Vice Chair Bainum asked what component of the ITS program would be responsible for the biggest time-savings. Mr. Ching responded that it would be difficult to pinpoint just one component. He stated that time-savings would result more from a compilation of many ITS components working together.

• In response to Representative Souki, Mr. Lum explained that the ITS program will use a number of different high-tech systems and strategies to make the transportation system and highway system work more efficiently. Mr. Lum and Mr. Ching offered various examples where ITS would help.

Mr. Lum stated that, at this time, no action is required on the part of the Policy Committee. The Committee will be asked to endorsed the Oahu ITS Regional Architecture in December 2002.

II. MINUTES OF THE SEPTEMBER 7 & 14, 2001 MEETINGS

Brian Minaai moved and Representative Souki seconded that the minutes of the September 7, 2002 and September 14, 2001 meetings be approved as circulated. The motion was unanimously approved.

III. OTHER BUSINESS

Vice Chair Duke Bainum stated that it was not fair for the State to try and hand over the traffic camera system to the City without providing the funds to run it.

Councilmember John Henry Felix moved and Representative Mark Moses seconded that the meeting be adjourned. The motion was unanimously approved. The meeting was adjourned at 3:42 p.m.