Later this month, the long-awaited rail system on Oahu will finally be open to the public.
For now, it will only operate from Kapolei to the soon-to-be-demolished Aloha Stadium. The rest of the rail route is still years away from operation.
For all the talk of delays and problems with constructing the rail, it was only THIS MONTH when it was publically revealed that there will be no public restrooms at the rail stations.
So something that was built to serve, hundreds, maybe thousands at a time is not going to have public restrooms?
That's not right!
Here's what I wrote to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
That the new rail stations are not going to have public restrooms is planned negligence. This will hurt those with various disabilities, including overactive bladder, digestive disorders, pregnancy, mobility impairments and more. Not only that, those who have just finished eating, or who are using the rail after a long commute on the bus, also will be negatively affected.
The city Department of Transportation Services is defending the lack of public restrooms by claiming other metro rail stations don’t have public restrooms either.
Sorry, that’s not good enough. A goal for any public service shouldn’t be to be just like everyone else, but to provide services beyond what everyone else is providing. We should be the shining example to the world, not just another example of negligence.
Pablo Wegesend
Being that letters to the editors have word-limits, but my blog doesn't, I want to add a few more things here.
The city & county's Department of Transportation Services also claim that it will be too expensive to maintain the restroom and provide security. There are concerns about vandalism, drug use, and crime in the restrooms.
If that's the case, then we should pay for the maintenance and security of the restrooms.
We're already paying tons of money to build and maintain the rail, we might as well pay for the restrooms there too.
It's the right thing to do!
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And for those who claim "bus stops don't have public restrooms, why should the rail stations?" ....................
bus stops tend to have a lot fewer people waiting than rail stations
Let's put it this way: little shops usually don't have public restrooms, but malls definitely do!
The more people you serve, the more you need public restrooms.
That's common sense!
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Information sources
Christine Donnelly, “Kokua Line: Why Don’t Rail Stations Have Public Restrooms?,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, June 15, 2023,
Jenn Boneza, “‘That’s Ridiculous’ No Public Bathrooms at Any Rail Stations,” KHON2, June 11, 2023
https://www.khon2.com/local-news/thats-ridiculous-no-public-bathrooms-at-any-rail-stations/.
