Best of this Blog

When I think back on it, I think this post was the best out of almost 500 that I did on this blog.

The post seems simple enough, but after searching the U.S. DOT database on all ferries in the U.S. and finding, "102 can transport at least 500 people at a time." I then had to Google every single one of those 102 ferries to find the ones that could transport at least 200 vehicles. It took many hours to determine, "Of those 102 ferries, only 5 operating in the U.S. can also transport at least 200 vehicles."

It was a useful effort, though, because it gave me a unique look into the total ferry operating environment in the whole U.S. Plus it nailed down the "closed class of one," which no one else had done publicly up to that point in time.

Hawaii DOT officials would do well to understand the whole ferry industry such as this in determining what should actually be studied in the new Chapter 343 EIS and what is realistic for Hawaii. Hulls A615 and A616 are not realistic for Hawaii as commercial concession vessels.

It sure would have been nice to have been paid as well as Belt Collins was to do this better work than what they have done on the subject matter.

Aloha, Brad