First Meeting Held
- E.K.
- Feb 16
- 3 min read
Yesterday, February 15th, we held our first meeting as the Honmoku LRT Project at the Honmoku District Center.
Last Sunday, during the snowy weather, we distributed flyers in Park City, and about 11 people who saw them came to attend.
A total of 15 people attended.
Here is a brief outline of the meeting proceedings.
1. Opening remarks by representative Shunichi Kosako, explanation of today's agenda, and introduction of the Honmoku LRT project.
2. Presentation by Hiroshi Furukawa, representative of the NPO Yokohama LRT Promotion Association (hereafter abbreviated as “Promotion Association”), about the association and the background for restarting activities in Honmoku.Regarding the traffic survey conducted in Honmoku previously by Yumi Matsukawa.
3. Presentation by Mr. Akihito Kotabe, Vice Chairman of the Running Association, on LRT systems. This included examples from Utsunomiya, other domestic LRT developments, and overseas LRT systems in Europe, using projected photographs.
4. Presentation by Eri Kosako of Honmoku LRT Project on the Honmoku tramway and a request for survey participation.
(I shared that the Honmoku streetcar ran for nearly 60 years starting in 1911, that the streetcar played a major role in shaping Honmoku's urban development, that about 40 years ago, when the Shin-Honmoku redevelopment was completed and there was an on-site briefing, Yokohama City officials explained that a subway would be built, and that the decline of commercial areas like the closure of 5th Street might stem from the gap between the initial subway-centric plan and the subsequent reality that the subway never came.)
5. We made time for everyone to fill out the questionnaire and spoke with each person individually.
6. Mr. Nanai from San-no-tani introduced the previous LRT promotion campaign.
Everyone shared very sincere, deep, and insightful questions and opinions. It will take some time, but eventually, I plan to upload the records to the website.
We intend to continue collecting questionnaires and create a dedicated section on the website to compile them. For now, here are the results from the 11 people who responded this time.
＜Age Group＞
30s: 1 person
40s: 2 people
50s: 3 people
60s: 1 person
70s+: 5 people
＜Area of Residence＞
Honmoku Hara: 7 people
Honmoku Osatocho: 1 person
Sagiyama: 1 person
Yamatecho: 1 person
＜About Honmoku Transportation＞
Convenient ~ 1 person
Not particularly convenient, but not inconvenient either ~ 6 people
Inconvenient ~ 4 people
＜What are your thoughts on LRT?＞
Hope for LRT ~8 people
Do not hope for LRT ~ 0 people
Can't say either way ~ 2 people
Please feel free to share your thoughts on LRT, including the reasons you provided.
▷・Contributes to beautifying the city・Relieves traffic congestion・Improves convenience for commuting and school travel
▷Wouldn't it be difficult to move Yokohama City government forward by focusing solely on improving convenience in the Honmoku area? Combine the benefits of connecting Yokohama tourism access with enhancing Honmoku's convenience! Make it a symbol of Yokohama's urban development!
▷ While I think LRT is good, I hope discussions aren't limited to LRT alone; please consider other proposals as well.
▷ I love Honmoku's streetscape without overhead wires. I hope it can be introduced without disrupting that view.
▷ My wife's grandfather was apparently a streetcar driver. We moved from a house just a 3-minute walk from Negishi to Honmoku partly because of the strength of the “Honmoku brand” in my wife's family.
▷LRT will be very convenient for Honmoku residents. In Yokohama, most of development work is happening in MM21 area. 2 years ago, ropeway was built in MM21 area. I think Yokohama shi should built LRT for Honmoku residents instead of ropeway.
▷・I don't think Honmoku's access is particularly good.
・I think improving access is necessary.
・Increase bus efficiency? Run LRT through? Other options? More research is needed.
▷Since streetcars used to run here, I think having one would be convenient and wonderful. What concerns me are the cost and staffing. (A cute 3-year-old participant said, “I want a streetcar Tomica toy!”)
Please feel free to share your opinions and requests regarding the Honmoku area.
▷Honmoku area is very good place to live.Lots of greenery & nature. The international school in Kominato provides an international culture experience.
▷Before the “Honmoku brand” fades away, we want to resolve the transportation inconvenience.
▷Apart from the poor transportation access, I have no particular complaints.
▷LRT offers tangible appeal, like the experience of travel, even for young children. I believe it has a human touch beyond just speed. A city traversed by such an LRT will become a future attraction for Yokohama.
▷Improving transportation (especially LRT) is essential for developing Honmoku, blessed with its natural environment. However, I question whether it holds a competitive advantage compared to other areas in Yokohama City.
▷Poor manners stand out: running red lights, illegal parking, smoking while walking. Nature and convenience coexist here.
That concludes our initial first report for now. (E.K.)
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