Letters to the Editor

Install traffic signal at Salt Lake intersection

City Director of Transportation Services Cheryl Soon has decided to proceed with construction of the Salt Lake roundabout in spite of the neighborhood board's opposition and City Councilman Romy Cachola's advice to "consider the board's position regarding this issue."

Ala Napunani's four lanes are designed to serve as a major thoroughfare between Salt Lake Boulevard and Moanalua Freeway. The director's single-lane, traffic-control device will seriously jeopardize this function.

The Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices, Millennium Edition, warrants stop signs and traffic signals at this intersection but DTS refuses to test them. We can only imagine why.

Kamehameha must serve more Hawaiian children

The controversy surrounding Kamehameha Schools' admissions policy has been thrust into the mainstream media because of accusations of racial preference. While this is an important issue, I believe people are spending too much time criticizing one aspect of the admissions policy while neglecting another.

Kamehameha's strict admission standards and quota system contribute to the lack of genuine education for Hawaiian children. Last year, there were only 80 openings for kindergarten, 64 for fourth grade, 176 for seventh grade and 130 for ninth grade on O'ahu's campus. What about the rest of the Hawaiian children?

While Kamehameha is a private entity and has every right to create an admissions policy that strives to maintain its high educational standards, it is not just any private school. It is helping, or supposed to be helping, a disenfranchised nation. More schools must be built to accommodate every Hawaiian child to help Hawaiians succeed. But that cannot happen when only a select few are allowed to enter.

One-sided conversation likely upsets bus rider

The Dec. 9 letter from Rosita Sipirok-Siregar ("Cell phones don't belong on public transportation") was one of the most ridiculous submissions I've seen in some time.

What is the difference between two passengers having a conversation and a telephone conversation?

Is Sipirok-Siregar advocating a rule of complete silence on public transportation or is she simply upset that, as opposed to an internal conversation, she can't eavesdrop because she cannot hear the person on the other end of the phone call?

Pay people to turn in their large, bulky items

Why is it that any time we get government involved in solving a problem it always takes longer and costs more than if the private sector is involved?

The idea of charging an up-front disposal fee on local sales of cars and appliances is the latest version of this.

On the dumping problem, some questions come quickly to mind. Why are people dumping? What incentives do we have to prevent that? How can we cut back on the cost of government instead of adding more staff and taking up law enforcement's time on this?

Why don't we pay people to turn in large, bulky items such as cars, refrigerators, washers and dryers? Hire a private contractor to process the waste at the state's Kapalama industrial area or other Department of Accounting and General Services sites on other islands. The scrap could then be shipped off island to the Orient.

The money earned on scrap sales could pay for the contractor and the amount saved on roadside cleanup and enforcement would cover the monies paid to citizens who find bulky items and turn them in.

Seems like I read about something like this with the "bottle bill."

Drive responsibly to help make roads safer for all

Time and time again I hear and read through the media that the roads are unsafe on Farrington Highway and that they have claimed lives. To me that is a lot of "shibai."

People need to address the true causes for their excuses they continue to say are bad road conditions. Driving responsibly and safely is the key to staying alive. As is driving slower, driving defensively, being courteous and alert, being aware of possible danger spots, watching out for pedestrians and respecting their right of way.

Our roads are not perfect, but being aware of dangerous areas in which you normally drive will keep you from harm.

The Honolulu Police Department has issued 34,000 speeding tickets so far and I can imagine there are a lot of repeat offenders for just this single offense. This is not counting other traffic violations such as speeding through red lights, last-second lane changes and mergings, crossing double lines, overtaking at dangerous turns, not observing pedestrians, etc.

Removing repeat violators, eliminating drivers without insurance or licenses will lighten the load on our roads and make life better for most of us who abide by the rules.