There seems to be a lot of frustration about drivers in the left lane not yielding to the right lane to allow faster vehicles to pass. There were several letters recently based on subjective emotions, and they should have been based on logic according to how the law is written.

I can understand that if a driver in the left lane is moving under the posted speed limit, he or she should move to the right lane. Now let's say that the vehicle in the left lane is traveling at the posted speed limit and no higher. Does this vehicle constitute a slow vehicle? No, because the posted speed limit is the maximum speed allowed.

That person may move to the right lane if he or she desires as a courtesy only. Fast or slow is not determined by how we feel at the moment.

Many deserve kudos for Chinatown signs

I read with interest the articles in The Advertiser about Chinatown street signs by James Gonser (Feb. 28) and Bob Krauss (June 30).

As chairman of the sign project, I'd like to thank many who assisted me: Mr. Robert Hale of Architects Hawaii (design); Mr. Song Jiang of UH-Manoa; Mrs. Mary Ching, principal of Mun Lun School; Mr. Wen Chung Lin, executive vice president of Chinese Chamber of Commerce; Henry Lee, executive secretary of United Chinese Society; Mr. Joseph Wong, president of Wong Kong Har Tong Society; Mr. Kenneth Chong of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce; Mr. Hin Chiu Lau, Mr. Bennett Mark, formerly of city Department of Design and Construction; many members from the Lung Doo Benevolent Society, and others.

Let me clarify some of the information about the signs.

There is only one character type, Chinese. No words are written in "Cantonese." The Chinese characters' sounds are different according to dialects. It was suggested that the phonetic translations work well with Mandarin and Cantonese (Kwantung) speakers. The characters were selected and reviewed by the advisers who are well versed in both dialects (not by anyone). Mr. Song Jiang had the final approval of characters.

Finally, I would like to thank Mayor Harris for his vision.

Smoke-free living is a draw for students

Bev Creamer's front-page article on housing problems for Manoa students could have mentioned another reason why dorm living is in high demand: Last fall, all UH student and faculty residences and surrounding entranceways, courtyards and lanai became smoke-free. UH students live comfortably without harmful exposure to tobacco smoke pollution while parents feel assured by lower fire-hazard risks for their children.

Clean-air programs are regularly welcomed by overwhelming majorities because they bring positive changes to community environments. Perhaps this also explains the rise in Honolulu full-service restaurant employment figures since the city's clean indoor air ordinance took effect in July 2002. For nearly everyone, our restaurants became better places to be in.

Smoke-free environments have been good for UH, for Honolulu restaurant owners and workers, and for the rest of us. Consumer trends prove this to be true and, in any case, we can see it just by looking around.

Grade 3 more critical age than kindergarten

Regarding the lowering of class sizes: I agree that it is a much-needed step in the right direction. However, I think third grade is a much more important year to have smaller class sizes than kindergarten.

As a former high school math teacher in New York state, I can tell you that children come out of elementary school unprepared to progress into the next layers of the subject. Yet they are passed on and the high school gets blamed for the students' lacking basic math skills and low standard test scores. And our upper-level math courses turn out to be more and more remedial.

Worse yet, many are hooked on calculators and never learn the basics, such as multiplication tables. This handicap is extremely difficult to deal with when we have to move at a fast pace in upper-level mathematics subjects.

Downgrading our courses to teach what should have been learned in elementary schools, as we have been guilty of, is not the answer.

Therefore, I highly recommend class-size reduction for third grade, which is one of the most critical and turning-point grades in the entire school system. Kindergarten is not nearly as critical — that is, if mastering the basics is the priority.

Of course, the best plan would be for kindergarten and grades one, two and three to be given the lower ratio of students to teachers.

New road would make matters worse

Just take a look along the side of the road to Ka'ena Point — what do you see? Well, that is exactly what you will see on a new road around Ka'ena Point.

So I ask, who will benefit from this new road? Why not donate the money to the homeless shelter for men and women? What a difference it would make in so many unfortunate lives. But I guess a new road is much more important to the state of Hawai'i than men, women and children.

Getting around in Honolulu a problem

My family recently vacationed in your city, which has all the pleasures of Hawai'i along with the opportunities of a big city.

That said, your traffic is terrible.

Almost every street seems blocked with construction, and the rest are choked with traffic.

Your public transit is confusing and disorganized. Your bus drivers are not helpful in providing directions.

While it could be, Honolulu is not pedestrian-friendly. Fences and barriers discourage walkers, and one must battle traffic to cross your streets.

Honolulu has ideal flat topography for bicyclists, but the bicycle lanes are too small. Bicyclists are easy targets in heavy traffic. Bicycle rentals aren't convenient.

You have beautiful canals that could be used as waterways for short trips, but there are no gondolas or water taxis.

I wish you luck in rescuing your fine city from the traffic.

Governor's budget strategy is welcome

Gov. Lingle's strategy toward the returning budget surplus is a breath of fresh air in state government. It is another example of the change voters desired in 2002.

Gov. Lingle is following a fiscally prudent budget policy. She is planning the budget for the future and taking into account future costs that will determine surpluses or deficits.

This is a welcome change from past administrations. Surpluses were only a means of funding programs for the here and now. There was no consideration of the future and possible negative economic changes. The result was the deficits after the Waihee administration.

Only under Lingle are surpluses finally returning.

Auto theft brought out the best in many

A couple of weeks ago, my car was taken when I was fishing at the makai pier in Waimanalo.

A tourist from Japan was kind enough to let me use his cell phone to call the police. They showed up and brought with them the phone numbers of the credit card companies.

Unfortunately, I left my wallet in the trunk with my charge cards, checkbook and my brand-new bifocals. I was able to cancel my cards right away. A man who was fishing on the pier gave a witness statement.

My daughter came and drove me to the Bank of Hawaii at the Safeway in Hawai'i Kai. The staff there canceled my debit card, closed my checking account, opened a new one for me and printed new checks all within 15 minutes. They were sympathetic and very courteous.

Within a week the police called to say they found my car in Waipahu. It was fine. To the people who took it, thank you for leaving my new glasses, my nursing license and CPR card. Bless you all.