Bicycle Master Plan has been neglected

I look out my window and see a thick, unbroken line up and down the Ala Wai. It is the sacred domain of the bicyclist. Not even cops dare sully it with traffic stops.

Despite what others have said, this bike lane is beautiful in its boldness. It just screams of the importance of bicycling to a vibrant community and what can be done with a little political will. But it also — in the fact that it ends for two blocks before picking up again on McCully, then terminates altogether without a mention at Kapi'olani — serves to point out how much the city has neglected the Bicycle Master Plan.

Besides the spotty bike lanes, bikeways are broken and cracked. For example, the Date Street bikeway, which many shun in favor of the more dangerous, yet less damaged, street. Long-promised facilities have yet to materialize. (The Diamond Head comfort station and Young Street bike lane, for example.) And of course, right lanes across the island, which are the bicyclist's ghetto, are the worst stretch on the road.

Mufi Hannemann, remember the bicyclists and the promises made to them.

Arctic refuge drilling will endanger natives

It saddens my heart to know our great nation's administration is hell-bent on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Robert and Jane Thompson live in the refuge. They are shy, honest, guileless people. The best on this planet. People who would lay down their lives for you; give you their mucklucks, their jerky. They are representatives of the native Inupiut Eskimo, and we are friends for all time. They are at one with nature, and their survival depends on the caribou.

I speak on their behalf now: Their lives and the lives of their children and children's children will be changed forever if the refuge is drilled. And this devastation will satisfy only 2 percent of our nation's domestic oil supply.

This is such a shame. And most unfortunately, it is not surprising. It seems mankind's nature is to consume, in many cases to extinction.

I'll miss my friends, for surely they will die without the caribou. For the caribou will disappear when the drilling begins. Eating Spam and canned corn beef will pave the way for diabetes and heart disease. And the Gwich'in, Inupiut and Inuit will walk the path of the Hawaiians. Their children will relocate to Las Vegas in search of livelihoods that mimic the two-dimensional characters seen on TV or in the movies. So sad.

Aloha nui loa, dearest Robert and Jane. Keep fighting the good fight.

When cops are near, bad guys disappear

Great news! HPD Chief Boisse Correa is re-implementing the foot patrols in Chinatown and Waikiki. I cannot understand why this was not done a long time ago.

For over 10 years, I have been hearing about the drug dealers operating in brazen openness — especially in Chinatown, along Hotel Street, Nu'uanu Avenue, Pauahi Street, Smith Street, River Street — and wondered, where are the police foot patrols?

This is your first-line, on-the-spot defense. When the cops are near, the bad guys disappear. But with the foot patrols inactivated for all these years, it's no wonder the drug dealers and crime in general have run rampant in Chinatown. Waikiki will surely benefit also.

Kudos to Chief Correa for this extremely wise action, which will definitely enhance the safety and security in Chinatown and Waikiki.

A whole lot of aloha when it was needed

On Saturday, Jan. 8, at around 1:30 a.m., my girlfriends and I were traveling Kailua-bound on the H-3 in the rain, during the bad storm, and our truck overturned in the tunnel. We were very lucky to walk away. No one was injured, but I was unconscious for a short time.

I'm writing this letter to thank the many Good Samaritans who stopped and helped us. We got no names, but they provided us with jackets and clothing, even offered us food. We had angels around us.

Also, Officer Contee, who saw that we were devastated, was very helpful and supportive.

I just want to acknowledge the people who provided nothing but aloha.

Let's revive 'Tell It to The Mayor' program

On Jan. 3, along with many other (patient) citizens, I took my place for just over an hour, waiting to renew my vehicle registration. Long story short, I got antsy, made friends and realized there must be a better way of reducing the gridlock that often surrounds our local satellite city halls. I could have complained, but I felt this experience offered a far better opportunity.

You see, as a little girl, I was with my father when he proudly surveyed the original satellite city hall, in a small strip mall in Kane'ohe, a few doors down from the old Golden Crown. At the time, he was involved in the Office of Information and Complaint and he realized an opportunity to extend the city's good graces to the entire county via satellite offices.

Following the installation of satellite city halls, Mayor Fasi instituted a "Tell It to The Mayor" program. As a humble admirer of those who saw opportunity in adversity, I recommend that our newest mayor, Mufi Hannemann, revive the program, offering Uncle Frank as the Ambassador of Aloha for the city and county.

Getting our community involved by inspiring positive action through constructive feedback may go a long way in reducing gridlock and overhead, in the satellites and all city services.

Solution isn't rail, but a cap on autos

Recently I've noticed quite a few letters advocating light rail for Honolulu. It seems these writers assume that the majority of people feel as they do. Pressure your legislative representative for light rail if:

• You don't mind fighting traffic three times as bad as it is now for the 10 to 15 years it will take to finish. (Experience with H-1, H-2 and H-3 means it will be closer to 15.)

• You don't mind having your taxes, your children's taxes and your grandchildren's taxes pay for subsidizing this boondoggle to the tune of $200 million a year.

• If, after it's completed, you don't mind traffic being just as bad as it is at present. (You probably won't, because you'll be riding the train then, am I right?)

As for light rail making Honolulu a great city, it was a great city when I came here in 1961. When the subway systems were built in Boston, New York, Chicago, Philly, etc., not many common people could afford to own a car. The local population is not about to give up their cars here in Honolulu, and you can take that to the bank. Let's get real; the only way to solve this problem is by limiting the number of autos per household.

Demand higher quality

The condition of Honolulu's roads is deplorable. Our one-season climate is a blessing for paved surfaces because Hawai'i's roads aren't subjected to freezing winters and scorching summers. Yet, our city cannot keep our roads safe to drive on. I submit that instead of searching for new patching methods, O'ahu's residents demand higher quality in the initial building of our roads.

Aaron Mahi must remain at Royal Hawaiian Band

I am troubled over the current furor surrounding Aaron Mahi of the Royal Hawaiian Band. I enjoy his band concerts. Though they last only about an hour, I feel uplifted, crave for more and am energized by his closing rendition of "Aloha 'Oe."

I am stunned that he is being dismissed. Mahi is a kanaka, a state institution and a great conductor. By royal tradition, a Hawaiian should be at the podium, unless he is of a rare talent in the traditions of Heinrich Berger and Charles King.

But a rare talent would have no time or business joining the band and kowtowing to his players for survival.

Some band members allege that they only play the same numbers, and that Mahi does little to raise their musicological levels. I hate to see a rare talent betrayed, besmirched with such petty gripes with our new mayor's support.

The band lends pomp to the city, makes us proud of its existence in a royal tradition and gives us joy of listening to renditions not otherwise heard. Mahi is helping to do all that — with grace.

The new mayor intends to shove Mahi out.

I deeply wish that the mayor would spend time, do everything in his power to resolve the band players' gripes amicably, by arbitration if necessary, so we can continue with Maestro Mahi at the helm. If the matter cannot be so resolved, maybe the band players resentful of Mahi ought to resign.

The band belongs to us. We pay for its existence. Let's hope it won't be footballed to meet political ends.

Life sciences research, training have bright future

Thanks for the Jan. 10 article covering new developments for the John A. Burns School of Medicine. It's terrific that, as Ted Liu of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism has said, life sciences are now "one of the state's top priorities."

This new focus suggests that UH-Manoa will be devoting substantial resources to the programs whose faculty provide life science training to all of UH-Manoa's basic life science majors. Doing so will assure that we accomplish Mr. Liu's critical goal of "reversing the brain drain," rather than losing one of our state's most valuable assets — our trained people — to places where greater and more satisfying opportunities can be found.

We anticipate that UH's life science graduates will be staffing the new med school research laboratories, and that some may go on to become top-notch research scientists themselves.

With adequate support, Manoa life sciences students will be able to work in laboratories that actually have running water, and maybe those labs will have enough electricity so that when someone turns on a microwave oven, computers in the biology labs don't shut down. Perhaps zoology will relocate to a building where there is enough electricity to keep all the equipment running simultaneously, where microscope cabinets are termite-free, where classrooms are wired for modern technology and where new faculty can be given research labs without decommissioning classrooms. Maybe botany, whose faculty has recently doubled, can return to space loaned to tropical agriculture programs, which now have a new building.

As those who have supported the spectacular rejuvenation of our medical school will agree, with the right kind of investment, life sciences research and training can put the University of Hawai'i and the state of Hawai'i on the map.