TRANSIT

THE MATH WORKS OUT IN FAVOR OF SALT LAKE STOP

Many say mass transit should not run through Salt Lake, but instead to the airport, Waikiki and/or UH-Manoa.

Here are the facts: There are about 60,000 adult residents in Salt Lake, compared with fewer than 23,000 adult residents in Waikiki. Almost all working residents of Salt Lake commute to work, while a significant percentage in Waikiki work in Waikiki.

Out of 22,000 or so faculty, staff and students at UH-Manoa, fewer than half commute more than a mile or two, and then only when school is in session.

Of the 50,000 tourists who go through the airport daily, most ride charter buses, pick up rental cars or use taxis for their one-time trip to or from the airport. They have to use charter buses, city buses or rental cars to reach nearly all tourist attractions. Also, many tourists do not stay in Waikiki or along the transit route.

This is not fuzzy math. Thousands of hard-working Salt Lake residents will use mass transit, and deserve respect. Unlike what one woman wrote, we are not a bunch of "kids going to hang out at Ala Moana Center."

COMMON SENSE

ELIMINATING BUS STOPS WILL CREATE HARDSHIP

Why cause unnecessary hardship and stress to those who use the bus regularly by eliminating bus stops?

In many Mainland cities, buses stop at alternate stops during rush hour.

Also, don't reduce or eliminate express buses.

Use some common sense. Do something right.

KEA'AU HOMELESS

PARK RULES SHOULD BE ENFORCED ISLANDWIDE

The no man's land at Kea'au Beach Park could have been prevented if the police had done their job.

As most residents know, all city parks close at 10 p.m.

Hang out a little past that and be prepared for a hefty fine. Every night at around closing time in Kapi'olani Park, three ATV-riding police officers prowl through the darkness looking to evict late-night campers, threatening them with fines and even imprisonment if they fail to comply.

I am shocked to know that people at the Kea'au Beach Park are able to set up RVs, makeshift huts and even small animal farms.

I am not even allowed to have a small hibachi in Kapi'olani Park past 10 p.m. Kapi'olani Park is no different than Kea'au.

It is not illegal to be homeless, but it is illegal to stay in a city park past closing.

If I have to follow the law, so should the homeless population, and I expect the police department to enforce this.

Police officers do not have the right to selectively delegate who has to obey the law.

MISMANAGED WAR

WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ IS SUPPORT FOR TROOPS

The hypocritical Bush administration has used the cry "support the troops" as a weapon against anyone who questions its operations in Iraq.

"Support" for the troops from this administration includes: cutting combat pay just before the invasion of Iraq; slashing support for the families of troops in the war zones; cutting veterans' benefits; lack of necessary protective armor for the troops; "stop-loss" policies that send troops repeatedly to war zones after they have already served multiple tours of duty there; and mismanagement of this war since the beginning.

As a (hopefully) final insult, we now learn, without surprise, that the medical care of the wounded veterans of this war has been inferior to that which most people give their pets.

When will the American public learn that the only way to support our troops is to bring them home now, away from this misguided, misled and mismanaged war?

How many more troops must be abused and insulted before we stop?

TAX, FEE INCREASES

WHEN ARE WE GOING TO SAY ENOUGH IS ENOUGH?

Here we go again. Mayor Mufi Hannemann is asking for more increases.

First, he pushed the transit system and got his tax increase. Now he says that the sewer problem is in dire need of repair. So his plan is to raise sewer fees again.

On the other hand, he tries to ease the pain by proposing a tax discount on property taxes. Looking at the numbers, I'd rather pay the property tax than higher sewer fees. I can deduct property taxes.

It may be time to shelve the so-called mass-transit system and use the increased general excise tax revenue for sewer repairs instead.

My question: When are we going to say enough is enough?

EDUCATION

KAILUA PUBLIC SCHOOL GETS A+ FROM A MOM

It's time that someone put in a good word for our public schools.

My seventh-grader is thriving at Kailua Intermediate School. We have an outstanding principal and vice principal, who are passionate about their jobs; a highly qualified, professional and devoted faculty; and a courteous staff that keeps the school humming.

Public education is critical to our society and economy. It's an opportunity for our kids to learn to deal with real-world issues and all kinds of people.

Our students are a great bunch of kids. We have a wonderful group of parents, PTSA and School Community Council who support our school. The Gifted and Talented Program is an incredible program that rivals any private school.

The school values respect for everyone, and will tolerate nothing less. Safety is one of its priorities.

The best part: My daughter is growing up in her community. Her friends live in her neighborhood. She bikes to school at 7:30 a.m., enjoys the Boys and Girls Club after school and is home in plenty of time to finish her homework before soccer practice at the district park.

Let's hear it for our public schools!

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY

CITY MUST ACT FASTER ON STREET CROSSING SIGNALS

The March 3 Advertiser had an article titled "Traffic signal's delay costly." The article indicated there is a crosswalk, but a pedestrian-activated traffic signal was needed. Then the article went on to say "planning and design work took about a year."

Common sense would indicate planning and design of a building would take about a year, but a crosswalk traffic signal? We're not designing the Golden Gate Bridge here.

Could this be one of the myriad of reasons our taxes keep going up? It seems there is a certain degree of incompetence involved here. I question who is responsible to allow this to drag out for such a long time.

Our Department of Transportation Services must surely have constructed quite a few pedestrian-activated traffic signals in the past. I just don't get it.

For safety reasons, when an action such as this is approved, it must be expedited.

Taxpayers need to demand faster service, and the city must respond faster to the growing need for safety.

CITY HAS RESPONSIBILITY FOR SAFE INFRASTRUCTURE

What happens when sewage systems are neglected as a city grows? Spills begin occurring with regularity, and grow in severity.

What happens when a transportation system is similarly neglected? Drivers spend an increasing amount of time in gridlock, and pedestrians die.

If a private company built and managed the antiquated and dangerous transportation system in place in Honolulu today, it would be quickly bankrupted by consumer dissatisfaction and lawsuits for wrongful death.

And while the train system (the pet project of the mayor and construction unions) will begin to establish the infrastructure for new growth in coming decades, it will not cure the present problem. Nor will more laws (the knee-jerk reaction of lawyers and politicians).

The problem is not necessarily one of money, but rather of priorities. Yet the first responsibility of any city government is, and always has been, to provide the basic infrastructure that makes urban life possible and safe.

Don't you think it's about time our leaders made that their No. 1? I do.

ONLY SAFE WAY TO CROSS IS IN THE CROSSWALKS

Re: Nicholas Weil's March 3 letter, he may be lucky enough to call jaywalking on O'ahu's roadways a skill of survival.

Under this mentality, could a driver cross an intersection against a red light when no cars are present? That gives me chills up my spine.

One could suspect there would be even more accidents than there are now if this was the current mantra.

We need to do our best to mitigate the number of accidents here on O'ahu.

So no matter how confident we may feel about crossing traffic, there is really only one safe way to cross: by complying with the rules. Always use the crosswalks, and proceed with caution when the pathway is clear.

LENGTHEN RED LIGHTS TO ALLOW MORE TIME

It is a shame that so many of the pedestrians who have been killed senselessly are in their golden years. They were grandmothers and grandfathers, and all they wished to do was get to the other side of the street.

Remember next time you dig out from a red light that your mother or father may someday be that pedestrian in a crosswalk.

How can we cut down those deaths in crosswalks?

Simply have the entire intersection go red for an additional 10 seconds between green lights to allow for any pedestrians to clear the street.

Drivers might say that will slow them down, but isn't that the point?

Today's drivers are going too fast for today's pedestrians. It isn't rocket science. It is done in cities on the Mainland, so it's not new.

It is a simple fix for a critical and deadly problem that many drivers on O'ahu suffer from, and that is the need to be first to the next red light.

GIVE THOSE ON FOOT HEAD START ACROSS ROAD

Here's an idea, at least for those crosswalks with stoplights: Delay the green light for drivers.

The "walk" signals go on first with enough time to get at least halfway across the street, then the green light goes on for the drivers.

However, this is not a solution for those pedestrians who insist on crossing when the "don't walk" signal is on.