‘Ring of death’
‘Ring of death’
I remember when there was so much congestion heading to Hilo through Keaau they decided to build the bypass road.
Things worked well enough, but someone decided it needed a zipper lane. Zipper lanes work well on the mainland, people say; the drivers maintain speeds and zip together like a zipper!
Yet, every day, people coming back from Hilo are stuck in this zipper lane. People come to a dead stop while others try to bully their way to the front.
This should have been a lesson: What works on the mainland does not necessarily work here. Now, they are putting a roundabout in the middle of a busy intersection, with a terrible track record, and a high population of people with no insurance, safety checks and licenses.
But, it works well in the mainland. Hawaii is not the mainland. People will be stuck in the roundabout, cars will decide not to stop before entering or everyone will be stuck in a long line into Hawaiian Beaches and Pahoa because that first person just can’t manage to merge in.
The backup will make the merge lane out of Hawaiian Beaches impossible to navigate as cars will be backed up side by side. People coming home from work will be backed up, probably to Ainaloa.
But let us not be too pessimistic. The street racers that are prevalent in Pahoa will finally have a nice round race track; drifters will rejoice.
On a final note: Semi-truck drivers and machinery operators, the county owes you an apology. This insane spiral will undoubtedly be most difficult for you.
Motorcyclists, I suggest walking around it. People are careless enough around our motorcycle-riding enthusiasts without putting them in a ring of death.
Sam Cardines
Hilo
He cares?
As a former long-term employee of Russell Ruderman’s, I invite Mr. Kirk Puuohau-Pummill (Your Views, Tribune-Herald) to sit down with me and discuss how much Sen. Ruderman “cares” for his employees.
But this is neither here nor there when discussing Sen. Ruderman’s political career. Let’s keep the conversation on-topic. Since when were politicians known for their caring nature? Let’s remember Sen. Ruderman is a businessman, first and foremost.
Kendra Tidwell
Pahoa