Time will tell
Time will tell
A recent letter to the editor asserted Hawaii’s drivers are worse/less courteous than mainland drivers, and therefore will not be able to safely navigate a roundabout near Pahoa town.
Just because some drivers have their heads so far up their okole they have a hard time seeing the road in front of them — much less another car, red light, stop sign or pedestrian in a crosswalk — Hawaii simply doesn’t have a corner on the market.
There are poor drivers everywhere.
Roundabouts basically facilitate traffic flow while making the intersection safer than a stop light or stop sign. The limiting factor of space is often an issue in Hawaii, but not so in Pahoa.
Even some of the roundabouts encountered in my 45 years of driving (much of it on a motorcycle) were in Hawaii. Rest assured, there was no carnage at any of them. But perhaps I was just lucky.
Bottom line: Why keep the majority of drivers hostage because of a few idiots? And I bet you the number of serious accidents at the Pahoa intersection will be reduced, not increased, by the installation of a roundabout.
Hopefully, time will tell.
Fred Fogel
Volcano
Where was Kenoi?
Regarding the mayor’s proclamation declaring April as “Child Abuse Prevention” Month: The proclamation was read at a gathering on Friday, March 28. But where was our mayor? Why did he have an office representative (substitute mayor?) read the pledge in his place? Will the substitute mayor be taking a leadership role to work on child abuse prevention activities? (And do I remember that this is not the first year a substitute had to read the mayoral proclamation?)
Evidently, our mayor was at a DLNR or Public Works meeting while his proclamation was being read by his substitute. So, is it also DLNR month?
I know Mayor Billy Kenoi is very busy and has a full plate of problems confronting him. However, in my humble opinion, he either has his priorities wrong or he has not sincerely considered how to prioritize the needs of our community.
One would be hard pressed to find a need more serious than the prevention of child abuse.
Child abuse is a serious community problem. It requires serious community action to stop present abuse and to break the cycle of learned, ongoing abuse. It requires a commitment from every elected official to recognize the seriousness of this issue and provide the resources to stop it. It requires real community leadership.
Mayor Kenoi: Please help!
PS: Mahalo to the East Hawaii Coalition to Prevent Child Abuse for organizing the thoughtful proclamation event.
Stan Golembeski
Hilo