Puna roundabouts
I was absolutely flabbergasted with the Dec. 14 front-page article that informed us that the construction of the Makuu and Orchidland Drive roundabouts were placed “on hold.”
The reason given that the Pahoa and Ainaola roundabouts had been so successful that the accidents/speed went down at the “on hold” locations, also.
The truth is that the Shower Drive light and lack of merge lanes has created a several-mile-long commuting parking lot that wastes millions of dollars annually in time and fuel.
The Shower light (which should have been a roundabout instead) should have a merge lane, and the highway green light should be adjusted to be on more or switched to blinking yellow. Then the Makuu and Orchidland roundabouts should be constructed.
After all, the measure of a good road is to allow smooth flow of traffic instead of creating artificial barriers and causing frustration.
Hartley Phillips
Pahoa
Do it for the keiki
Dear unvaccinated people: I appreciate your anti-authoritarian spirit, I really do. I believe in “Donʻt tread on me.”
But since the vaccines came out last Jan., 40 times as many unvaccinated people have died from COVID than vaccinated people. In a way, this is natural selection in action, and I am not sorry for those who refuse to accept reality.
But, there is more than just your own well-being to be concerned about here — there are children’s lives on the line. Children younger than 5 are not eligible for vaccinations and you are putting them in danger.
The way it works is this: If there were no unvaccinated adults, there would be much less virus circulating in our community. That would make it much less likely that children would catch it. That’s why people say we are all in this together, because what you do affects other people — in this case, unvaccinated children.
So far, 230 children under 5 have died from COVID in the U.S., and over 2,000 have been hospitalized. There are also about 3 million people whose immune systems are impaired and cannot be fully immunized. They are also relying on the rest of us to protect them from exposure.
If you care at all about any of these people, please get vaccinated.
Matt Binder
Waimea
Lessons learned
Is the military reserve at the Pohakuloa Training Area another potential Red Hill Navy petroleum leak problem?
Which, if any entity, is doing oversight of the camp’s operations besides only the Army themselves?
All inhabited areas that rely on our precious island aquifer (water tables) are makai (down hill) of Pohakuloa. What are they presently storing above and underground that may or already has leaked below and through the porous lava formations?
We can’t just sit back and only react once our tap waters begin spilling out contaminated water! In this case, our Hawaii state and county entities need to step up and take proactive measures to ensure the safety and health of all Hawaii Island residents.
Publicize their findings to give our island population some peace of mind.
C.M. Moana
Hilo