PEDESTRIANS

LOWER SPEED LIMITS COULD HELP SAVE LIVES

Diagnosis: O'ahu drivers are toxic to pedestrians.

Prescription: Lower speed limits at all locations along sidewalks and at crosswalks by 10 mph, and enforce the new limits.

Result: Fewer funerals and a slower pace to life.

Memo to those who hit and ran: Angels wear sackcloth and ashes in your names.

USE HIDDEN CAMERAS FOR TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS

Police alone cannot handle traffic-rule enforcement. The community must be involved.

Who of us does not see countless rule violations on a daily basis while driving? People speeding, not signaling, running red lights, etc. But they don't get caught.

Here is my suggestion: Install hidden sealed video cameras in volunteers' cars. Construct them in a way that they can't be manipulated. Then come down heavily on the scofflaws.

That would be the end of 90 percent of all intentional violations, accidents and traffic deaths.

And, police would be freed for their intended purpose: to fight criminals.

ENFORCEMENT NEEDED, NOT NEW TRAFFIC LAWS

The Legislature and City Council just want to pass new bills, when the present laws aren't even being enforced.

If speeding and other traffic tickets are not given out, then there is no sense having them on the books.

No more warning tickets for crosswalk laws — take their cars away. Aren't seven deaths enough?

I walk every day, and I see rules ignored every day.

And please pay closer attention to older walkers. Walking slowly when a driver is impatient should not be a death penalty.

And for drivers to complain about jaywalkers who suddenly jump in the road in front of them — you can bet the drivers are using a cell phone and not paying attention to their driving.

Both pedestrians and drivers should pay full attention to walking and driving. Period.

But no new rules until the present laws are fully enforced.

ENVIRONMENT

WE CAN ALL HELP TEND THE LAND BY RECYCLING

Mahalo to The Advertiser for the letters printed on Feb. 9 from the teen editorial board.

It was great to see that the next generation is taking a look at preserving our future.

Hawai'i is a beautiful place, and for hundreds of years people in Hawai'i have tended the land.

Even though open fields have been replaced with buildings, we can still tend the land by recycling.

Government can help in this effort by implementing curbside recycling.

It has been proven that people want to recycle; just look at the HI-5¢ program.

Mahalo plenty again to The Advertiser for Friday's letters.

LEGISLATION

EQUALITY UNDER LAW IS BASIS OF CIVIL UNIONS

Phil Klein, in his letter to the editor (Feb. 10) states that he loves his "gay family and friends," and as far as he is concerned "they can do whatever they want in the privacy of their homes." He then says that creating a civil union status for couples who can't legally be married is equivalent to spitting in his face.

If marriage were something outside the legal scope, I'd agree with him, but when I, as a gay man, am denied the same legal rights that he enjoys (assuming he is straight), then I fail to see his point and, in fact, feel the need to wipe his spittle from my face.

It's not an issue of acceptance, it's an issue of equal and fair under the law. If someone wants to preserve traditional marriage from some perceived attack by gays and lesbians, then they had best remove it from the public arena and put it under the sole and complete control of religion or some other non-government entity. Otherwise, you need to allow each and every citizen full access to equal benefits under the law.

It should be noted that there are several religions, however, that would continue to spit in Mr. Klein's face, as they see no problem with same-sex unions, no matter what they are called.

CIVIL UNION, MARRIAGE ARE NOT THE SAME THING

Phil Klein complains in a letter (Feb. 10) that the proposed civil union law is "spitting in his face" because "civil union is the same thing as marriage." This is a falsehood, an ugly piece of rhetoric repeated by those who oppose equal rights for gays and lesbians.

To Mr. Klein I ask: Would you be willing to exchange your marriage for a civil union? Until the answer to that is yes, they are not the same thing.

And to correct another misconception in his letter, "70 percent of the people" did not vote in favor of "traditional marriage;" only 70 percent of those who voted cast that discriminatory ballot to amend the Constitution, only slightly more than 30 percent of eligible voters.

If Klein truly loves his "gay family and friends" as he claims, he would want them to enjoy the same rights that he, as a tax-paying citizen, enjoys.

Sadly, by his declaration that gays should keep themselves to "the privacy of their homes," he shows that he is only interested in keeping this large segment of likewise taxpaying citizens locked in a degrading third- and fourth-class level of citizenship.

CIVIL UNION BACKERS SHOULD RECALL 1996

Unbelievable! I strongly suggest that Sen. Gary Hooser and Rep. Blake Oshiro do their homework and see what happened in the 1996 elections.

Sen. Rey Graulty and five House members lost their seats because they supported gay marriage.

Changing "gay marriage" to "civil unions" is deceptive.

Here's my prediction: In 2008, all the legislators who support gay marriage (a.k.a. "civil unions") will be looking for a job in the private sector.

NEW STADIUM

Why not just build on current Halawa site?

I have a question about the building of a new stadium. I don't quite understand why the state would like to buy land in Kapolei when it owns the land that the stadium is on now. Why can't they just build a new stadium on the same site, and add a huge parking structure?

I don't see why we need to use hundreds of millions of dollars to buy new land, and then spend hundreds of millions of more dollars to build a new stadium.

It just seems ludicrous to spend money that can be used for our failing education, affordable housing, and/or for our teachers, police and fire departments.

There are so many other programs that can never find funding, and yet we can find hundreds of millions of dollars to buy extra land?

KAKA'AKO WATERFRONT MIGHT BE BETTER SITE

A new stadium — what a delight to the thousands of University of Hawai'i Warrior football fans.

However, the proposed transit route won't connect the Kapolei site to the Manoa campus. Do they realize how much gridlock is already on Kamokila Boulevard? One could only imagine what it would look like come game night.

Perhaps the Kaka'ako waterfront area near the proposed transit line would be a better site. Nimitz Highway to Ala Moana boulevard is a straight shot off the freeway. It would increase business downtown on the weekends, and there is ample parking in the downtown parking lots, Blaisdell Arena and adjacent schools. There could also be a shuttle or a bike route from the UH-Manoa campus.

The structure itself would be our Hawaiian version of the Sydney Opera House, an international landmark.

The central location may justify both football and baseball games. It could also be a multi-use facility for both sporting events and concerts. And there could be a weekend open market and craft fair on the outside of the stadium.

If it were built in the shape of a horseshoe, it would offer a picturesque view of our Hawaiian sunsets.

Thus, it would be both aesthetic and functional.

MASS TRANSIT

IF YOU DON'T LIKE TRAFFIC, MOVE CLOSER TO WORK

Can someone explain to me why mass transit is better than adding more buses and assigning a bus-only lane on the highway?

The same people who ride the bus will ride mass transit.

People in Hawai'i are too spoiled; they won't give up the freedom of driving their own cars.

If you don't like the traffic, move closer to work.

SECOND CITY

CITY FOLK TOO SPOILED TO DRIVE TO KAPOLEI COURT

Re: The Advertiser headline, "Judiciary devoted to Kapolei" (Feb. 5): The state and city governments and private enterprise should have the intestinal fortitude to go ahead with plans for the Second City.

They should not listen to the naysayers from town who do not want to drive to Kapolei. People in Leeward O'ahu have been driving through traffic to town for business and government services for years. People in town do not want to drive outside of the city limits because they are spoiled and never had to drive very far.

The whole concept of the Second City is to diversify the traffic patterns so that all traffic is not converging into town.

It's about time that more people who live in the city have a turn at driving beyond the city limits for government functions.

I laud The Honolulu Advertiser for building its beautiful, state-of-the-art publishing facility in Kapolei. And a big hooray to the state for plans to build the beautiful new Family Court in Kapolei.

SUPERFERRY

AN EIS WILL IDENTIFY MAGNITUDE OF RISKS

There are several devastating pests present in Hawai'i that exist on a single island and not on other islands.

Without suitable mitigation, the Superferry will quickly transport any new pest to the other islands on the 280 private cars traveling each day.

Because of this risk as well as effects on traffic congestion and our overcrowded harbors, several state senators and representatives have demanded an environmental impact statement for the ferry system.

They are supporting the unanimous vote of the Maui County Council, as well as the Kaua'i and Big Island councils. Maui's mayor has also requested an EIS.

One of the committees hearing House Bill 702 is the Transportation Committee chaired by Rep. Joe Souki of Maui. He is in a position to make or break the EIS bill.

Will he ignore the wishes of the legislators, the councils, the Maui Invasive Species Committee, the scientific community, the farmers, the canoe paddlers and the hundreds of citizens who have requested the EIS?

Please let Rep. Souki know how important this is. An EIS will identify the magnitude of the risks and propose mitigation measures for the project. With suitable mitigation, the negative impacts of the Superferry might be minimized.

BOAT COMPLAINTS ARE DISINGENUOUS

Opponents of the Superferry claim to worry about whales, but the fury seems to be directed only at the ferry, not the barges, cruise ships, other ferries, snorkel, scuba and whale-watch tours.

Opponents complain about lack of planning and inadequate roads and harbor facilities for the ferry, yet have blocked infrastructure expansion projects when they were proposed.

Opponents claim to care about the environment, yet don't see that with its corporate agriculture and sprawling subdivision-style building patterns, Maui is already a degraded environment.

Boat-borne tourists from O'ahu are not going to do any more damage to the environment than the people already living here with their exotic pets and plants, or those coming by plane with miconia seeds on their hiking shoes.

Opponents feign concern about crime, but cheaper airfares haven't sent Maui's crime rate skyrocketing.

Opponents fret that the ferry won't be financially viable. If it isn't, it will stop running!

In the end, these arguments against the ferry are disingenuous. The ferry opponents' true argument is, "We don't want growth, and that's what the ferry symbolizes."

But the ferry isn't growth. It's just a boat.