The Oahu vehicle commute will continue to deteriorate, crushing the dreams of Oahu living to a daily gridlock of traffic.

The above-grade rail project shows significant progress since construction began in 2011. Changing the project will result in more costs for environmental/development studies; dismantling will incur costs and no long-term solution.

To expedite rail development and reduce delays, residents must take part in sharing the future of Oahu transportation. Enforcement, education and active support are the keys. Fines and penalties for illegally using the HOV lane must be increased significantly, to include driver license suspension; citizen reporting should be considered.

The state Department of Transportation must share daily HOV usage to educate carpooling benefits. TheBus must promote commuter planning for using public transportation, designating a week for Oahu commuters to take a public transportation challenge. Most importantly, drivers must give up solo driving.

Jose Acevedo

Pearl Harbor

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Future generations will benefit from rail

“Let’s have the same conversation again and again and again for 10 years and ignore what the community wants,” said no one ever.

Yet that’s where we are with the advocates for at-grade rail. That option was studied by professionals, put to the community, and a decision was made that running the rail above city streets was the best choice. And elevated rail has been affirmed by a majority of voters in a referendum and in mayoral elections.

Legislators, hold fast with elevated rail. It’s what the community wants and will bring benefits to Oahu for generations.

Patrick Williams

Downtown Honolulu

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Use right lane only for entry and exit

I’ve surmised that most of the traffic slowdowns in the H-1 corridor between Kalihi and Kahala are caused by merging vehicles.

Unfortunately, the poor design of the existing on/off ramps do much to exacerbate the problem.

However, a simple adjustment could help alleviate this chronic issue. If vehicles would stay out of the far-right lane, except to enter or exit, there should be much less congestion. A few signs posted in the corridor, “Right Lane for Exiting/Entering Only,” would remind drivers to create more merging space.

Bob Ramsey

Palolo

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Gabbard should help constituents

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has risen quickly to power because power is precisely what she cares about most.

It’s unfair to call other politicians “immodest” “Tulsi wannabes.” They’re not Tulsi wannabes; they are people who actually care about their state of Hawaii and its people (“Wannabes can’t match Gabbard’s star power,” Star-Advertiser, Lee Cataluna, Feb. 3).

Gabbard didn’t sit through union picnics and public meetings because, frankly, she’s more concerned with getting a seat at the president’s table. I commend U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono and U.S. Reps. Colleen Hanabusa and the late Mark Takai for fighting so valiantly in Congress for their constituents in Hawaii.

Meanwhile, Gabbard is off conducting a highly inappropriate publicity stunt at the very moment when her constituents need her to advocate for them the most. Shame on Gabbard for traveling to Syria on what she knew would be a headline-grabbing trip when the rest of our congressional delegation was rallying against President Donald Trump’s horrific first week of policymaking.

Christina Wong

Kaimuki

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Support bill to deny help to terrorists

The coverage of U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s trip to Syria failed to underscore the most critical point: Why are many members of the media, along with many members of Congress, pushing for hard-working Americans to pay for military training, funding and weapons for militant groups that are directly working with al-Qaeda and ISIS to attack the Syrian government?

Why are they not taking a stand against this and applauding Gabbard for trying to end this insanity?

The smoke-and-mirrors campaign to try to obscure the real issue at hand is manipulative and dishonest. The people of Hawaii, and the people of America, deserve an answer to this very simple question: Are the media and our members of Congress in favor of arming terrorists? If not, then they need to actively support and sign on to Gabbard’s bill, the Stop Arming Terrorists Act.

Kristen Miller

Kailua

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White House tries to shut down dissent

President Donald Trump tries to convince Americans that any news story challenging him or his policies is fake news, while any story praising him is real news. The White House adds that the media need to learn it’s not OK to attack the president.

The Senate silenced U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren for reading a letter from civil rights icon Coretta Scott King condemning Jeff Sessions’ racism, denying her the chance to speak in the debate on Sessions’ nomination for attorney general.

And on and on and on. The only joy in this is watching Trump’s local supporters tripping over themselves in their letters to the editor as they try to justify actions they surely must find abhorrent.

I wonder how many more letters I’ll be able to write before I have to end them: “Long Live the Emperor!”

Andrew Thomas

Moiliili

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Republicans don’t deserve Fukumoto

The Hawaii Republican Party seems determined to remain a small minority party in Hawaii. Its shoddy treatment of state Rep. Beth Fukumoto is a case in point (“Isle Republican leader ousted,” Star-Advertiser, Feb. 2).

The party’s blind devotion to the emotionally disturbed person in the White House, and intolerance of Fukumoto’s standing up for the values this country stands for, is a disgrace.

I hope she becomes a Democrat. The Republicans don’t deserve her.

David Weiss

Kaimuki