Don’t let left turns veer into political brawl

Micromanagement or good policy? That’s the question as the City Council and Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s administration tangle over allowing rush-hour left turns from Kapiolani Boulevard at the McCully Street and Atkinson Drive intersections.

The Council passed a bill to enable the turns, prompted by Councilman Trevor Ozawa whose area constituents find the left-turns ban cumbersome. But Caldwell’s transportation department says allowing the turns would essentially kill a Kapiolani Boulevard traffic pattern, used since 1952, of rush-hour contra-flow lanes and “no left turns” from Date Street to Kakaako. Caldwell vetoed the bill, saying it violates separation of power between the executive and legislative branches; the Council might seek an override. There’s no pleasing everyone, of course, but let’s ensure that commuting — and not politics — drives this decision.

Keep pressure on Kaena Point scofflaws

The Mokuleia section of Kaena Point State Park has been temporarily closed to vehicles for nearly two months — a much-needed break from off-roaders who cannot resist a playground impulse to tear up terrain that’s home to Laysan albatrosses, Hawaiian monk seals and rare and endangered plants.

Nearly 8,800 people have permits to drive into the North Shore site. Here’s hoping that when the state reopens the section’s gate, officials will make good on a plan to crack down on anyone caught violating park rules.