Preserve trees in Chinatown

A while ago, I was walking down River Street and I stopped because of the birdsong that I heard.

I saw the bird and was fascinated by the song and the fact that it didn’t fly away from me. I described it to friends who said it was a shama thrush. After living many years in Kailua and Hawaii Kai, I saw and heard my first shama thrush on River Street.

Your feature on Chu Lan Shubert-Kwock prompted me to write this ("Chu Lan Shubert-Kwock," Star-Advertiser, Name in the News, July 4). She has many good ideas, but taking down the "crappy" trees on River Street isn’t one of them. River Street could be a lovely promenade along a cleaned-up Nuuanu Stream — with trees.

Shubert-Kwock could help if she could get the old ladies to stop spitting on the street. That I would appreciate.

Ann Beeson
Chinatown

You can choose not to drive

Really? Front-page news ("Fewer parking spots for Ala Moana fireworks show," Star-Advertiser, July 3)?

People are going to forego seeing fireworks at Ala Moana because parking is a little difficult? What a shame that, for some, they let their car dictate their life. Here are some novel ideas. Get out of your car and leave it at home, hop on a bus, ride your bike, take a taxi from downtown, walk from Waikiki, Ward or Kakaako.

Insanity is defined as doing things the same way and expecting the results to be different. Parking and driving are only going to get worse on Oahu, so you can decide to keep driving yourself crazy and complaining on deaf ears or choose transportation options that get you where you need to go.

For the car-dependent, I guess a third option will be to stay home and avoid traffic altogether. I am sure watching fireworks from a little TV is just fine.

Jeff Merz
Waikiki

Build stadium near Ala Wai

If in fact it is time to replace Aloha Stadium, I would suggest building a world-class stadium on the Ala Wai golf course property. This would include adequate parking, but also several walkway bridges across the Ala Wai Canal so Waikiki hotel guest can walk across to the stadium for special events or bowl games.

A new stadium in that location would be a perfect venue for many major events and concerts. As many cities have done, sponsorship by a major corporation could cover much of the costs.

I had season tickets for University of Hawaii football for more than 40 years before relocating to Denver. I believe a large stadium in that location would attract enough functions to complete Waikiki being a world-attraction location.

This would make sense and bring a lot of money into the state.

Roger A. Hutchings
Englewood, Colo.

Barrier works fine at Laniakea

I live about a mile north of Laniakea Beach. The barriers at the old parking lot have helped immensely. I am in favor of keeping them until whatever’s next will be.

I do not agree that traffic moves only because tour buses have been stopped ("Tour buses were cause of traffic," Star-Advertiser, Letters, July 5).

Nor do I believe the people crossing the highway before and after Laiakea are more unsafe than when they all parked right across from the beach. What has changed, in my opinion, is that people are more careful when they cross because cars are coming.

There is less of the willy-nilly, free-for-all crossing that kept everybody inching along and waiting. It’s also wonderful when the police are there to prevent parking on the makai side.

Debbie Aldrich
Haleiwa

Don’t segregate voting choices

There are two consistent discouraging aspects of voting during elections.

One is the fact that we have to vote for "the lesser of two evils." Whether Democratic, Republican or Independent, there is never a candidate whom I have been enthusiastic to vote for, nationally or locally.

Second, I wish the voting process didn’t segregate the voter as Democratic or Republican. As citizens of a free nation, we should be able to vote for a Democrat in one position and a Republican in another.

Han Song
Kaneohe

Air advertising a blight on Oahu

In recent days, the people of Oahu have been subject to a small yellow airplane towing banners around the island, most recently on the Windward side.

This airborne banner advertising company is a recent mainland interloper and a visual perversion to the beauty of our island.

In spite of our longstanding laws against obnoxious advertising in the form of billboards and airborne banners, this company claims to have a waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration to commit visual pollution of our skies.

Regardless of the legalities, whether or not this arrogant and rude mainland entity can continue to fly around the islands depends on whether or not someone pays them to advertise for them. It is our responsibility to tell them we don’t want them.

To do that, it is necessary for all local companies, big and small, to say no to their service. It is also our responsibility to tell any companies that decide to use their services that they are violating our local laws and despoiling the beauty of our home.

Lucas Noll
Waikiki

Boycott air advertisers

If everyone is as upset as I am about the airplane with the banner, let the company know that we will boycott any company that uses them. That is what I will do.

Barbara Ellis
Waikiki

Videos can help pedestrians

In our video-crazy world nowadays, we direly need someone or some organization to make a pedestrian safety video and do what’s needed to make it super popular — on Olelo channels ad nauseam, on YouTube, free DVDs, AARP Hawaii events, etc.

Make versions for elementary school kids, high school kids, retired and elderly folks and their care-givers. For schoolchildren, make it mandatory training. We’ll need a catchy slogan.

For nearly all tragedies, both drivers and pedestrians are at fault usually more often than rain or blinding sun.

Even walking in a parking lot is hazardous as many folks walk like they’re walking across their living room. Crosswalks aren’t 100 percent safe either.

Alan Matsuda
Hawaii Kai

Bring containers to restaurants

I would encourage consumers to take their own plastic containers to restaurants for take out, thus avoiding soggy boxes and keeping more plastic out of the landfills.

Linda Hutchinson
Waialae Nui Valley