Roundabouts better for traffic, air quality

Roundabouts are traffic-calming devices that improve the flow of traffic through intersections. They also reduce the risk of accidents and decrease air pollution since car emissions from idling cars at traffic signals are eliminated. They are common in Europe and are slowly gaining acceptance in the U.S.

I thought about roundabouts recently while sitting in traffic on Kalanianaole Highway waiting to make a left turn onto Keahole Street in Hawaii Kai. It’s not unusual for 15-20 cars to idle for up to two minutes at this intersection. This would be the perfect place for a roundabout. It would decrease the speeding traffic to and from town, facilitate non-stop traffic flow at the intersection, and importantly, will be a small step toward cleaner air quality.

Let’s give it serious consideration.

Michael Bornemann

Hawaii Kai

UH website didn’t help Wahine fans

My husband, two young grandsons and I attended the University of Hawaii women’s volleyball match on Nov. 27. Given that we were unable to comply with the UH website’s stringent requirements, we didn’t know when leaving home whether or not we would be allowed into the arena. According to the website, we would not.

The website was quite misleading. Unless every directive (such as uploading a child’s school ID) was followed precisely — which was impossible for us — we would “not be allowed” inside the arena.

I brought hard copies of what we had, and hoped for the best.

Happily, a nice young man seated at the entrance laboriously helped us all with everything, and we were able to attend the match after all.

While this event drew more than 2,000 people, the arena seats 10,000. I wonder how many fans chose to stay home, unable to precisely follow the online requirements? How much potential revenue was lost? The failure of the UH website to advise that help would be available at the arena is extremely disappointing.

Stephanie Pintz

Waimanalo

Time to shut down fouled-water disaster

A decade-long disaster movie is being watched by residents, local, state and congressional leaders and no one with the power to rewrite the ending of the movie appears to be acting. The fictional storyline by the Navy that it can prevent contamination of the primary water source for 400,000 Oahu residents has constantly changed depending on the spokesperson and the criticism it needs to suppress.

In response to complaints of odor in military housing water, the Navy claimed its system was entirely independent of the Board of Water Supply. Now it’s revealed that the fouled military water system draws its water from the same aquifer used by BWS. The only difference is that the military shaft is located closer to the tanks. The BWS halted pumping to avoid sucking contaminated water into the city’s Halawa shaft (“Honolulu Board of Water Supply shuts down Halawa well to protect against Navy’s fuel contamination,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 3).

Isn’t it time to shut down the source of contamination before the entire aquifer is ruined?

Francis M. Nakamoto

Moanalua Valley

Relieve Navy brass in charge of Red Hill

U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele is correct (“Rep. Kai Kahele calls Navy water contamination ‘a crisis of astronomical proportions in Hawaii’,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 2).

The possible leak of fuel into Hawaii’s water table is a crisis. I hope Gov. David Ige personally calls the secretaries of the Navy and Defense and demands immediate fixes.

This has been a well-known problem for years. Enough of the Navy’s irresponsible procrastination, obfuscation and b.s. public relations. The officer in charge of Red Hill and his higher-ups ought to be relieved of duty immediately.

The Navy will have to reprogram all of the funds needed from current fiscal year balances and not procrastinate again by requesting future funding to fix this all-too-avoidable situation.

Peter C. Oleson

Kailua

Red Hill, the 8th wonder of the world

I am of the opinion that Red Hill is the 8th wonder of the world.

Red Hill served us well from World War II to the present. The time has come to decommission it. There are better, safer, newer ways for fuel storage. Clean and re-line the tanks and fill them with nonpotable water.

Make it an attraction. Allow the curious to marvel at the incredible feats of engineering that created these huge metal monoliths, hidden in plain sight inside a mountain.

It would be a fun learning experience for locals and visitors.

Pauline Arellano

Mililani

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