Russell Gust is right (“Bicyclists Opens in a new tab should be paying fair Opens in a new tabshare Opens in a new tab,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Dec. 12). Cyclists should pay their “fair share” of the road taxes.
The point of the tax is to help pay for repaving, restriping and other wear and tear associated with the traffic the roadway has to bear. Exactly what percentage of the taxes should bicycles pay? They weigh a fraction of their four-wheeled counterparts (and don’t pollute the air like most of them, either).
How long would it take weekly bike traffic on the King Street bike lane to wear pavement down to the point where it would need restriping or repaving, taking into consideration wear caused by vehicle traffic crossing the lane while entering and exiting driveways, side streets and the like?
Tracey Scott
Wahiawa
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Only city dwellers will use bike lanes
Bike lanes will be used for transportation within the city, and only if you live in the city (“McCully Opens in a new tab Street bike lanes to eliminate up to 30 parking Opens in a new tabspots Opens in a new tab,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 2).
Most people have to travel from Leeward, Windward and East Honolulu. How about improving conditions to get into the city before taking up more road space for bicyclists?
I do not see very many people using the bike lanes. It is a waste of money and space that could be used for other things, like repaving Waikalua Road in Kaneohe.
You should check out the condition of this road. It has been 30-plus years, with only filled potholes that make the road bumpier.
Dennis Sanada
Kaneohe
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HMSA’s plan may drive away doctors
You present an overly rosy account of the Hawaii Medical Service Association’s change of payments to doctors from fee-for-service to capitation (“HMSA Opens in a new tab to phase in system Opens in a new taboverhaul Opens in a new tab,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 11).
Hawaii lacks primary care doctors. HMSA and soon Medicare will pay less to these hardworking family practitioners, internists and gerontologists.
You cannot attract more scarce medical professionals by paying them a set fee, regardless of need for time spent and tests ordered per patient.
Our gerontologist-internist is quitting and taking a job with a major medical HMO, in order to continue to practice quality medicine and have time for family life.
The way to attract good primary-care doctors is to subsidize their electronic record-keeping burdens and not subject them to denial of payment for referrals to specialists and necessary tests.
These are people who train for a decade and pass the most stringent exams. Once they qualify, accept their medical opinion, please.
Do not shunt patients to telephone and electronic “appointments.”
I speak as the wife and mother of doctors and the wife of a chronically and critically ill patient.
Jean E. Rosenfeld
Nuuanu
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Trump should bring call centers back
In order to make America great again, lower costs, reduce wasted time, reduce psychotherapy bills, and bring us together as a nation, I suggest that President Donald Trump bring the call centers back to the U.S.
Stephen Foster Williams
Waimanalo
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‘Concoct’ describes rail transit planning
Thank you for your most appropriate headline regarding our rail-fail situation: “Feds Opens in a new tab give city more time to concoct rail Opens in a new tabplan Opens in a new tab” (Star-Advertiser, Dec. 8).
Synonyms for concoct include: make up, dream up, fabricate, invent, trump up.
Indeed, there is no rail plan.
Rail is a huge concoction perpetuated by local mini-minded political aspirations and greed — a seriously flawed, intentionally misleading project from the beginning.
We are allowing major moral and fiscal failures to continue. The city continues to mishandle the project. The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation clearly is irresponsible, a revolving door with no clear understanding of the facts and figures. Every month, just add another billion.
We have no money for completion, let alone for maintenance.
Rethink the already built portion and use it for transportation other than a train.
Watch out, Thomas Square: You’re next.
Mary J. Culvyhouse
Kaneohe
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Let special interests pay for rail project
Sunday’s editorial said in part that “everyone who benefits from the rail project … pay part of its cost” (“City, Opens in a new tab state need to ensure rail goes the Opens in a new tabdistance Opens in a new tab,” Star-Advertiser, Our View, Dec. 11).
There are tens of thousands of us who will never ride the rail or even see it in operation.
Let the true beneficiaries bear the cost for a project that never reflected Mufi Hannemann’s statement: “Do we need it? Can we afford it? Can we maintain it?”
Let the politicians who rammed this project down our throats pay for it with the cash donations they sold their souls for, as well as the developers, contractors, unions and overpaid project staff who are taking their ill-gotten gains to the bank.
Honolulu will sadly be mocked as Murphy’s Law is played out at the municipal level by incompetent people.
Hang on to your wallets, folks.
Steve Vidinha
Kaneohe
Random Acts of Kindness
In the spirit of this holiday season, readers are invited to write in about random acts of kindness — something that is so unexpected but special and touching that it should be shared with our community.
Send a 150-word letter, or a commentary at 500-600 words, to letters@staradvertiser.com by Dec. 21. A collection of them will run on Christmas Day.
