Question: I thought we were supposed to get red-light cams. Where are they? We need them!
Answer: The bill that passed the Legislature last session and was signed into law by Gov. David Ige required the state Department of Transportation to organize a committee to make policy recommendations for a pilot program using traffic cameras to spot violations. It didn’t mandate immediate installation of such an automated system, which photographs cars as they run red lights and mails traffic tickets to the registered owners.
The committee was formed and has made its recommendations, which include hiring an outside company to run a pilot program, despite Senate Bill 663’s admonition that “the enforcement and maintenance of the programs shall not be contracted out to a third-party vendor.” (Lawmakers want to avoid the debacle of Oahu’s short-lived “van cams,” which were scrapped in 2002 amid public perception that the anti-speeding effort “was operated to maximize revenue for the vendor running the program rather than to improve traffic safety,” according to the measure, 808ne.ws/bill663.)
The committee found that photo enforcement systems and software are proprietary and require a high degree of skill and training to install and maintain, concluding that “requiring the state or counties to hire a highly trained technical staff is not feasible.”
Any vendor should be paid a flat monthly fee, regardless of the number of citations issued, the committee said in its report, which was submitted to the Legislature on Dec. 30.
It recommended that a three-year pilot program begin on Oahu, after enabling laws are approved and after a period of public education.
The 16-page report, which you can read at 808ne.ws/redrec, includes cost estimates and enforcement recommendations, including that citations issued by a photo enforcement system be treated as nonmoving violations and not appear on the registered owner’s traffic abstract.
Q: Last year or so there was a story about a book of poetry by local high school students that was supposed to be available for sale. “Voices” or something like that. I could never find it. Where is it available for sale?
A: You seem to be referring to “Voice: Poetry by the Youth of Kalihi,” which features the work of Farrington High School students and was self-published in April.
We found the anthology for sale on Amazon.com, in Kindle and paperback versions, for $5 each.
The collection features poetry by long-term English language learners (ELLs), newcomers and students who are part of a generation of immigrants, according to the online description. It says that “the voice of culturally and linguistically diverse students is often unheard. This voice, anchored in their experiences as children of immigrant families in one of the toughest neighborhoods on Oahu, highlights what it means to be adolescent in today’s Hawaii.”
Mahalo
While undergoing chemotherapy at the Pali Momi cancer treatment/infusion center, I was given a bag and was told by my nurse that an organization had donated some items to make my chemotherapy more comfortable. When I asked my nurse which organization had donated the goods, she didn’t know. Once I got home, with my chemo pump in tow, I opened the bag and discovered that a future Eagle Scout, as a project, had decided to hand out care kits to cancer patients, as his own aunt was undergoing chemo treatments. To Jared Yamabayashi, I would like to thank you and commend you for your action. I hope that you achieve a huge merit badge, because you rock! Young people like Jared show that there is a bright future! — Michael B.
ACT13119 Red Light Running Report by Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Scribd
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