Hawaii lands role in WMD detection

The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the Asia-Pacific region is not the typical topic of conversation for tourists relaxing over mai tais after a day of Honolulu sight-seeing.

But the threat is real, and reducing this risk is the focus of a group of visitors arriving in Hono-lulu next week. The participants are from 18 countries that are included in Fortune Guard 2014, the first in a series of annual military-training exercises intended to keep WMD components from falling into the wrong hands.

This new security initiative is being hosted by the Pacific Command, another signal of the U.S. military’s Asia pivot.

Bike arrows won’t guarantee safety

Getting people to share is never an easy proposition. Just ask any parent of young children.

That, in fact, is what’s behind the appearance of "sharrows," the emblems combining arrows with images of bicycles, on more Honolulu streets. The underlying purpose is to remind people that the road surface is being shared by cars and two-wheelers alike.

It’s not what many cyclists had hoped to see on busy and newly resurfaced Waialae Avenue: a dedicated bike lane. The need to retain curbside parking complicated that notion.

The danger here is that some cyclists may get the wrong idea, that they are suddenly safer on the road. That won’t be so for quite a while — motorists and cyclists need time to improve on their current, uneasy coexistence.

For now, the warning to both groups: Be careful out there, people.