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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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Last vestiges of rumble strips to come down
Question: The rumble strips on Pali Highway were taken away a long time ago, but the ugly signs are still up. There is so much visual pollution in our lovely state already. When are the signs going to be removed?
Answer: Soon.
But apparently it's not just a matter of going out there and dismantling the signs.
According to the state Department of Transportation, highways staff will first survey the areas where the signs are posted, then a work order will be issued to take the signs down.
No timeline was given.
In response to several pedestrian fatalities on the Pali Highway, the DOT spent nearly $398,000 to improve safety in the Nuuanu area, including installing rumble strips, speed signs and pedestrian warning signs, and restriping crosswalks.
The rumble strips, in the Kailua-bound Pali lanes near Wyllie Street, and town-bound lanes near Waokanaka Street, were installed in May 2003, modified a few weeks later, then removed entirely in October of that year.
The strips apparently did do what they were meant to do -- slow down motorists -- but nearby residents complained they caused too much of a rumble, while motorists complained they were too jarring.
Q: Can you let your readers know about the "Freecycling" grassroots recycling program, where you post something to give away on the Web site, www.freecycle.org? It's running in more than 3,000 cities, but in Honolulu, there aren't that many subscribers, which means there is plenty of good stuff going to the transfer stations and landfill.
A: Freecycling sounds like a win-win-win proposition all around -- for the donor, the recipient and the landfill.
On Oahu, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FreecycleHonolulu/ to get in on the action.
The Star-Bulletin wrote about the then-fledgling online recycling network in July 2004 -- https://archives.starbulletin.com/2004/07/02/features/story6.html -- when there were only 125 members and 48 postings. Since then, the Oahu network has grown to 1,332 members, with more than 3,537 messages posted.
The Honolulu network, which was founded on Oct. 26, 2003, operates through a Yahoo! Groups e-mail list. There also are networks on the neighbor islands -- check http://www.freecycle.org/display.php?region=US%20Pacific.
"To participate, you just need to have something you want to get rid of," explained Madhu Lundquist, who started the Honolulu site.
After signing up, it's just a matter of posting an offer. The only rule is that every item posted must be free and legal, Lundquist said.
"If you are in need of, or want something, you can post a 'Wanted' post," he said. "However, I prefer that people post an offer before they ask for something."
Lundquist says activity is fairly constant year-round. Recent items offered included a car seat, dresser, computer and dumbbells. Recent items sought: wheelchair tires, empty detergent buckets and a laptop.
See the
Columnists section for some past articles.
Got a question or complaint? Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered. E-mail to
kokualine@starbulletin.com