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Even inactive cell
phones will call 911

Question: Is it possible to get a cell phone that calls 911 only? I asked in stores, but they say I have to buy a phone and the service. I have read that old cell phones will dial 911 only. I want to carry one with me for emergencies. I was accosted at a bus stop a while back, and I had to go two blocks to find a pay phone and the criminal had fled already.

Answer: You just need to purchase or somehow get a cell phone, new or used.

The Federal Communication Commission's Basic 911 rules "require wireless carriers to transmit all 911 calls to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), regardless of whether the caller subscribes to the carrier's service."

According to the nonprofit consumers advocacy group Wireless Consumer Alliance, such emergency calls are required even if the phone has never been registered with any carrier.

You don't need to pay any monthly fee to make a 911 call, but you need to make sure the phone is in operating condition and that the battery is kept charged.

Q: Whose bright idea is it not to activate the traffic lights that are fronting Kapolei High School and Kapolei Middle School? The traffic lights are up and not turned on -- it is a fatality waiting to happen. Kapolei High School has two security guards who help control traffic, but it's still a dangerous situation. Kapolei Middle School, which has more vehicle traffic due to the surrounding houses, has no supervision for students trying to cross a four-way intersection with six lanes of traffic. Before a child ends up getting hurt, what will it take to activate the traffic lights?

A: The lights fronting the high school were to be turned on this week.

However, the contractor is still working on traffic lights near Kapolei Middle School and Kapolei Elementary School, said Ty Fukumitsu, a traffic engineer with the city Department of Transportation Services, on Monday.

Once construction is completed on the new signals at the three remaining intersections in the area, DTS will "flash" the lights for about three days to give motorists ample time to get used to them before finally turning them on, Fukumitsu said.

There was no set date for activation of those lights because it depends on when the contractor finishes its work, he said.

Although DTS is responsible for hooking up and maintaining the lights, the city did not pay for the $1.5 million project.

The state's Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii owns and maintains the roads in the area until they are turned over to the city.

The housing agency approved plans to install the lights near the schools in August 2002 and paid for its installation.

Mahalo

To Danny Okimura and 15 to 20 other members of Kaimuki Christian Church who came to my house on three Saturdays and painted the exterior, changed the screen, fixed the doors and cleaned my yard. I want to thank them very much for their hard work. -- Yoshi

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