‘Car culture’
As you know, our newspapers form public priorities. I feel strongly that when we honor “achievements,” such as Jacqueline De Luz of the local Toyota dealership (Tribune-Herald, Oct. 24), we elevate that person and the automobile business to an important position in our community.
At a time when vehicular impact is changing our climate with carbon emissions, clogging streets worldwide with noise and exhaust fumes, and causing a massive number of horrid injuries and deaths, we ought not to venerate or celebrate the “car culture.”
In some U.S. cities, parking lots cover more than a third of the land area, becoming the single most salient landscape feature of our built environment. Parking lots render the Earth dead.
How about your newspaper publicizing the achievements of environmental organizations, bicycle manufactures, landscaping companies, and alternative health and well-being organizations? Where are your progressive, health-oriented priorities?
How about forming positive public opinions about those individuals and organizations that truly gift our Hawaii County with inspiring health/exercise lifestyles?
Sitting behind the wheel of a car is (1) lazy, (2) unhealthy and (3) stress-producing. Fund an efficient public transport system. Encourage people to not let fast food franchises hijack our taste buds and send us down the road to sluggishness, obesity and joint deterioration.
Gary Harrold
Hilo
$30M sidewalk?!
I just read about a $20 million grant from the federal government to build a $30 million sidewalk on Oahu, to connect The Howard Hughes Corp.’s Ward Village with Kewalo Basin.
Makes me wonder how important that is compared to infrastructure repairs needed in East Hawaii after the recent lava flows. I know Oahu has always been more important to the state as far as building projects go, but c’mon! A $30 million sidewalk?
Is there any way to convince Gov. David Ige to issue an emergency declaration proclamation, move money and get some attention to the blight in East Hawaii?
Seems like the state Department of Transportation treats the Big Island like an unwanted foster child most of the time when it comes to public transportation and infrastructure.
Is Hawaii Island in need of a DNA test to prove it’s part of the state?
Timothy R. Estabrook
Lake Waukomis, Mo.