Ticketed for going too slow?
After reading in West Hawaii Today over the last several days on the pros and cons of speeding on the Big Island, an incident happened yesterday that made me give my head a shake.
Returning from Costco to town, I was driving on that new stretch of highway that has a posted speed of 35 mph. I was following a pickup at about 32 miles per hour. I had no problem with the speed he was going as were the other vehicles behind me.
Out of the blue a police car with all his lights blazing cut in front of me and pulled in behind the pickup, stopping him, leaped out of his car and waved the rest of us on.
While wondering why he was pulled over, the driver of the pickup pulled up along side of me a few stop signs later.
His window was rolled down and I asked him why he was stopped. He told me “for going too slow — can you believe it?” I guess that’s another reason to justify your job if it wasn’t so laughable.
Bill Carlson
Edmonton, Alberta
Speed limits are there for a good reason
I am responding to “Speed trap at airport hurts tourism” by Frank Schenk of Kona that ran Jan. 4 in West Hawaii Today.
The speed limits at Kona International Airport are there for a reason: They meet the safety conditions for hundreds of people, including airport employees and, yes, visitors to our island who walk across the streets daily from the parking lots to the main terminals. That is the reason for the speed bumps you see just before each crosswalk. If you spent more time at the airport you would realize that speed bumps are not enough. There have been too many close calls where speeding drivers have almost run down pedestrians in the crosswalk.
The officer you see parked “in plain view” is for that very reason. (Didn’t you slow down?) Could you imagine what memories our visitors would have of Hawaii if they were involved in such a tragic accident? I don’t think all the aloha spirit they received while here could make that any better.
As far as education, you take a driver’s test and are expected to obey the laws. That includes posted speed limits. If you find yourself speeding to avoid being late then you should be more responsible by leaving earlier. Airport police conduct traffic enforcement with everyone’s safety in mind, including you.
Louie Omerod
Kona