Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Thursday, May 12, 2011
Honolulu Cellphone Ban: You can Walk the walk, but don’t talk the talk
By Grassroot Institute @ 8:19 PM :: 7017 Views :: Maui County, Education K-12

Question: Is it still legal to walk and chew gum at the same time? If so, why can’t our elected officials do it?

  *   *   *   *   *

Cell Phones Illegal?

by Frances Nuar Grassroot Institute

Ann Kobayashi has got to be kidding us. But April Fool's Day was last month, so I'm afraid she's serious about her bill to ban using a cell phone while crossing a street . <<<Insert shock/horror/outrage here>>>.

The actual text of the bill in question states:

A person shall not use a mobile electronic device while crossing a street or highway.

Consider the implications of such a bill becoming law.

Scenario one: You're determined to make that New Year's resolution to get in shape a reality. You are running through Chinatown and at every corner you must stop, take out your headphones, shut your phone off, cross the street, turn it back on, and continue. Laughable, to say the least. Or you could just walk a few blocks to the bar... so much for that resolution.

Scenario two: You are meeting up with a friend in Waikiki for dinner. You’re not sure where the restaurant is exactly, so you call for directions as you are walking in the general vicinity. You’re on hold for a few minutes, and just as the hostess gets on the line to instruct you, you step into the street and must hang up on her. No dinner for you!

Scenario three: You like to talk on your phone. You talk on your phone while walking, killing two birds with one stone: catching up with friends and family and getting some exercise. Time to call mom and tell her your weekly phone calls are on hold until the City Council finds something more important to do than ban cell phone usage.

What next? Designating “cell-phone usage areas” like smoking areas, regulated to those few places the City Council deems safe?

Honolulu City Council has got to have more important things to focus on than regulating and restricting yet another aspect of our lives. Infrastructure anyone? Or maybe Ann is thinking that because the roads are so terrible, shutting off one’s cell phone while crossing the road will allow one to focus on more important things–like dodging the potholes.

 

---30---

Frances Nuar is a Policy Analyst at the Grassroot Institute.

RELATED:

Atomic Monkey: City Council To Ban All Dangerous Habits

Nanny City: Bill would outlaw holding iPads and cellphones while crossing city streets

Bill 43 amends the city's ban on holding mobile electronic devices while driving, a law passed in 2009, and extends it to pedestrians crossing streets.

The Council cleared the measure on first reading yesterday but it still must go through additional committee and Council readings before passage.

Yesterday's Council meeting drew testimony from just three people, including Makiki resident Bob Keating, who opposed the bill.

"I totally agree with not using the telephone while driving — texting and all that — but walking across a crosswalk using a phone?" Keating said. "Why are you trying to control our lives?”

"Everything we do, we're not doing it right and you guys just want to change everything."

read more

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT