Kokua Line
There was some kind of pass on the dash. I could read the words, "Department of Transportation," but not the name or a number. I think it was a disabled parking pass. From the license number I provided, can you find out if this was another case of abuse of the parking pass for the disabled? It didn't look like a government vehicle. I didn't think commercial vehicles were allowed to use those disabled passes. It doesn't seem fair to people who are genuinely disabled. I think the police should be giving tickets.
ANSWER: With license-plate numbers only, Kokua Line was not able to identify the vehicle's owner or whether the owner has a disabled parking pass. The number that is needed for verification is the one on the parking pass.
It's possible that the van was parked legally. It's also possible that the van was parked illegally but no officers passed by to give a ticket.
Let's assume the pass you saw was for a disabled person. The van owner and driver could be a disabled person using the pass while at work at a private business or at a government job and need not feed the parking meter. Under current city practice, such a person would get in trouble only if he or she left the vehicle in the same spot on the street for more than 24 hours, or during any tow-away hours for that location, according to workers in the city's Department of Transportation Services.
A disabled person could be getting all-day free parking in a metered stall on a public street.
State law calls for much less free parking for a disabled person with a disabled parking pass. State law calls for free parking only up to 2 1/2 hours or the maximum time allowed on a specific parking meter. Because of the city/state difference, the state Department of Transportation has asked for an opinion from the state attorney general.
Other items in today's Kokua Line:
- Bone marrow donor guidelines
- Mahalos