Kokua Line
By June Watanabe
Tuesday, September 22, 1998
Kokua Line
About 4:30 p.m. Aug. 31, while crawling in traffic on Nimitz Highway, I observed a motorcycle intermittently going in the bike lane as traffic stopped or slowed down. Lately, more and more motorcycles are being driven in bike lanes and/or between lanes. I find these practices extremely dangerous and annoying. Is this legal? Motorcycles are not
allowed in bicycle lanesNo. State law (HRS Chapter 291C-123 of the Traffic Code) does not allow any vehicle other than a bicycle or a moped in a bike lane or bike path, except on a permanent or authorized temporary driveway, with certain exceptions (city bus or emergency vehicle; for emergencies, etc.).
Also, it is illegal for motorcycles to overtake or pass a vehicle in the same lane or to go between lanes of traffic (under Chapter 291C-153), said Honolulu police Capt. Mike Hama, of the Traffic Division.
The problem is that many people simply don't understand the traffic laws, he said. While it may be acceptable in other states for motorcycles to pass between cars, for example, it is not legal in Hawaii, he said.
HPD's community policing program "needs these kinds of calls," like yours, to help educate the public, Hama said.
A letter will be sent to the owner of the motorcycle whose license you provided. "It will be a warning, not a citation," Hama said, although he noted that police have issued citations for violations they have witnessed.
At the Arizona-UH football game, workers at one of the food concessions all had plastic gloves, which is good. But they also handled money with their gloves on, which is unsanitary. In this case, what's the sense of wearing gloves? Why not have someone handle only the cash? Does the Board of Health monitor this area?
The state Department of Health's sanitation branch does monitor the stadium concession stands. Inspectors make periodic checks, but mostly responds to specific complaints.
We discussed your concern with Kevin Haggerty, general manager of ARAMARK, which has had the concession rights at Aloha Stadium since 1985.
The stand you cite is one of four equipped with portable grills that are used by volunteers for non-profit groups, which sell food at the stadium as fund-raisers, Haggerty said.
In initial training sessions on sanitation and "alcohol awareness," the volunteers are told to wear gloves when working at the portable grills.
"I think what happened is that they all wore gloves, even the front-line cashiers," he said. "I don't think they (the cashiers) handled food." But he said he would check and make sure they all were aware of the sanitation guidelines.
It might interest you that ARAMARK has 64 stands, ranging from "big, permanent stands," to "portable pretzel-and-boiled-peanut stands around the concourse," to ice cream wagons, that are staffed by school and church groups, youth sports teams and the like.
"We've paid over $230,000 to charitable groups to sell the food and use the stands for fund-raising," Haggerty said. "It's a nice relationship, because it staffs the stadium on an intermittent basis. You'd have to do a lot of car washes to (match) the revenue."
To the woman who stopped to help when I had a tire blowout on the freeway at 9:30 p.m. Aug. 27 near the Kinau Street exit. She allowed me to use her cellular phone to call for help. -- Roy Mahalo
To Paul of Pacific Machinery, who helped my brother-in-law and me push our car to get it ready to be towed when we were stuck on the freeway on Aug. 26. -- Pat Hoffman Mahalo
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com
