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UH tries to accommodate
Orvis concert parking needs

Question: Can you help in resolving the traffic and parking nightmares at the University of Hawaii-Manoa? On Nov. 23, there was a basketball game at the Stan Sheriff Center and a concert at Orvis Auditorium. Both started at 7 p.m. and ended about 9 p.m. Concert-goers can usually park in Zone 17 or in the lot on the Ewa side of the law school. By 6:30 p.m., the Orvis lot was full. There was plenty of parking in the law school lot, but those spaces were coned off. The security person said they were reserved for police. When the concert was over, the cones were gone and the lot was almost empty. Who actually parked there? Also, why can't the top floor of the parking structure be opened for ingress and egress by Orvis users? The lower floors could be used for those going to the athletic complex. Of the dozen security folks on duty that night that I saw, only four were actually trying to move traffic. If UH security can't or won't do the job, can off-duty HPD officers be paid to actually direct traffic on busy nights? I have tickets for four more concerts at Orvis. Are we going to have to go through this every time there is another event there?

Answer: On the night you mentioned, parking officials were not aware that there would be two events taking place on the lower campus.

The concert was not posted on the Music Department Calendar of Events, and the parking department was not notified that special parking arrangements were needed that evening, said Jim Manke, spokesman for the UH-Manoa.

Although parking is usually on a first-come, first-served basis, parking officials try to accommodate Orvis events by reserving the Music Building parking area for Orvis patrons.

Manke said officials will try to find out about the other four concerts you mentioned "so accommodations can be facilitated."

He said parking officials try their best to accommodate all events scheduled "even if they are conflicting with each other."

Meanwhile, he said the parking in the law school lot was reserved for special duty officers from the Honolulu Police Department, who direct traffic at key intersections around the campus when there are major events like the basketball game.

A few officers work before an event, but the majority do so afterward. The lot was almost empty when you came out because most officers had already relocated to be nearer their posts, such as by KHET or Old Waialae Road.

Meanwhile, Manke said that the ramp connecting the law school lot to the parking structure was not designed nor built for two-way traffic.

The gate is opened before an event to allow students and employees to exit from the top, he said. To expedite traffic flow before an event, vehicles going into the structure are counterflowed to use both available lanes.

Without the exit at the top, students and employees would find it difficult to exit during this time, he said.

After an event, the top ramp serves as a major exit route, Manke said.

Landlord-Tenant Code

Clarice Johnson, president of Johnson Property Management Inc., says the information given in the Nov. 17 Kokua Line was "misleading," because it did not quote all of the provisions in the Landlord-Tenant Code pertaining to a question about what rights tenants have when a landlord refuses to make repairs.

Johnson, who says she has been managing property in Hawaii for 25 years, said the problem addressed is prevalent here, mainly by people managing their own property, but by some property managers as well.

For example, she said, the code requires a landlord to begin repairs within three, five or 12 days, depending on the problem, but, "This does not mean the problem has to be resolved in that period of time."

She suggest people get a complete copy of the code to fully understand the law.

"It has been my experience that when tenants or landlords only look at a small portion of the code, there will be problems that could have been avoided," she said.

Johnson has put together in booklet form the complete code, available through the Honolulu Board of Realtors for $15.95 plus tax (call 732-3000) or through her (834-4411).

You also can download a copy for free by going to the state Office of Consumer Protection's Web site: www.hawaii.gov/dcca/ocp/landlord.html.

OCP offers a summary of the code that "hits the key points," according to an official, for $2, at the cashier's office on the third floor of the King Kalakaua Building (the old federal building).

A Biker's View

Regarding the Dec. 2 Kokua Line about riding bicycles on the sidewalk in Moiliili: A hazard exists for bicyclists as well as pedestrians in that and many, many other Honolulu, areas. There is an especially hazardous choke point at the intersection of University and King that necessitates bicyclists taking to the sidewalk to avoid being hit by motorists. As bicyclists riding east on King pass through the intersection, the right lane narrows at the makai/Koko Head corner, forcing riders to either merge with traffic (extremely dangerous), ride with traffic (with high likelihood of being sideswiped by passing cars), or ride on the sidewalk until it is safe to merge with traffic. Bicyclists don't want to have to ride on sidewalks, but occasionally, it is the only safe choice. King and Beretania streets are the major routes bicyclists use to commute across Honolulu. Maybe the city should consider widening that area of the road to accommodate bicyclists. -- Vern Hinkley

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