|
Kokua Line
June Watanabe
|
Old bus stop will be turned into parking
Question: I noticed that the 800 block of South King Street has had a bus stop removed, something that has happened in several parts of the city. What's the best way to discover if the vacant curb space can be turned into on-street metered parking again? Certainly, four more spaces could be created, and the parked cars won't disturb the residents of the cemetery there.
Answer: Metered parking spaces will be added to that area, said James Burke, chief of the city Department of Transportation Service's Public Transit Division.
A work order was sent to the Department of Facility Maintenance to allow the extra parking, he said last week.
Asked about other areas where bus stops have been removed, Burke said parking will be added "if there is space for a parking space and it's appropriate."
In many of the areas, such as along Kapiolani Boulevard, no parking is allowed in the first place, he said.
Q: Recently, I was standing in the TSA line, by Aloha Airlines, waiting like everyone else. I see a desk up front and an Aloha Airlines employee, who was checking the boarding passes of first-class passengers, is telling them they can go to the front of the line. He lets them into the TSA line by his desk. I question the worker, saying this is a federal line, not an Aloha Airlines line. He says, "I don't know, they just told me I had to come out here." Can you please check on this?
A: Strike this up as another perk of flying first class.
Aloha Airlines spokesman Stu Glauberman said all airlines "work closely" with the Transportation Safety Administration in "referring" passengers for screening.
He noted that "referring" is the term used in security directives.
"A federal security directive outlines several steps airlines must take before referring passengers to a security screening line," Glauberman said. "Working with TSA, airlines have made special arrangements to refer first-class passengers and other passengers to the front of the screening line."
Another example of this, he said, is when passengers are moved to the front of the line if their flight is about to depart.
"This is a common practice at most airports," he said.
Auwe
To the guy driving a truck with "mobile mechanic" on his tailgate. My minivan started to overheat while I was driving east on the H-1 freeway recently. I took the Nimitz Highway offramp and pulled over onto the left shoulder. I opened the hood and checked the coolant reservoir. It was empty. I tried to call my husband but discovered I had left my cell phone at home. So, now I'm lost and upset. Then a truck pulls up, a man gets out and asks if I needs help. I told him "no," because I know what the problem is, and asked if he had a cell phone so I could call my husband. He didn't say a word, turned around, got back in his truck and drove away. Shame on him for not helping a lady in distress! -- Marie A.
Got a question or complaint? Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered. E-mail to
kokualine@starbulletin.com.
See also: Useful phone numbers