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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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No-parking zones around fire hydrants vary by island
Question: How close can you legally park your vehicle from a fire hydrant in the state of Hawaii? I've heard 15 feet, 10 feet or 5 feet. I don't want to get a ticket for parking too close to one. Also, is there a city code that states you must leave a certain distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you when parallel parking on the street in unmarked spaces? Some cars park closer than 12 inches from my car's bumpers and it is very difficult for me to get out from my space.
Answer: On Oahu and Kauai, the county traffic codes require you to park at least 10 feet from a fire hydrant.
That's also the case on Maui, although you are allowed to park closer if you remain "in the driver's seat." On the Big Island, you're not supposed to park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant.
There is nothing in the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu specifying how close you can be to another vehicle when parallel-parked in an unmarked space, according to HPD. However, Section 15-13.3 does say: "Wherever parking stalls are so established, marked off and designated, the driver of any vehicle, excepting only single vehicles of a greater length or width, shall park such vehicle completely within a designated stall."
Q: My co-worker in a branch of the Department of Education is working nine- to 10-hour days and collecting "comp time." The problem is he has been abusing this privilege -- napping, leaving early, taking long lunches, etc. What bothers me the most is that I sometimes am asked to help finish the work. I am thinking of filing a complaint, but don't know who to contact and if I need any proof that my complaint is justified. Informing my supervisor would not help because my co-worker has done these things in front of him and nothing has changed. I enjoy working here, but fear that if I don't handle this properly there may be retaliation by my co-worker and/or supervisor.
A: Unfortunately, even though you express reluctance to do so, the advice from the Department of Education is to speak to your supervisor.
Without knowing the details of the situation, the best course is to discuss the matter first "with the individuals involved," said department spokesman Greg Knudsen.
If you don't feel you can talk to your co-worker, you should speak to your supervisor, he said.
"We really would encourage any differences to be worked out at that level -- between employees and the supervisor," he said.
If that goes nowhere, he said the next step would be a more formal route to contact your supervisor's supervisor, Knudsen said.
For example, if you were in a school setting, "we would say to work something with the teacher, then the principal, then the complex area superintendent."
Knudsen said he's not aware of any procedure in which you would take your grievance to someone outside the Department of Education to settle.
"I would just emphasize that ... there should be an effort to resolve situations like (this) between the individuals" first, he said.
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