Kokua Line June Watanabe

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No-parking signs were not authorized by the city

Question: I work in the Mapunapuna area and noticed GPRS roadway construction sign/barriers at the corner of Paa and Mapunapuna streets extending for about 70 feet on Paa Street. The signs say "No Parking Beginning 10/07/2007 7:00 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. City and County of Honolulu." The area is notoriously bad for parking, and this compounds the situation. What is going on and how long will this last?

Answer: It's a good thing you asked. It turns out that the no-parking signs were not authorized by the city.

The city Department of Transportation Services did not issue any permit to ban parking in the Mapunapuna/ Paa area and were not aware of the illegal parking restriction, Bill Brennan, spokesman for the city administration, told us Friday.

The signs were removed that morning by GP Roadway Solutions, which provided the signs at some unknown person's request. "GP is checking on who ordered the signs," Brennan said.

In the meantime, the company was being advised "to check all its signs and remove all notices that don't have a document certifying usage," he said.

Q: My brother-in-law recently purchased a used car from an auto sales company. When he took the car for window tinting, the mechanic asked if he was aware the car had been in an accident. He might not have bought the car had he known of its history. Is there a disclosure law in Hawaii that mandates that sort of accident information be shared with the buyer?

A: There is no law that requires dealers to research the accident history of a used vehicle or disclose to a prospective buyer every accident that a used vehicle was involved in, said Jo Ann Uchida, chief complaints office, state Regulated Industries Complaints Office.

However, dealers have a "general obligation to not misrepresent the terms and conditions of a sale or make untruthful statements," she said. "In other words, if a buyer asks about prior accidents, the dealer's responses must be truthful."

A dealer also has to provide a written disclosure of any material mechanical defects it knows about at the time of sale, as well as disclose whether any inspections have been made to identify defects, if the vehicle in question meets certain conditions, Uchida said.

The written disclosure is required if the used vehicle is sold for more than $1,500, had 12,000 to 75,000 miles at the time of sale, is less than five years old, is not custom-built or modified for show purposes or racing, or is inoperable and a total loss.

Uchida said that used vehicles may be sold "as is" under certain conditions, including "conspicuous disclosure on the sales contract" and written acknowledgment from the buyer.

Given all that, buyers also must take some responsibility. The Regulated Industries Complaints Office encourages buyers to have a used car checked by a mechanic prior to purchase.

If you have other questions, call RICO at 587-3222.