Does the state plan to raise the drivers license age? You still need be just
15 to get a drivers licenseThere is no plan to raise the age.
Senate Bill 3180, S.D.1, which proposed a graduated drivers license process, passed the Transportation Committee and was sent to the Judiciary Committee.
The idea was to let teen drivers work their way up to a full-blown license at 17, beginning with a restricted permit at 15 and an intermediate license at 15-1/2.
But the bill has been shelved.
A more general bill dealing with young drivers was passed last year as a compromise to neighbor isle lawmakers, said Senate Judiciary Co-Chairman Matt Matsunaga.
"This session, the neighbor islanders would prefer to give last year's bill a chance to work, so we are not intending to move anything out on that this session."
Act 104 was amended last year by adding: "The examiner of drivers shall not examine any applicant for a drivers license who is 15 through 17 years of age unless the applicant holds a valid instruction permit . . . for a period of no fewer than 90 days." A licensed driver 18 or older has to be in the car when the permit-holder is driving.
Auwe to whoever is responsible for maintaining beach access areas. The public path on Kahala Avenue, opposite Elepaio Street, is in deplorable condition. There is discarded brush on ground, next to two barrels of trash near the entrance, and three overflowing barrels near the water. There are flies all over. Are other beach access areas this deplorable? That situation should have been cleared up a while ago.
The maintenance supervisor was not aware that trash was not being picked up regularly, said Parks Department spokeswoman Patti Nagao.
The department has a contractor who is supposed to pick up trash twice a week at that and six other locations.
The supervisor "will monitor the situation to see that this does not happen again," Nagao said.
I reported a water leak at Magic Island, along the path next to Ala Wai Harbor, to the Board of Water Supply a month ago. I've seen no results. This is Detect A Leak Week. Can you help? We checked the area but didn't see any noticeable leak.
Someone should have followed up, said BWS spokeswoman Denise DeCosta. In this case, someone would have contacted the city parks department, which oversees Magic Island.
It's good to leave a contact number in case more information is needed. Call 527-6126.
To Camp Smith from your civilian neighbors. You are sitting on a ridge and your noise echoes all the way to Aiea Heights and back. There's trash pickup at 7 a.m., four days a week; the annoying horn from the lunch wagon; the late-night throwing around of large empty metal objects; and mowing the lawn at 6 a.m. You seemed to have stopped the 4 a.m. street cleaning on Halawa Heights Road. Have the Lords of Noise-Making Activities consider what time of day they would like that activity in their living rooms. I suggest the answer is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Auwe
("We take all complaints seriously," said Chuck Little, spokesman for Marine Corps Base Hawaii. He passed your concerns on to the appropriate overseers. Some things, like street cleaning, are out of Camp Smith's hands, he said.
(Next time, call 257-5744, Monday-Friday, or 257-1844, after hours, weekends and holidays. That way, you can be kept abreast of what's being done, Little said.
(FYI: Camp Smith itself belongs to Marine Corps Base Hawaii, while most employees there fall under either CINCPAC -- Commander in Chief, Pacific Command -- or Marine Forces Pacific.)
