Kokua Line
Kokua Line
I saw an older model van with Kingdom of Hawaii license plates, with the word "exempt" on it. The safety sticker had long expired. Why is this vehicle allowed to be on the road? Besides questions about safety, what about insurance and registration fees? ‘Kingdom of Hawaii’
not immune to ticketsPersons with such license plates insist they are not U.S. citizens, but citizens of the Kingdom of Hawaii, and therefore not required to have a state drivers license or license plate.
However, police do stop vehicles with such "sovereignty" plates when they see them and do issue citations, said Sgt. Clyde Yamashiro, of the Honolulu Police Department's Traffic Division.
As long as the vehicles are driving on city or state roads, state law requires them to have valid motor vehicle registrations, license plates and safety stickers.
If an officer stops a vehicle with sovereignty plates, "then they will investigate further" -- checking to see if the driver has a valid drivers license, vehicle registration and insurance, Yamashiro said.
Sometimes, a driver simply substitutes a sovereignty plate for a regular plate -- the vehicle is legally registered, he said.
In that case, police will cite the driver for not displaying a state plate. "And, if they don't have a State of Hawaii drivers license, they'll be cited accordingly," Yamashiro said.
Once a driver is cited, the matter is in the hands of the Judiciary, where it is handled by the Traffic Violations Bureau as a regular traffic violation.
Neither the police nor Traffic Violations Bureau keeps tabs on the number of such citations issued, Yamashiro said. But from what police can tell, "there aren't that many," he said.
Auwe to the people who made the "zipper" lane. I recently encountered the lane for the first time, driving westbound from Moanalua Road to the H-1 freeway, crossing over two lanes, about 5:45 a.m. I almost rammed into the zipper lane. Why don't they put reflectors on it or paint the bottom?
There is a yellow reflective strip on the bottom seven inches of the ZipLane barrier "so it's visible to people driving past," said Department of Transportation spokeswoman Marilyn Kali.
The "ZipMobile" leaves the "ZipHale," where it's stored, about 3:30 a.m. weekdays. It takes 1-1/2-2 hours to set up the "zipper" barrier, so it should be in place between 5 and 5:30 a.m., Kali said. Workers begin "zipping it up" at 7:30 a.m., completing the task between 9:30 and 10 a.m., she said.
We will visit the islands this year in June. What happens to the Aloha Flea Market during the 50th State Fair? They are both held at Aloha Stadium. The events are held simultaneously, according to an Aloha Stadium spokesman. The fair is staged in the lower-level parking area, and the flea market, as usual, in the upper-level lot.
The spokesman warned, however, that parking may be more difficult to come by during the days of the flea market.
Mahalo
To Lily Kahoano of the American Red Cross, Hawaii Chapter. I wanted to nominate an uncle for a special recognition award sponsored by the Red Cross. I called the office, and Lily said she would bring the nomination paper to my home on St. Louis Heights, since the deadline was in a day or two. My uncle was not chosen, but at least I had the opportunity to nominate him for his caring deeds.
-- Elizabeth Joyce Chong
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
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