Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Kokua Line
Starbulletin.com



Kokua Line

By June Watanabe

Tuesday, April 20, 1999


Traffic jam is not
legit vendors’ fault

Question: There is a traffic problem each Tuesday morning at the corner of California Avenue and Plum Street in Wahiawa. Shoppers for the open market and some vendors park their vehicles on both sides of Plum Street. Some vendors use the parking lot at the Chevron service station. The two-way street becomes a narrow one-way passage. What is the law or rule that governs where the vendors must set up to sell their goods? Who is monitoring this situation?

Answer: Call police if any street vendors are impeding traffic or causing problems, said city parks Director William Balfour.

Those vendors are not part of the city's People's Open Market program at Wahiawa District Park. POM vendors are required to operate within the park and are monitored by POM staff. But the staff is "not responsible nor do they have jurisdiction with vending activities on the streets or adjacent properties," Balfour said.

Asked why the street vendors don't join the program, Duke Moon, supervisor of the 22 open markets run by the city, said they can't because they sell items not allowed by the city, such as cut fish and frozen or mainland-grown produce. "We try to stay with local produce," Moon said.

POM workers call police whenever street vendors try to sell on park property or when they are seen violating city laws. The vendors leave only to return the next week, Moon noted.

Balfour said enforcement is a police matter that "we have no control over."

As to what law governs street vending, Balfour cited two sections of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu. Section 15-13.6, "Selling on Highway Restricted," says, "It is unlawful for any itinerant vendor, peddler or huckster to carry on or solicit business in one location on any street or on any public highway for a period of more than 15 minutes."

Once they move, it is unlawful for them "to take up another location to carry on or solicit business within 300 feet of such location or any location previously vacated within three hours."

Section 29-6.2, "Regulations Affecting Peddlers," says it is unlawful for any vendor to sell or rent on "streets, alleys, sidewalks, parks, beaches and other public places" unless they are licensed to do so under state regulations.

Q: I heard the Friends for Ewa are giving refunds if you bought a T-shirt for their house giveaway last year. How do we get a refund?

A: Call 681-3284. Generally, you have to have proof of purchase, such as a receipt, canceled check or credit card statement. Send that, plus the size and number of shirts ordered, to Friends for Ewa, P.O. Box 1356, Ewa 96701, or bring it to the office at 91-1235 Renton Road, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays.

People who paid $12 will get $8.70 back; those who paid $15, $9.95.

The partial refunds are being made under a settlement worked out by the state Office of Consumer Protection, after the nonprofit group's plan to raise money by selling T-shirts as raffle tickets for a house giveaway bombed.

Because ticket sales lagged, the Texas insurance company that underwrote the event ended up buying 18,000 shirts (compared with 3,600 by the community) and winning the house.

Mahalo

To the nice man who helped me up when I tripped over curbing outside the Kaiser Honolulu Clinic on March 18. I was so embarrassed I forgot to get his name and to thank him. -- Kaiser patient





Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com




E-mail to City Desk


Text Site Directory:
[News] [Business] [Features] [Sports] [Editorial] [Do It Electric!]
[Classified Ads] [Search] [Subscribe] [Info] [Letter to Editor]
[Stylebook] [Feedback]



© 1999 Honolulu Star-Bulletin
https://archives.starbulletin.com