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Kokua Line
Question: Are buses supposed to pull over or are they allowed to stop traffic at every stop by blocking the street? About 3:10 p.m. Feb. 9, I and about 10 other vehicles were behind bus No. 626 on the street that runs by Aikahi Park Shopping Center. We all made several stops. Admittedly, a couple of these stops did not have enough room for the bus to pull completely over, but at least two stops did. At a couple of stops, several cars crossed into the lane for the opposite traffic and passed. If the bus were to pull over where there is clearly room, I think there would be less of that. Bus drivers pull off
when possibleAnswer: In the best of situations, the bus should be angled so that the front door is six to 12 inches from the curb, said J. Roger Morton, senior vice president and director of operations for Oahu Transit Services, which operates the city's bus system.
But frequently, bus stop zones are blocked and drivers cannot position the front door within 12 inches, he said.
In such cases, drivers are not supposed to position the bus closer than three feet from the curb.
"This is to prevent falls that might occur if the bus was, for example, 18 inches to 24 inches from the curb, causing people to stretch their step," Morton said.
Occasionally, vehicles will park illegally in a bus zone. Also, Morton noted, on many of the city's main streets, bus stops are located in the right travel lane.
Given all that, if you observe a bus driver not pulling into a stop zone in the proper way when conditions allow, Morton said to call TheBus Customer Service Office, 848-4500, with the bus number, route, time of day, date and direction.
"We'll send a driver instructor or supervisor to monitor and/or reinstruct the driver as to the proper maneuver," he said.
Q: Whatever happened to the open/farmer's markets at the corner of 9th and Waialae avenues in Kaimuki and the one in the Manoa Marketplace?
A: Your timing is perfect.
Zane's Farmer's Market is set to reopen Monday, after being shut down since Christmas Eve for remodeling, said Ken Kamiya, of Ken's Produce, one of the vendors.
That operation began Sept. 9. Hours of operation will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday-Saturday, Kamiya said.
In Manoa, "We changed the schedule" on Feb. 7, said Art Frechette, manager of the Manoa Marketplace Farmers Market.
Vendors now sell their produce, flowers and other wares Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., he said. Previously, it operated Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Mahalo
To Star Market employees in Moiliili. One day, my husband and I were in the market and couldn't find an item. The man next to us asked what we were looking for and was so helpful. Only later did we find out Mr. Bole was the manager. He went out of the way to track down the item at other branches and called me at home. On another day, my husband was trying to get a shopping cart. But because his eyesight isn't too good, he was using a nickel instead of a quarter. Allan, the security guard, came over and offered us a quarter. On top of that, as I was getting out of the car another day, a woman asked if I was allergic to pua kenikeni. I said I wasn't so she gave me a pua kenikeni lei. It smelled so nice! It's a real pleasure going to Moiliili Star and management should be aware of their workers' efforts. -- Mrs. Ho
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