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Kokua Line
Question: I live on Diamond Head. What's being done with the replacement of ironwood trees at Kapiolani Park, along Kalakaua Avenue? The barriers have been up and down since November. It's been months and nothing has been done. Kalakaua soon
will get more
ironwood treesAnswer: You should be seeing some activity in the next few weeks.
About four dozen new ironwoods -- "two for one" -- will be planted along the medial and makai side of Kalakaua Avenue by the end of April.
About two dozen trees had to be taken out because they were "hollow and hazardous," said Clark Leavitt, grounds improvement supervisor for the city Department of Parks and Recreation's beautification division.
The city has been working with a nursery to obtain the new trees, which will be about 10-12 feet high, he said.
Expect some disruptions to parking along the makai side of Kalakaua during the planting, which will occur over several weeks, Leavitt said.
Q: Is it legal to use a convex mirror on the left side of the car? Many drivers find the left side mirror inadequate and use stick-on convex mirrors. But a full convex mirror on the left would be nice. The new electric cars, Global Electric MotorCars, have convex mirrors on both sides.
A: There's no restriction on using convex mirrors, according to David Mau, the city's assistant administrator for motor vehicle and licensing.
"We don't see any problem with the convex or concave mirrors," he said.
He noted that many of the rear-view mirrors installed by manufacturers are convex, and thus, have the warning "caution, objects may be closer than they appear."
But even if one is not installed by the manufacturer, there is no restriction on adding it as an accessory.
"It's not as much of a safety issue," he said. Some drivers may be required to have rear-view mirrors as part of their restrictive driver's license, Mau noted, while commercial vehicles are required to have them if drivers do not have a clear sight to the rear.
"For passenger vehicles, it is not necessarily required," he said, adding, however, that, "It helps (having one) -- anything for safety."
Mahalo
On Feb. 16, as I was driving with my husband from Kalanianaole Highway toward Kaimuki, our car engine died. We were just approaching Waialae Avenue from the Kahala area. Looking at the rearview mirror, I could see all the cars backed up behind us when Nick appeared suddenly, parking his car in front of us and starting to help. When a police officer told us it was too dangerous to be stalled there, Nick, without hesitation, towed us to the first side street and continued to look for the cause of the trouble. He even let us use his cellular phone to call our service station. He then towed us to our station on 8th Avenue, where we had our car repaired. Thank you so much, Nick and your family, for being so kind, helpful and patient. Mahalo also to the police officer who came around to see if we needed help. -- Harold and Jane
Auwe
To the reckless young man in the white cap driving a white Mirage, who rammed his way into a place less than a car length in front of me, almost causing an accident near the junction of H-1 and Route 78 about 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 7. Drivers like you cause road rage. -- R.H.
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