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Kokua Line
Question: I am aware of the basics of the automobile tint law allowing 35 percent light transmittance, etc. However, I haven't seen anyone address the issue of temporary sun shields. I see many cars with approximately 1-inch square perforated "blinds" suction-cupped to their windows (side and/or rear windows). They sometimes have cute pictures on them. They are sometimes used to block the sun from hitting infants. I'm sure they block more than 35 percent light going through them and you cannot see through them at all from the outside. They are definitely an obstruction. A similar device to block sun is the cling-type tint that's a dark piece of soft plastic. It's not permanent -- it just sticks to the glass and peels right off. Do tint laws apply to these temporary sun devices? Shedding light
on car shades, tintsAnswer: It's not the tint law that comes into play here, but rather the law requiring car windows to be unobstructed, according to David Mau, city assistant motor vehicle licensing administrator.
Section 15-19.30 of the city traffic code states: "No person shall drive any motor vehicle with any sign, poster or other nontransparent material upon the front windshield, side wings, or side or rear windows of such vehicle which obstructs the driver's clear view of the highway or any intersecting highway."
Mau points out the law is concerned with the driver being able to look out, not for you to look in. He also said that sometimes, "viewed from the inside the vehicle, (the shields) did not obstruct the view at all."
As for enforcement, illegal shields would be either noted during safety inspections or by police, if they feel there is an obstruction.
The tint law has specifications about how much light can come into the vehicle.
Q: Why is the Board of Water Supply digging up Lumiaina Street in Waikele? It's a new area and they shouldn't have to replace sewer lines. Also, there is a problem with the traffic sensor on Lumiaina and Paiwa streets. Because the road was patched, covering up the traffic sensor, if you are waiting in the center lane heading toward Kamehameha Highway and there are no other cars, the traffic light will not change and you will wait forever.
A: The sensor was "interrupted" by construction work, acknowledged Clifford Jamile, manager and chief engineer for the Board of Water Supply. The contractor, Highway Construction Co., restored the sensor shortly after your complaint was forwarded to the Board of Water Supply.
If there still are problems, call 527-5205.
Meanwhile, a contractor has been working since Jan. 3 on a $1.148 million project to install a transmission main. The main will go from the Waipahu 228 Reservoir No. 2, near Kukula and Lumiaina streets, to Waipahu 228 Reservoir No. 1, near Waikele Community Park.
When the main is installed, water will be transferred from the higher pressure "395 system" to the lower pressure "228 system," Jamile said.
The project is expected to be completed in late December. Much of the alignment of the new transmission main is along Lumiaina.
Auwe
Can't something be done about cars blocking the right lane of Lunalilo Street, trying to cut into the lane heading to the H-1? Most come up Piikoi Street and turn left, knowing they are in the wrong lane to get onto the freeway. They just stop in the right lane, backing up traffic, until someone lets them in. Tour buses and cab drivers are the major offenders. -- No Name
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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