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Kokua Line
Question: Anyone stuck in the H-1 traffic accident last Saturday or who looked at newspaper photos had to see what I did. While all the H-1 and H-2 traffic was backing up, alternate roads clogged and some people delayed over three hours, the Zipper Lane was never opened. At least 3 hours
needed to open
Zipper Lane for
emergencyWhy not? Why can't the responsible agency be proactive and have an emergency plan to open the Zipper Lane? As they say in the Army: "Lead, follow, or get out of the way."
Answer: Whether the Zipper Lane could have alleviated the gridlock that occurred after the 12-car pile-up is "iffy," according to Marilyn Kali, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation.
Although there are emergency procedures in which the lane could be opened, it would take a minimum of three or four hours, she said. That's because the "Zipmobile" is operated under contract. To open that lane outside of regular hours, "we would have to contact the contractor, who would have to get to their men, then get them to the baseyard, where the Zipmobile is stored," Kali said.
Then, because the Zipmobile travels only 5 mph, it would take about two hours to open the approximate 10-mile-long Zip Lane, she said.
"Looking at the very best conditions, it would probably take (a total of) three or four hours to get the Zip Lane opened up," Kali said.
Police do have the authority to ask the DOT to open that lane: "They give us the call and then we would start the process to locate the contractor.
"But there are very few times in which a four-hour delay is going to make opening it worthwhile," Kali said.
Q: I was visiting the Berlin Wall monument at Honolulu Community College recently and noticed that three of the panels displaying information about the monument are badly damaged. It looks like water infiltration. Who is responsible for the upkeep, and can't something be done to fix them?
A: The educational panels have turned out to be costlier to maintain than the monument itself.
The panels "were once vandalized and repaired, at some cost," according to HCC history professor Rick Ziegler.
Then, in the past year, three of the panels suffered water leakage and damage, he said.
A student-faculty committee is looking at repair methods, not only in terms of cost, but also to make them weather-proof.
"This will probably take some time, well into spring semester, 2001, but we are aware of the problem and appreciate the concern of the public," Ziegler said.
The six educational panels are affixed to Building 2 on the HCC campus. The monument, which includes a three-ton chunk of the infamous wall, stands nearby in an open, grassy area. It was dedicated in February 1992.
Student Warren Okuma came up with the idea of bringing a part of the wall here; the local German consulate general helped gain approval from the Berlin government; and the German Benevolent Society of Honolulu and other businesses helped make it happen. The monument was designed by Bettina Mehnert.
The Berlin Wall, which separated East and West Germany, came down in 1989.
Mahalo
To the two gentlemen who stopped to help me when I had a flat tire on Punahou Street about 1 p.m. Friday Nov. 3. I didn't get the first man's name, but the second is Raymond, who got off his bike to change my tire. -- Thankful in Manoa
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