Kokua Line
Kokua Line
Question: As I was driving recently on the H-1 freeway, near where the H-1 and Moanalua Highway merge, I saw what appeared to be a female driving TheBus with earphones on. Is such a thing allowed while driving such a large vehicle? Cell phone use by bus
drivers banned on jobAnswer: No.
Oahu Transit Services' rules specifically prohibit the use of any kind of cell phone or recording/playback device by bus drivers while a bus is in motion, according to Roger Morton, senior vice president and director of operations.
Drivers caught violating this rule are subject to disciplinary procedures.
Morton said the driver you saw may have been using a hands-free cell phone, in which a hearing device is plugged into a cell phone. But even then, drivers are not supposed to be using any cell phone while operating a bus.
They may carry cell phones, but the phones must be turned off while driving so that calls cannot be received.
Morton said to call 848-4500 if you see a driver violating these rules.
A notice to bus drivers was sent last week noting that Oahu Transit Services and city officials "continue to receive disturbing reports from passengers, pedestrians and motorists" who are concerned about the use of cell phones and other recording/playback devices by bus drivers.
The drivers were reminded that such devices may not only distract from their mental focus on safe driving, but also impair their ability to hear traffic cues, such as sirens, horns and other warning devices, as well as verbal communications that should trigger specific responses.
Road supervisors have been instructed to be on the lookout for drivers who violate company policies regarding such devices, Morton said.
Q: Can you help resolve a problem in our neighborhood? At the intersection of Nahiku Street and Lilipuna Road in Kaneohe, the city recently painted three crosswalks.
It is a heavily traveled area both with residents and cars.
The subdivision does not have enough parking, so residents park on the street.
As a result, when people are in the crosswalk, they have to peer past the cars, going dangerously into the roadway. I have grave concerns for the children who use the crosswalk.
Are there laws saying that a car has to be so many feet from a crosswalk?
I called the police, and they said I have to call 911, but it usually occurs coming home and on the weekends.
A: Since receiving your complaint, police officers from District IV (Windward Oahu) have been making periodic checks of the area, according to police Lt. Mark Logan.
At least three citations had been issued as a result of the patrols, he said.
Logan said it helps if the public reports such parking violations to police via 911 (as a nonemergency call).
Section 15-14.1 of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu prohibits parking on a crosswalk or within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection or within 20 feet upon the approach to any midblock crosswalk.
Got a question or complaint?
Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered.
E-mail to kokualine@starbulletin.com