Kokua Line
Kokua Line
Piikoi parking shortages
will ease soonQuestion: Several parking spaces on Piikoi Street, between Davenport Street and Wilder Avenue, were eliminated to accommodate new sidewalks that are supposed to be ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant. But why were so many spaces removed? A new sidewalk setback fronting 1555 Piikoi has taken away four spaces, with two "no parking" signs, although there is enough space for two cars plus room for a pedestrian who uses a wheelchair. Who determined where the "no parking" signs should be placed? At Piikoi and Davenport, two sets of sidewalk ramps have been built -- one crossing Davenport and, less than five feet away, another crossing Piikoi. This removed four parking spaces. Why couldn't the ramp closest to the fire hydrant at the corner be used as a crosswalk to cross Piikoi? Finally, in front of 1556 Piikoi, the curb is painted red and a "no parking" sign installed. I understand no parking is allowed within four feet of a driveway, but this space looks to be more than what the ordinance allows. Is this an exception that the city allowed?
Answer: You'll be happy to know that some of the on-street parking was to be restored.
Following up on your complaint, the city Department of Transportation Services found that two "no parking" signs fronting 1555 Piikoi were installed "in error by the contractor at the time of construction," said Transportation Director Cheryl Soon. A work order was to be issued to remove the signs.
The number of cars that will be able to park there would be dependent on their size and subject to traffic code regulations, including no parking within four feet of a driveway.
Regarding the ramps, the two sets of ramps built for crossing Davenport and Piikoi streets removed only one legal parking space on the Ewa side of Piikoi, according to the city Department of Design and Construction. None was removed from the Diamond Head side of Piikoi.
The "no parking" signs were installed after the city and police received numerous complaints from mobility-impaired individuals about parked vehicles blocking access to the curb ramps, city spokeswoman Carol Costa said.
The ramp closest to the fire hydrant cannot be used to provide accessibility across Piikoi because there is a driveway across from it and the law does not allow driveways to be used as ADA ramps. Also, if a new ramp were located mauka of the driveway, a skewed crossing would be created, Costa said. That's unacceptable because people with impaired vision rely on predictable paths. Skewed crossings also mean longer crossings.
Meanwhile, Soon said the resident manager of Piikoi Tower, at 1556 Piikoi, painted the curb red without authorization. "We do not condone the public painting the curb red, but since the red curb is within the no parking area, we will allow the paint to fade out," she said.
Piikoi Tower has two driveways -- a makai one for tenants and a mauka one for guest parking. The parking restriction fronting the building was made in 1984 to improve entry and exit at the makai driveway, Soon said. In 1993, the parking restriction was increased to include the area between the two driveways, as well as the area mauka of the mauka driveway.
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