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Kokua Line June Watanabe |
Police will look for cars
parked in bus stop areaQuestion: We live on Noelani Street by Waiau Gardens and catch the No. 54 bus. A lot of people illegally park in the bus stop area, so the bus cannot come all the way to the curb. We have to step down to the street, and it's hard for us to step up to the bus. We see police officers pass by, but they don't ticket these cars. The city spent a lot of money painting the curbs red so people can't park and police can detect the illegal parkers. I called the police and mayor's office, but they just monitored the area for about one week. But the turnover in Waiau Gardens is so great, with new people moving in all the time. Please help my mom and other bus riders.
Answer: You're not the only one who's fed up with the illegal parking.
Oahu Transit Services has received numerous complaints about cars parked in bus stops on Noelani Street in Waiau Gardens.
In coordination with the city, Oahu Transit Services staff painted all the bus stop zone curbs red in that area to better identify the no-parking areas, said Roger Morton, senior vice president and director of operations for Oahu Transit.
(As "Kokua Line" reported previously, the city long ago stopped the practice of painting curbs red, except at bus stops. A city official explained then that there also has to be accompanying "no parking" signs, otherwise a red curb "doesn't mean anything.")
Despite all the no-parking warnings, Morton acknowledged there is still "a considerable amount of illegal parking" going on. If a bus driver has difficulty maneuvering in and out of a bus stop, he or she will usually report the situation by radio to Oahu Transit's central control section. A field supervisor then is usually directed to go to the area, and police notified, Morton said.
Depending on the circumstances, police will either issue a parking citation or have the vehicle towed. However, Morton acknowledged police also may "occasionally" be tied up by higher-priority calls.
Oahu Transit supervisors will periodically check the area for illegally parked cars, but Morton said bus riders or residents can also call police directly (at 911) to report them.
Officers assigned to the area will be instructed to be on the lookout for illegally parked cars, said Michelle Yu, spokeswoman for the Honolulu Police Department.
Q: Are mopeds allowed on the bike path in Ewa Beach, between Farrington Highway and Iroquois Road?
A: No. No motorized vehicles, unless authorized, are allowed on any bike path, said Chris Sayers, the city's bike coordinator.
However, unless there are signs specifically prohibiting them, mopeds would be allowed in bike lanes, he said.
Although "bike lane" is a general term, it usually refers to a lane on the road, whereas a bike path is separated from the roadway, Sayers said.
Mahalo
To the owners of mopeds who have not tampered with the stock muffler. Your machines just purr quietly along not disturbing others around you. You are welcome to drive past my neighborhood as many times as you need to. -- Michael Nomura, Kailua
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