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State car should not
be used off-duty

Question: Three occupants in a State of Hawaii car assigned to the Highways Division visited a house on Kupukupu Street in Newtown, Aiea, about 10 a.m. on Oct. 5. One of the occupants, dressed in bluejeans and a dark T-shirt, walked around the house, then looked as if he were preparing some kind of estimate. One of the other persons was dressed in bluejeans and a white T-shirt, while the third man was wearing white pants, a beige shirt and a white baseball cap. As far as we know, there are no state highway projects in this neighborhood. Could this be an abuse of state property and time? You would think that the Transportation Department would be more sensitive to abuses, especially in light of the recent publicity it received at the Airports Division.

Answer: We passed on the license number of the vehicle you provided to the state Department of Transportation.

The only thing spokesman Scott Ishikawa would say is that the Highways Division is investigating the matter.

"Because of employee confidentiality rights, we are not allowed to give out (the name of) the person possibly using the vehicle at the time while we look into the matter," he said.

In the meantime, "Regardless of what is the outcome, we did put out a reminder to DOT staff that state vehicles cannot be used on personal time," Ishikawa said.

Q: I find that the freeway morning traffic flows very well Ewa-bound from Kaimuki through downtown with the restrictions on the Lunalilo onramp. Perhaps the state Department of Transportation will consider doing the same thing in the Koko Head direction? Restrictions at the Ward and Piikoi onramps might help the morning traffic flow better.

A: The Department of Transportation is considering other demonstration projects on the H-1 to improve the flow of traffic, but that won't be happening any time soon.

It's not only the time involved in planning the logistics, but also in trying to anticipate "how successful the project may turn out," said DOT spokesman Ishikawa.

For example, before launching the Lunalilo onramp project, the department did computer simulations, "which found that the route changes would help traffic flow on the H-1 and the Makiki area," he said.

The Lunalilo demonstration project is continuing, to allow the DOT more time to collect traffic data.

Mahalo

To a kind woman who helped my 92-year-old mother when she fell in her garden on Pali Highway on Thursday, Oct. 28. No one else was home at the time. The woman was walking along the front of the house and came to her aid when my mother shouted for help. Only God knows who you are. If you are reading this, my mother and our family wish to convey a grateful thank-you. You summoned an ambulance and remained to make sure that all went well. Mom is doing fine after spending five hours in the emergency room. -- Herb Sato

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