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Neighbors park illegally
on cul-de-sac

Question: I live at the end of a cul-de-sac, and there is a sign that clearly reads "no parking any time," yet my neighbors still park there. I've asked them and they'll move, but right after I leave, they park there again! I've TOLD them not to park there, and the next time I'll call the cops; they still park there. I've called on a few occasions, but the cops only tell them to move their cars and that "your neighbors over there stay complaining," Either that or they just don't show up. What else can I do? I've got pictures. You can see the "no parking any time" sign and the whole turnaround area blocked.

Answer: You're not going to be happy with this answer.

Despite the photos you provided, the Honolulu Police Department says when it sent officers to check the area -- on different days and different times of the day on several occasions -- it found only one violation.

That involved a construction worker's van parked in front of a driveway. The owner was asked to move it onto the property, "which he did so right away," said HPD officer Herb Schreiner. He did not know why there was a discrepancy in your complaints and the officers' reports.

"These officers have noted all kinds of checks daily -- on the (Nov.) 2nd, checked once; 3rd, twice; 7th twice; 8th, twice; and the 9th, three times," he said earlier this month.

"They've been making checks consistently, and there have been no violations observed," Schreiner said.

Despite your frustrations, his advice is to still call HPD when you see a violation. If you feel nothing is being done, you can ask to speak to the supervisor at the appropriate district station to follow up, he said.

Although there is a "no parking" sign in your cul-de-sac, such signs are not required. Under Section 15-1 of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu, "Stopping, standing or parking prohibited in specified places -- No signs required," it is understood that you're not supposed to park in certain areas, including "within the turnaround area of any dead-end street."

Auwe

To all the drivers who wouldn't let my sister get off the freeway in Moanalua when her car started overheating on Friday afternoon, Nov. 12 -- especially the woman in the SUV talking on her cell phone. Since no one would let her get over to an exit while her car was burning up, she had to start going up a hill, and the car died in a very unsafe area -- with her son and infant daughter in the car, no less! I remember a time when people used to drive differently here than on the mainland, and I'm sad to see the freeways are becoming just like L.A. Please, if you see someone driving unusually slow with their blinkers on and smoke coming out of the car, consider they may be having car trouble and are not driving dangerously slow "for the fun of it." We all have to use the same freeways, and it's better to let them pull over than have them stall and cause a huge traffic jam for everyone. -- Mad in Moanalua

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