Kokua Line June Watanabe

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Bus stop on Prospect will stay

Question: How can I inquire about the possibility of having a bus stop removed? This bus stop is located a little past the 1011 Prospect St. condominium complex on the right side heading mauka. I have lived at 1011 Prospect since 1990 and can honestly say I have never, not even once, seen a bus either drop off a passenger or seen one being picked up at that location. Removing this unused stop will open up very valuable parking spots for residents.

Answer: The city Department of Transportation Services looked into your request and concluded that the stop at 1035 Prospect St. is being used and shouldn't be moved.

However, some extra parking space will become available.

Transportation staff investigated usage of the bus stop and did a site inspection, as well, according to James Burke, acting chief of DTS's Public Transit Division.

The contract operator of TheBus, Oahu Transit Services, confirmed people were both boarding and getting off at that stop.

Considering the hilly terrain and "less than great" sidewalk conditions, it was concluded that the bus stop is properly located and needed to serve the residents of the area, Burke said.

DTS also looked at the parking restriction, which is required for wheelchair accessibility, at that stop. The site visit revealed that the red curb denoting the "no parking/towaway" bus stop zone is badly faded.

The curb will be repainted to clearly define the bus stop area, but staff decided the no-parking zone could be "reduced somewhat" to allow some additional parking.

The reduction is possible because the bus stop is surrounded by driveways and fire hydrants, and the buses serving that stop are slightly smaller than standard, according to Burke.

Doing so doesn't mean the city can shorten any other bus stops, he emphasized. "It just means that we can help a little bit here."

We asked DTS to explain, in general, how requests for removal or relocation of bus stops are handled.

Basically, its staff will investigate any request, except that, if a location has been reviewed within the past 12 months and conditions have not changed, a bus stop will not be changed.

If a location "has no history," then staff will check the site for changes in conditions, usage and general appearance to confirm or deny the validity of a request. If justified, action will be taken to relocate or remove a stop, Burke said.

According to DTS, most of the bus stops on Oahu go back to the Honolulu Rapid Transit days -- prior to the city taking over, or placed at specific locations as a result of requests from the public.

DTS is currently evaluating all stops to identify unsafe and mid-block stops for elimination and to help with pedestrian safety efforts to prevent jaywalking and accidents.

To request removal or relocation of a bus stop, call Fixed Route Operations at 527-6397.