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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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Mail-renewed license might not have photo
Question: I didn't want to stand in line or spend time on this, so I recently applied to renew my Hawaii driver's license by mail. However, there is no photo on the new license. The license says, "Valid Without Photo." But when I tried to use it as ID at the post office, it was not accepted. I assume the same will happen when traveling. I have a passport with a photo but do not want to carry it around for fear of loss or theft. How and where would I go to get a valid ID with photo?
Answer: You can get a state identification card, but you would have to apply in person. For information on how to get a state ID card, check online at www.hawaii.gov/ag/hcjdc/main/hawaii_id_cards or call 587-3111.
We asked Dennis Kamimura, the city Motor Vehicle and Licensing administrator, why your photo was not on your renewed license.
Applicants renewing their licenses by mail are informed, "If your image is found in our driver database, both the photo and the signature will be utilized."
The problem is that "some of the digitized images that were contained in the previous driver license vendor's database were corrupt," Kamimura said. That meant the images were not available.
"Until we transition everyone over to the new vendor," which will not take place until April 2011, "we may not have all the digitized images of every licensee in our database," he said.
So, if you are in Hawaii, renewing in person is the only way for now to make sure you get a license with a photo.
Also, renewing by mail might not save you a lot of time. Among the requirements to renew by mail, applicants must submit a medical report form and eye examination certificate, both certified by licensed physicians, as well as a notarized statement of possession of a driver's license.
Q: The onramp from Waialae Avenue onto Kalanianaole Highway, going Koko Head, has a "yield" sign -- reminding motorists to yield to traffic transitioning from H-1 to Kalanianaole. The sign is now almost completely obstructed by vegetation. Who should be notified, city or state?
A: The state Department of Transportation.
The Highways Maintenance Branch will schedule a landscaping crew to address the problem, a spokesman said last week.
In the future, call the 24-hour hot line at 831-6714 to report overgrown vegetation or maintenance issues on state highways. Leave a detailed message, including the problem and location to help crews respond faster.
Here is a tip from the Transportation Department about identifying state or city roads: State jurisdiction encompasses the majority of high-capacity roadways, including freeways, highways and other main thoroughfares, such as Ala Moana Boulevard, Fort Weaver Road, Kunia Road, etc. City roads include the vast majority of residential and secondary thoroughfares. To report overgrowth on city roadways, call 971-7151.
Got a question or complaint? Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered. E-mail to
kokualine@starbulletin.com.
See also: Useful phone numbers