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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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HPD unable to staff police at intersection
Question: Is it possible to have the Honolulu Police Department station officers at an intersection? Traffic on Fort Weaver Road has been getting worse for years, and with the current widening project, cars start to back up as early as 2 p.m. and by 5 p.m. can reach back to the offramp from the H-1. Traffic heading south on Fort Weaver will often back up into the intersection with Laulaunui Street. As the light turns yellow or even red, cars continue to proceed even though the heavy traffic guarantees they won't be able to get through before the light changes. This forces those on Laulaunui to either dodge around them, just sit and wait or run the red light themselves. Having an officer there might make a bad situation a little easier. Meanwhile, "auwe" to the three vehicles turning left from the hospital onto Fort Weaver Road, northbound, at about 4 p.m. April 1. Even though you clearly had the red light and oncoming traffic had the green, you tailgated each other into traffic, daring people to hit you. Maybe the next car will take the dare as an April Fools' joke.
Answer: HPD doesn't have enough officers to do such monitoring on a regular basis.
"An officer would have to be posted at every intersection on Fort Weaver Road for this to work, and the patrol district does not have the staff to do this," said spokeswoman Michelle Yu.
She said solo bike officers from the Traffic Division actually did what you suggest a few months ago -- stopping and citing violators. The result: Other drivers complained about traffic backing up, Yu said.
"Officers monitor Fort Weaver during the morning rush hour as much as they can, but the reality is that the number of cars exceed the road's capacity," she added.
Q: Is there any way to recycle cylindrical prescription medicine containers? I hate to just throw them away. I was hoping that some group might be able to use them.
A: Any takers out there? If so, call Kokua Line at 529-4773 and leave a message.
We did a search on the Internet and found a lot of tips on how to reuse those containers, mainly in crafting items or using them to store everything from beads and seeds to cotton balls soaked in nail polish remover as a handy travel aid.
Auwe
To the idiot who left a beer bottle in the middle of Palolo Avenue where it connects to 10th Avenue. I rolled over it when leaving the Carlos Long area after 11 p.m. April 12, only to discover a 3-inch slice in my front tire when I got home. I already had to replace one tire rim due to a large pothole. I hope the fool who put the bottle there reads this and thinks twice about what his/her action has caused.
-- S. Lee
Mahalo
To Miss Jue Wang, a librarian at Leeward Community College, who helped a lost stranger find information on John D. Rockefeller.
-- Grateful Former Student
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