Question: I was driving in to work on Wednesday and wondered why it was taking me so long to get past Alakea Street. It turns out there was a film production company blocking off one or two lanes on Alakea Street, at the King Street intersection. This was after 8 a.m., right during rush hour. Why were they allowed to block the road during rush hour? Why couldn't they film after 9 a.m. - after rush hour?

Answer: The permit issued by the city Department of Transportation Services allowed the production crew to occupy a non-travel lane on Alakea beginning at 7 a.m., according to Director Wayne Yoshioka.

That's the drop-off lane adjacent to American Savings Bank.

The permit also allowed the crew to close one of the four travel lanes on Alakea between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., which Yoshioka said is the “;normal”; time frame for such closures.

“;This was to allow a camera to be put in the travel lane and shoot through the car window parked in the parking lane - for the safety of the crew,”; he said.

However, he said there was “;a misinterpretation of the permit”; and the crew closed more lanes than it should have.

“;They have apologized, and I believe it was an honest mistake,”; he said.

The shoot was concluded at noon that day.

Asked the name of the production company, Yoshioka said because the Department of Transportation Services believes the lane closure was an “;honest mistake,”; it is choosing not to name the company.

“;Based on the reaction we received from the company, we do not believe they would make that type of mistake again,”; he said.

No penalty was assessed.

Q: What can be done about neighbors on Fern Street in McCully who dump their items onto my sidewalk area?

It's OK if they do it during the week of pickup, but it is dumped any time. I never see anyone do it as they leave it at night. I suspect they live in the apartment building next to me.

A: Unfortunately, the city Department of Environmental Services has responded to very similar complaints in the past few months, according to spokesman Markus Owens.

And unfortunately, if you don't know who's doing this, there's really no one who will follow up.

Although many residents - not just your shadowy neighbors - put their unwanted items out in public before the scheduled pickup days, Owens pointed out it is illegal to dump any bulky items or set them out anytime before the eve of the scheduled pickup date.

If anyone actually witnesses this happening, Owens said the Honolulu Police Department should be called with a description of the person or persons involved.

However, the complainant has to then be willing to identify them.

Apartment building owners also should allocate areas on their property to “;store”; bulky items until the night before pickup, Owens said.

See https://archives.starbulletin.com/2008/05/13/news/kokualine.html for other bulky item pickup rules.

“;We ask the public for their assistance in keeping their neighborhoods free of bulky items sitting at curbside for weeks,”; Owens said.