Question: Some friends posted their new Polynesian Voyaging Society plates on social media. I was impressed that they could walk in and get them the same day. Are personalized plates as fast?
Answer: No, they take about two to three months. Hawaii speciality organization license plates such as the Polynesian Voyaging Society plates are issued in sequential order — motorists who buy them don’t get to choose the letters and numbers on the pre-made plates. Personalized license plates, by contrast, are special-order plates of the motorist’s choosing. An order for personalized licensed plates in Honolulu County takes 60 to 90 days to process, which includes review time to ensure the combination of letters and/or numbers requested does not potentially offend good taste and decency, according to the Department of Customer Services’s website. “Forbidden phrases include terms of lust, depravity, prejudice, hostility, contempt and profanity in English or any other language,” it says.
After an order is approved, the motorist would receive a letter in 60 to 90 days explaining how to complete the purchase, which would include picking up the plates at a satellite city hall. For instructions on ordering personalized license plates in Honolulu County, see 808ne.ws/perpl.
Q: I am still asked for proof of vaccination/negative COVID-19 test whenever I visit my neighbor- hood library. This library has a staff person sitting outside all day to check for these credentials, and if there are no patrons entering, they have nothing to do. I’m sure there is a more effective use of their time. Didn’t this rule expire already?
A: No, the COVID-19 screening requirement to enter most state government offices and buildings is contained in Gov. David Ige’s current COVID-19 emergency proclamation, which doesn’t expire until March 25. The governor has not said which elements of the proclamation, if any, he will extend past that date.
The governor’s COVID-19 emergency proclamations, first issued March 4, 2020, and amended or extended continuously since that date, control many aspects of life in Hawaii. Read them, along with other proclamations, at governor.hawaii.gov/emergency-proclamations.
Q: Regarding the red-light cameras, is the vendor going to be getting a cut of the ticket revenue?
A: No, the state law authorizing the program prohibits that. Hawaii Revised Statutes 291J-4(b) says that “if the State or a county establishes a red light imaging detector system under this chapter, the compensation paid by the State or county to a manufacturer or vendor of the equipment used shall be based upon the value of the equipment and services provided or rendered in support of the photo red light imaging detector system, and shall not be based upon a portion of the fine or civil penalty imposed or the revenue generated by the equipment.”
The cameras, which photograph vehicles running red lights so that police can later issue tickets by mail to registered owners, are expected to be installed at 10 Oahu intersections. Engineering studies to select the locations are underway.
Mahalo
Public transportation, mainly the city buses, is underrated. As an avid bus rider, I can personally vouch for them. The routes that I use have very nice drivers who can remember the faces of their riders, even with masks on, so that they can recognize us and give us individually a warm greeting as we board. It’s cheap enough to be readily available to almost everybody, and the transport routes are publicly accessible so that people know what bus to take and how long the trip will be. The buses themselves are routinely cleaned and comfortable to ride, fuel-efficient to lessen air pollution, and are even courteous enough to give a shaka to cars that let them pass. It’s not as often used by the public during the pandemic as it used to be, but it’s still just as reliable. — Logan R.K. Choy
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
