Question: Auwe to the response Oahu Transit Services gave Kokua Line about a bus not arriving as scheduled that "there is no guarantee that any bus will arrive as scheduled." (See bit.ly/11QCNEY.) It is a given that with Oahu’s legendary traffic problems, weather and construction delays, and mechanical breakdowns, maintaining any bus on schedule is challenging. But how can OTS have such a cavalier attitude regarding keeping buses on schedule by bypassing riders at stops, disregarding their need to arrive at a destination, even if that arrival is later than scheduled? We here on the Waianae Coast are more than familiar with these bypassing efforts and are often left stranded, sometimes for hours, when OTS officials choose to keep to a schedule rather than transport those riders who await pickup. There’s not much aloha in waiting, waiting and waiting!
Answer: "It may appear that buses are leaving riders, but they are not," said Oahu Transit Services spokeswoman Michelle Kennedy.
The perception exists because OTS will take buses "out of service" temporarily if they are running "extremely" late and the next bus is following right behind.
If two buses arrive at the same time, OTS will separate the buses by having the late bus travel out of service for a while. It then will get back in service farther ahead on the route, instead of having two buses servicing one area at the same time, Kennedy said.
"This benefits more passengers on the route, all of whom have been inconvenienced by the delays," she said. "Before any scheduled bus is instructed to proceed out of service, we will always ensure that another bus is nearby to provide service."
In recent months "the extremely congested" traffic in the Pearl City area has significantly delayed many of the routes that service the Waianae Coast, causing long wait times for passengers, Kennedy acknowledged.
Buses are going through major construction, and in some areas roads are completely closed, she said.
To provide service to all passengers affected by the delays, some buses will be directed to service the Waianae Coast area, while others will be sent to communities farther along the route, she said.
Additionally, at certain times of the day, buses will travel "out of service" to and from their starting points in Makaha along the Waianae Coast to replace other buses that are ending their routes in Makaha, she said.
When OTS staff make adjustments to buses that are running very late, they consider the position of all other buses going to the same destination and do all they can to lessen the impact to riders, she said.
"We will continue to do our best to stay on schedule, and we hope that our riders will understand that there are major challenges to maintaining the schedules at this time," Kennedy said. "Again we ask that riders adjust their travel plans accordingly, knowing that there will be delays."
Question: Is it illegal to park on a crosswalk? Oftentimes, when I go walking and need to cross in a crosswalk where there are no traffic lights, I can’t because a car is parked in/on it.
Answer: It is illegal to park on a crosswalk, within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection or within 20 feet upon the approach to any midblock crosswalk.
That prohibition can be found under Section 15-14.1 of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu: "Stopping, standing or parking prohibited in specified places — No signs required."
For all the parking prohibitions, check the Traffic Code at bit.ly/1uV0ubi.
Mahalo
To Sgt. Derek Ozaki of the Sheriff Division, who assisted my neighbor at the airport recently. She couldn’t find her grandson, who had arrived from the mainland. She didn’t know that he had taken a taxi to her house. She was very low on gas, so Sgt. Ozaki contacted the grandson, then "led" her to a gas station, arranged for the car to be left overnight and called a taxi to take her home. Sgt. Ozaki deserves credit for resolving a problem. — Mary
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Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
