Waikiki bus stop won’t return because shift has eased traffic

Question: Our frequently used bus stop was Stop 25 on Kuhio Avenue. When work commenced on the International Market Place and the nearby hotel renovations, that stop was taken out of service for TheBus (though it did continue as a trolley stop). Now that the construction jams in that part of Kuhio are no longer an issue, we’ve been expecting to have Stop 25 restored. However, that has not happened. That stop area is still used solely for trolleys. It is a long stretch from Stop 26 (at Kuhio and Seaside avenues) to Stop 24 (in front of the Food Pantry). Can Stop 25 be returned to service for use by TheBus?

Answer: No, the city has no plans to restore Stop 25 to the public bus system, having found that reserving that space for use by private passenger transports (such as the trolleys) has eased traffic congestion in the tourist district.

Jon Nouchi, deputy director of the city’s Department of Transportation Services, explains:

“Private transportation vehicles such as trolleys and double-decker buses previously serviced an established private carrier bus stop fronting the former Ohana Waikiki West Hotel on Kuhio Avenue between Walina and Nahua streets.

“When the hotel underwent extensive construction due to a renovation project, the Department of Transportation Services solicited feedback from the Waikiki Neighborhood Board and the public to discuss the feasibility of using TheBus Stop 25 (located westbound on Kuhio after Nahua Street) as an off-street stop for private transportation vehicles. Therefore, TheBus service to Stop 25 would be discontinued.

“After the change, DTS noted the reduced impacts to traffic when trolleys and other private vehicles were allowed to load and unload at the bus bay at former Stop 25. Therefore, due to the lesser passenger activity that occurred at Stop 25 when compared to the previous and following stops on Kuhio Avenue, DTS made this change permanent.

“Bus stops in Waikiki cannot be shared by city buses and private carriers under city ordinances, and the current spacing with the removal of Stop 25 is in line with what is found in the eastbound direction of Kuhio Avenue. DTS has found that the removal of Stop 25 has led to improvements in the area.”

Given that you seem to disagree, you might wish to follow up with the Waikiki Neighborhood Board. It meets the second Tuesday of every month (next meeting: April 11) at 7 p.m. at the Waikiki Community Center, 310 Paoakalani Ave. You might also try contacting your City Council representative, Trevor Ozawa, at tozawa@honolulu.gov or 768-5004.

Q: Who makes the decision for the state to sue the federal government? The attorney general? The governor? The legislators? A committee of some sort?

A: The attorney general. “According to a Hawaii Supreme Court case interpreting the authority of the attorney general under HRS Chapter 28, Island-Gentry Joint Ventures v. State, 57 Haw. 259 (1976), the state attorney general has exclusive authority to control and manage for the state all phases of litigation in which the state has an interest, unless authority to do so in specific matters has been expressly or implicitly granted to another department or agency,” said Joshua Wisch, special assistant to state Attorney General Douglas Chin.

Chin exercised that authority on behalf of the state in suing President Donald Trump to block the immigration travel ban Trump had issued via executive order. A federal judge ruled in favor of the state, keeping the ban from taking effect. Trump vowed to appeal.

“It is accurate to say that in this case the AG had sole authority and there is no statutory provision that expressly or implicitly grants such authority to another department or agency,” Wisch said.

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.