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Question: On Kamehameha Highway (Pali-bound) at the H-3 Halekou Interchange, the green left-turn signal is not working for those cars stopped on Kamehameha Highway waiting to turn left onto the H-3 eastbound onramp heading toward Kailua. Please ask the state Department of Transportation to fix this. It has been out for at least two weeks. We tried calling the state DOT problem report line to report this, but there is no announcement, just a beep, so the caller has no idea whether the message is being left in the right department.
Answer: The left-turn signal from Kamehameha Highway onto the H-3 at the Halekou Interchange has been fixed, thanks to your persistence. Kokua Line passed your concern to the DOT on June 27, the same day we received it from you. We heard back from the department Monday, with an explanation about the repair; a spokeswoman also offered additional contact information to report concerns to the DOT around the state.
“On Oahu, the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) partners with the City and County of Honolulu Department of Transportation Services (DTS) to manage traffic signals, which includes coordination on signal timing and regular checks of the corridors every two to three years. We submitted your reader’s request regarding the left-turn signal on Kamehameha Highway Pali-bound onto the H-3 onramp. Upon investigation, DTS reported that the loop detectors were damaged. They were able to replace the left-turn light and put the signal on default timing,” said DOT spokeswoman Shelly Kunishige.
As for ensuring that trouble calls are received, Kunishige said anyone with a concern about the condition of a state-owned roadway may contact highways maintenance as follows:
>> Hawaii island: 933-8878
>> Maui: 873-3535
>> Oahu: 831-6714 or MSWClerk@hawaii.gov
>> Kauai: 241-3000 (follow the voice prompts)
We double-checked the numbers and they all worked, answered by a live person or a recorded greeting. If you, or anyone else, are unable to get through, you may also call DOT’s Public Affairs Office at 587-2160 or email DOTPAO@hawaii.gov, Kunishige said.
Q: I see over and over in the newspaper and the Hawaii televised news about people being rescued from trails they are not supposed to trespass on in the first place. These people obviously ignore all the signs posted in the area that state “no trespassing” and that trespassers will be fined, etc. My question is, are the people who are rescued fined? If they aren’t, why not? It costs a great deal of money to help them when they have lost their way, have fallen, been injured, etc. I believe they should be fined even if they are injured as they should not be there in the first place.
A: Trespassers — even those who are injured — may be cited and fined for trespassing if they are guilty of that offense. If you are asking whether rescued hikers are assessed the cost of the emergency response, the answer is no, even if they were trespassing. Proposals to bill irresponsible parties arise periodically, but the Honolulu Fire Department, for one, opposes them.
“The Honolulu Fire Department believes that charging people for Search and Rescue (SAR) incidents can be dangerous for many reasons. When people believe that they are going to receive a large bill for a SAR mission, they may refuse or delay to call for help. Even a brief delay in initiating a SAR with worsening circumstances, such as deteriorating weather, approaching nightfall or a medical emergency, can unnecessarily compound and lengthen the mission, placing the SAR personnel and patients in danger,” said Capt. David Jenkins, an HFD spokesman.
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.
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