Question: The city has placed parking meters along South King Street from Washington Middle School and, from our understanding, will continue on to University Avenue. We can accept this, since I guess every 25 cents counts. However, the meters are for one hour only! Parking on South King is generally used by people who work in the area during the day. Now we are forced to run outside every hour to feed the meters or, worse, park in the neighborhoods, taking parking away from residents. But what are we to do? Most businesses along South King do not have parking for customers, much less for employees. Why couldn’t the city ask for input before these meters were installed? Who can we contact to request the parking limit be increased to four hours? (Combination of two questions.)

Answer: The installation of the meters and the short time limit are the result of complaints from businesses along that corridor, according to Ron Lockwood, chairman of the McCully-Moiliili Neighborhood Board.

Lockwood said the board and City Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi had received numerous complaints since 2008 about long-term parking by a gas station parking cars along South King, near Wiliwili Street; about Times Supermarket employees parking on South King near Hauoli Street; about teachers from Washington Middle School parking at South King and Punahou streets; and about Longs Drugs employees parking on South King near Makahiki Way.

“Radio Shack and restaurants complained there was no parking for customers,” Lockwood said.

On Feb. 4, 2010, the city Department of Transportation Services, which had initiated a study on installing the meters, presented its findings to the board. An official with DTS said the meters would limit people from parking all day in front of businesses with already limited parking, would prevent cars from parking too close to driveways and would make it easier for police “to do enforcement.”

An occupancy study showed people parked two to three hours beyond the time limit, the official said.

“The audience and the board members seemed content with a resolution to this situation and with the city earning some revenue,” Lockwood said. “At 20 minutes for each quarter, we had twice the time as parking downtown” but still addressed the concerns of people who wanted street parking to turn over more rapidly.

However, he said that if the one-hour time limit needs to be addressed, you can bring up your concerns at the next neighborhood board meeting, which is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. May 5 at Washington Middle School.

About 76 parking meters were installed on South King between Punahou and McCully streets, and about 68 will be installed between McCully and University Avenue.

Question: Can you tell me where to take old children’s bicycles to be refurbished?

Answer: You can donate old bikes to the Kokua Kalihi Valley instructional bike program, KVIBE. Call 791-9480 or email kvibe96819@gmail.com. For more information, go to www.k-vibe.blogspot.com.

Another option: Waialua High and Intermediate School’s Workplace Readiness Class repairs old bikes and returns them to the community. Call 637-8200.

MAHALO

To Robert Weeks, for turning in our lost camera to the Hilton Hawaiian Village Lost & Found Office on April 10. We attended the Kokua for Japan concert and, before it was over, realized the camera was missing. It was my son’s camera and he was disappointed, but all ended well thanks to Mr. Weeks and the Hilton staff. Thank you and God bless!

— Anne