Question: I read about HPD’s five-hour crackdown on drivers in Leeward Oahu recently, where they gave out more than 500 citations. The thing that concerns me is that they cited 60 people for not having no-fault insurance and 46 for driving without a license. Were those drivers allowed to continue driving? They should have had their cars removed until the citations were all paid and they could show proof of insurance or a license.

Answer: “The violations mentioned are subject to citation but not vehicle seizure,” said HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu.

Does that mean drivers cited for having no license or insurance card are able to just drive away?

Not if you don’t have a license, Yu said.

“Currently, HPD is able to verify whether someone has a valid driver’s license,” she said.

When a driver is cited for not having a license, he or she “is typically instructed to make arrangements for the car, whether it’s having a passenger drive, calling someone to come to the scene, parking the car or having it towed. If the person drives off and is stopped again, (he or she) could be cited again or arrested.”

On the other hand, she said, HPD does not have a way to verify whether someone has valid no-fault insurance.

“Many of the drivers who are cited for this actually have insurance but don’t have the card with them in the car,” she said. “Generally, these drivers are allowed to continue driving.”

Yu noted that there had been a legislative bill requiring insurance companies to create a database of who has insurance, but it did not pass.

The Leeward Oahu crackdown was just “part of the department’s ongoing efforts to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries,” Yu said.

Since then HPD has conducted other “Safer Streets” operations. “Enforcement is conducted islandwide at unannounced times and locations,” Yu said.

Question: Will the bathrooms at Ala Wai harbor be reopened for public use on the weekends? My family goes there to surf the breaks at Bowls, Rockpile and Kaiser’s on the weekends, and it is extremely inconvenient not having access to the bathrooms. I understand funding may be an issue, but surely there could be a feasible solution to provide restroom access for such a heavily used (by locals and tourists) area.

Answer: Funding is part of the issue, because there is no staff working weekends to open and close the restrooms, said Deborah Ward, spokeswoman for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

The other problems are vandalism and the homeless.

“Our Boating Division will not be opening the public restrooms at Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor in the near future because we do not want a repeat of the vandalism and homeless issues that were chronic there before,” Ward said.

Although DLNR on Jan. 17 began limiting use of its restrooms at the harbor to weekdays, the public is still able to access a public restroom at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, off Kahanamoku Street, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

See bit.ly/xcHcUl for more information.

MAHALO

To two kind men. On March 2 I went to NAPA in Waipahu to buy car safety locks and windshield wipers. Being that I’m short and disabled, I needed help to put on the windshield wipers. One of the employees, who was going to make a delivery, took the time to help me put on the wipers. He went beyond the call of duty. Then, I went across the street to Goodyear Tires, and the manager did not charge me to put on the locks. I had angels on my side that day. God bless each of them.

— Marlene Montiho

Marlene says she is a firm believer in that saying “What goes around, comes around.” She has been the recipient of three mahalos in “Kokua Line” for being a good Samaritan helping motorists in need, and she was thankful to be the recipient this time around.