Question: Why has the city stopped trash collection at Lanikai beach accesses? I was in Lanikai recently and wanted to throw away some trash and found a sign at the beach access at Haokea Drive and Mokulua Drive that stated the city would no longer maintain and pick up trash. There was no trash can and the sign said I would have to carry out any trash I had. I’ve lived in Kailua for almost 60 years and there have always been trash cans at these beach accesses.

Answer: It turns out that the city maintains only three of the beach rights of way in Lanikai and had inadvertently been placing trash cans on private access ways.

The other rights of way, including at Haokea and Mokulua, are maintained by the Lanikai Community Association, said Miles Hazama, Windward Oahu district manager for the city Department of Parks and Recreation.

The inadvertent service was discovered late last year, after the department contracted a private company to maintain its rights of way.

"At that time, we discovered that the city’s trash receptacles were also placed at the Lanikai Association’s private (rights of way)," Hazama said. "Since city resources cannot be used to maintain private property, we removed the city trash receptacles."

After that was done, he said the Lanikai Community Association placed signs at its access ways saying: "Please take all trash with you. No trash service at this beach access. City of Hono lulu will no longer pick up your trash from this area. Dumping trash at this location is a health hazard. Please keep our beaches clean. Mahalo."

Hazama said the city’s rights of ways, identified by blue signs and yellow emergency numbers, continue to have trash cans.

Beach Rights of Way

We were told in February (http://is.gd/M9lDbJ) that the Department of Parks and Recreation would be posting a list of more than 80 public beach rights of way on its website.

Turns out that was easier said than done.

"We’re working on it diligently," a parks official told us this week. But, he could not yet give a date by which the list would be posted.

The problem is a database that relies on latitudes and longitudes and general descriptions, which "is not user friendly at all."

"It’s a work in process," the official said. "We’re trying to come up with something that’s user friendly and will provide people with the information that they are looking for in a helpful way. It’s going to take us a little longer to put this thing together."

The list is tied to the city’s beach rights of way where signs were posted to help direct emergency responders to people in distress.

The plan is to post addresses, the identification numbers used by emergency responders, as well as general information.

Meanwhile, a book called "Oahu Beach Access — A Guide to Oahu’s Beaches Through the Public Rights of Way," was recently published. We’ll find out about it from co-authors Katherine Garner and Carol Kettner and pass on the information in a future column.

Mahalo

To the off-duty policewoman who assisted me and another driver after we got into an accident on the H-1 freeway about 7:55 a.m. Thursday, June 7. The accident, in the second lane heading east just past Leeward Community College, had traffic backing up during peak rush hour. The off-duty officer checked to see if anyone was hurt and, learning that no one was injured, organized getting both vehicles over to the right shoulder lane by stopping three lanes of traffic. Traffic in the second lane was backed up for a short period of time, but it could have been longer had she not been there. I didn’t get her name or badge number, but hope she’ll read this to know that her efforts were very much appreciated. You’re a credit to the badge. — Glenn Jinbo