Question: I parked in the metered public parking under the state Capitol building on Saturday, Oct. 27. Signs state that parking there is allowed Monday through Saturday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a four-hour maximum. I paid for four hours and went away. I came back at 5:45 p.m., but the entrance was blocked with a drop-down grill. I saw a security officer inside and asked him to open the grill so that I could get my car out. He refused. He said that my car was going to be towed because parking was not allowed on Saturday. I told him what the signs said. He said that they were wrong and should be changed. Long story short, he finally opened the grill after putting me through some humiliating pleading and let me out, but said, "See the sign over the entrance: Restricted Parking! Everybody knows that the government doesn’t work on Saturdays, so the parking lot is closed." This is nonsense. Who do I contact?
Answer: We contacted both the state Department of Accounting and General Services, which oversees the parking lot at the state Capitol, and the Department of Public Safety, which provides security there.
Signs posted until recently admittedly were outdated, and public parking on Saturdays should not have been allowed.
But "the sign says what it says" when you parked at the Capitol; therefore, you should have been accommodated until 6 p.m., said DAGS spokesman Robin Yahiku.
Deputy sheriffs assigned to the Capitol have been following "new business hours" that have been in place for the past year, said Public Safety spokeswoman Toni Schwartz.
Those hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays — weekends and holidays closed, she said.
Based on your complaint, public safety officials contacted DAGS and were told that the signs were changed, on Nov. 9, to say public parking is from Monday through Friday except holidays.
The signs could be more definitive, to say parking is not allowed on weekends, if that’s the case.
However, Yahiku noted that there needs to be flexibility with public parking on weekends, especially when there are special events or when the Legislature is in session.
And Schwartz said that legislators did ask that the parking garage be open on weekends during the election season for certain functions, to accommodate volunteers and others who do not have parking passes.
However, "usually they don’t have the gate open" on weekends, she said.
If you still want to follow through with a complaint against the guard, you can call Sheriff Shawn Tsuha at 587-2648 or 587-2640.
Auwe
To politicians who still have their signs and political banners up. They need to have them removed already. If not, they should be fined, and the money should go to nonprofit organizations or to feed the needy during the holidays. It’s ridiculous that they can post these signs everywhere but not be responsible enough to take them down. — Jerry
There is no law restricting when political signs can be posted and when they have to be taken down, because they’re protected constitutionally as free speech.
The Outdoor Circle has long advocated setting time limits on the posting of campaign signs, in the past saying having them removed within 10 days of an election is reasonable. It recommends calling the candidates directly to complain about lingering signs.
Or call The Outdoor Circle at 593-0300 and "we’ll discuss the options," said Bob Loy, director of environmental programs. "In most cases a quick phone call or email to the candidate will suffice."
He noted that most signs for major candidates are gone, "but inexplicably, there are some exceptions."
"We encourage all campaigns to put forth their best effort to remove their signs and restore the beauty of our communities," Loy 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.
