Question: I was looking for street parking on Campbell Avenue near the corner of Monsarrat Avenue and thought I found a spot. However, a sign said, “Trolley Stop.” Is it legal to park at a trolley stop, or is that like a city bus stop, where no parking is permitted?
Answer: If the “Trolley Stop” sign is by itself, there’s nothing preventing you from parking there.
“You can’t park at a bus stop,” said Honolulu Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Yu. “But if it’s just a trolley stop and not a bus stop, cars will not be cited for parking at the stop.”
However, they could be cited if there is another violation involved, such as parking within four feet of a driveway, she said.
“Anyone is free to park there,” confirmed Mark Garrity, deputy director of the city Department of Transportation Services, which mounted the “Trolley Stop” sign on Campbell.
“The stop on Campbell Avenue was established by the trolley companies several years ago, as it is next to a coffee shop (Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf) popular with tourists,” he explained.
The sign initially was on private property, but the city recently agreed to mount it on a signpost on the sidewalk.
“We believe this is the only situation where there is a stand-alone trolley stop not co-located with a bus stop, pull-out or no-parking zone,” Garrity said.
Nearby, on Monsarrat Avenue, a “Trolley Stop” sign is mounted below a “Bus Stop” sign, with the names of four companies. The sign on Campbell Avenue had the name of only one company.
Garrity said the DTS staff works with private trolley operators to place the stops in safe and convenient locations on city streets.
“Existing designated passenger loading zones, tour bus loading zones, bus stops or loading bays are utilized where possible,” he said.
The companies provide their own logo stickers, per DTS specifications and approval, to let people know which trolleys stop at each location.
DTS does not charge any fees. However, Garrity said the companies are required to fill out an application form and submit a copy of their Public Utilities Commission license and a “Regular Route Certificate.”
Requests for new signs or to add or delete logo stickers on existing signs have to be approved by DTS. Changes are made at the company’s expense, Garrity said.
Question: I remember when the Nike store would collect old shoes to recycle the rubber for playgrounds. Is there any place in town that will take old shoes or slippers for recycling?
Answer: The Converse store at Waikele Premium Outlets, 94-790 Lumiaina St., accepts unwearable athletic shoes with rubber soles and ships them to the mainland as part of the Nike Reuse-a-Shoe campaign.
Just toss them into the bin at the front of the store, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.
Not accepted: slippers, sandals, boots, shoes with cleats or steel toes. If the shoes are wearable, you’re asked to donate them to charity.
Converse, an affiliate of Nike, began serving as a collection point for the shoes after NikeTown closed in Waikiki in 2009.
Every week, it ships 60 or more pairs of shoes to Nike’s facility in Memphis, Tenn., where they are ground down to create a material called Nike Grind and used to make “high-quality sports surfaces” including courts, turf fields and tracks.
Mahalo
To Jason, who works for the Board of Water Supply. He found my daughter’s iPod outside our friend’s home and called me. I was unable to meet him, so he left it with our friend. My daughter asked me to get his address so she could mail him a thank-you card. Jason graciously declined any card or reward. May good fortune bless you a hundred times over for your good deed. — Grateful
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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.
