Question: My fiance and I are visiting my family in Kaneohe. In the first three days we were here, we received two parking tickets on the same street near a bus stop. I have photos that show one car parking closer to the bus stop than I parked, before the stop, and another one that shows a car parked after the bus stop, next to a driveway, where I also parked. There seems to be enough space for a bus. I got ticketed, but neither of those two cars had tickets. The problem is, there are no markings on the curb as to exactly where the bus stop zone is. So how do we know how far away we should be?

Answer: Section 15-15.4 the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu says no person shall stop or park a vehicle, other than an authorized bus, in an officially designated and signed bus stop.

However, the Honolulu Traffic Code does not address how close to a bus stop you can and cannot park, said Michael Formby, director of the city Department of Transportation Services.

The rationale for not having that specified in the Traffic Code is because the space needed often depends on where a bus stop is and the roadway design, he said. Also, "DTS attempts to minimize the ‘no parking’ zone to maximize on-street parking for the community."

The latter is the situation on Hui Iwa Street, as we’ll explain later.

Formby explained that as a standard practice, DTS requests that its sister agency, the Department of Facility Maintenance, paint curbs along bus stops red. Such red-curb areas are determined by DTS based on the road design. (The city long ago stopped painting curbs red for general no-parking areas, with bus stops being the exception.)

The other bus stop designation is the use of "No Parking Begin" and "No Parking End" signs.

"Parking on the red curb or within the ‘no parking’ signs is illegal," Formby said. "The bus stop signs typically include ‘no parking’ symbols on them as well, although they do not specify the prohibited distance from the sign."

He explained that the intent of the "no parking" restriction is to allow the bus to approach the curb to load and unload passengers, allowing them to alight off the roadway.

"This is particularly important for the disabled," Formby said.

Hui Iwa Street

In 2013, DTS was ready to proceed with a sign-and-red-curb plan for bus stops along Hui Iwa Street, to define the areas where vehicles were prohibited from parking.

It began implementing that idea at one bus stop but was met with community resistance, Formby said. He noted that Hui Iwa Street has many driveways, intersections and bus stops, which cumulatively means there’s not a lot of on-street parking for the community.

In response, Formby said, he attended a meeting of the Kahaluu Neighborhood Board in April 2013 to present DTS’ plan and discuss the community’s concerns.

At that time the neighborhood board wanted to decide how to resolve the potential loss of significant on-street parking, which could include a community decision to remove some of the bus stops along the loop.

"In return, DTS agreed to a moratorium on red curbing or signage pending feedback from the community," Formby said. At last check, DTS was still awaiting community consensus.

Mahalo

To the lifeguards at Sandy Beach. I took my two young grandsons there, and as soon as we sat down, a young man approached us to ask if we were going swimming. My grandsons immediately responded, "No way," having been told emphatically not to go near the water. This young lifeguard diplomatically explained to the boys that perhaps when they were older they could enjoy the waves there, but for now to just enjoy being at the beach. It was amazing to see that the lifeguards are aware of everything happening, not only in the water, but to avert potentially dangerous situations. Thank you for keeping our beaches safe. — Grateful Grandma

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