Men on lawn chairs in shade not on break, but in training

QUESTION: Nearly every day at approximately 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Moanalua Recreation Center, the Freeway Service Patrol is there with at least two tow trucks. They cone off the entire area beneath the overpass and sit on their lawn chairs. I assume it is their lunch break. But for many others who used to enjoy lunch there, this is no longer possible. Is this coning legitimate?

ANSWER: The Freeway Service Patrol drivers were not on lunch breaks, but in training sessions approved by the state Department of Transportation.

These training sessions for new drivers take place twice a year for about two weeks each time, a spokesman said.

A road usage permit was obtained to cone off road shoulders beneath the Puuloa Road overpass to provide enough space for the tow trucks and a practice tow vehicle, he said. "The road itself was not blocked."

Drivers sat in lawn chairs while receiving non-towing-related instructions, such as for logging incidents.

Following each "real-world assist" by the patrol, drivers are instructed to log the incident data "for quality control purposes to improve the program," the spokesman said. They are trained to return to their trucks for safety, to minimize hazards posed by vehicles driving by at freeway speeds, then enter the data on tablets before leaving the scene.

In the future, signs saying "Training in Progress" will be posted during these sessions to inform the public, he said.

In its first five years of operation, the DOT said, the Freeway Service Patrol assisted more than 44,000 motorists: 11,000 tows, 10,000 flat tires, 5,700 empty gas tanks, 4,600 accidents and 3,700 overheated engines, among many other types of incidents.

QUESTION: You had a Kokua Line article about police cars in Kailua parking in front of the police station while they built a new parking area. They now have two new parking areas on the side and behind the station, but police cars still are double-parking. When are they going to get off the street?

ANSWER: Construction has not yet been completed on an expanded parking lot for the Kailua police station.

Officers are continuing to park their marked and subsidized vehicles on Kuulei Road to allow the public to use the lot during construction, said HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu.

The lot will have 58 stalls, 28 more than previously. It is expected to accommodate all police vehicles.

The project was given the go-ahead in October 2013 and was expected to be completed earlier this year.

However, several issues arose during construction, putting the expected completion date now at Jan. 16, said Mark Yonamine, deputy director of the city Department of Design and Construction.

Among the problems: The existing electrical meter for the station had to be relocated. But before Hawaiian Electric Co. could do so, the original building permit had to be modified and re-approved.

Workers then found deteriorated utility lines, which had to be replaced, as well as an unknown abandoned cesspool that had to be closed under Department of Health standards.

With all the change orders, the cost of the project is just under $936,000.

MAHALO

To the alert, caring young lady in a green top waiting at the Kuala Street/Acacia Road intersection in Pearl City. She gently deterred an elder gentleman from crossing Kuala, pointing out that the traffic signal at the busy intersection was about to turn. He smiled his thanks, as he wouldn’t have had enough time to safely cross. — Heart-warmed Observer

AUWE

To the couple who had their German shepherd with them on the Koko Head hike around 8 a.m. on a recent Sunday. Beautiful dog, nasty pile of fresh, wet poop waiting for us at the top. Let’s keep Koko Head beautiful for all of us to enjoy. — Nature Lover

MAHALO

To the HPD motorcycle officer who stood next to a dog on the H-1 freeway, just before the Red Hill cutoff heading east, around 7:40 one morning. I hope the dog was OK. It was heartwarming to see the officer watching over this poor dog. — Appreciative Driver

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