Question: I am a regular commuter along the Pearl Harbor bike path. It is a shame what portions of it look like now, with homeless camps, garbage piled high and mopeds coming at you. Although signs clearly say, "no motorized vehicles," mopeds run up and down the path. I see the same people every day around 6 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Can anyone please take the initiative to clean up this pathway and make it a pleasant biking/walking/jogging trail for families? Second, can law enforcement start issuing citations to moped offenders? It is a safety issue when a moped comes at you 20 to 30 mph on a bike path. This is a historic trail that is not representative of the beauty of Hawaii.
Answer: The homeless camp, trash and moped riders are long-standing problems along the bike path, also known as the Pearl Harbor Historic Trail.
We addressed the moped problem in 2014, and was told by the Honolulu Police Department that patrol officers, as well as officers from the District 3 (Pearl City) Community Policing team, regularly check the bike path.
Because the path extends about 6 miles, it helped when HPD obtained two all-terrain vehicles that year, allowing officers to make more frequent checks of longer stretches.
Officers on ATVs are continuing to monitor the bike path for moped use, HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu said recently. During a recent week, three citations were issued to moped riders, she said.
Whenever you see a violator, you are advised to call 911, providing a location and a description of the mopeds, if possible.
Meanwhile, the situation along the bike path is "of great concern," said Ross Sasamura, director of the city Department of Facility Maintenance.
The problem is that there are not enough resources to adequately deal with maintenance problems.
Sasamura explained, also in 2014, that the department periodically cleans nearby drainage ditches, but relied on the community’s help to rid the area of trash. (See bit.ly/1F66vnP.)
That remains the situation today.
"Due to limited resources and increasing maintenance and repair needs in Leeward Oahu," Sasamura said recently, Facility Maintenance continues to welcome help from the Aiea, Pearl City and Waipahu communities, along with other interested groups, to organize and participate in cleaning the bike path and abutting areas.
He cited state Sen. Breene Harimoto and City Councilman Brandon Elefante as supporting community service projects there.
"We greatly appreciate the dedication, commitment and pride volunteers demonstrate by assisting with the maintenance, preservation and revitalization of this valuable community asset," Sasamura said.
He said other interested volunteer groups can call 768-3343 for information.
Question: We have been visiting Hawaii for a few weeks and went to the Ka•pio•lani Park Bandstand to listen to the Royal Hawaiian Band and watch the hula dancers. We were shocked at the disgraceful condition of the chairs and benches, which were covered in bird poop. Obviously, the birds are going to do this, but it doesn’t look like the seats had been cleaned for a long time. Who is responsible for this? The seating needs to be cleaned, especially with such a good band.
Answer: The chairs and benches at Kapiolani Park Bandstand are cleaned every Friday in anticipation of weekend events, according to the Department of Parks and Recreation.
But it’s hard to keep up with Mother Nature.
The birds are prolific in their "activities," particularly in the shaded areas, said Parks Director Michele Nekota. She said parks staff will continue to clean the seats as close to the time of upcoming events as possible.
Mahalo
To the clerks at the Pearlridge satellite city hall, where I went to renew my license. It was so pleasant to go to an office where everyone is courteous and more than willing to help. — Grateful Senior/Mililani Mauka
Write to "Kokua Line" at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu, HI 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
