Lime leaves the streets, for now

Lime might seem a charming concept, with its perky green scooters, but the thought of them lying about on Honolulu sidewalks, wherever? Not so charming.

At the very least, that’s what the mayor thought. Lime executives announced on Friday, after pressure from the city, that it was yanking its scooters-for-hire business for now.

Whether or not it accepted the city’s assertion that the vehicles qualified as mopeds, the company retrieved its confiscated scooters and beat a hasty retreat. About 4,000 rides were bought in a one-week run. Will that revenue entice Lime to attempt re-entry? Stay tuned.

Mayor defends Chinatown bulb-outs

Mayor Kirk Caldwell has rightly vetoed a bill that would have blocked bulb-outs, essentially curbside extensions, from making even a trial appearance at five Chinatown locations. To comply with the city’s Complete Streets ordinance, which stresses moving away from streets designed with the singular focus on automobiles, pilot programs should be carried out and carefully evaluated; the city wants two more months on a bulb-out pilot now underway.

Chinatown’s grid of tightly connected streets, which took shape a century ago, would seem a good fit for the ordinance. So far, though, while supporters say bulb-outs make crossings safer, opponents say they do little more than get in the way of everyday business.