Question: Is the state Department of Transportation going to allow “right turn on red” again at Hobron Lane and Ala Moana Boulevard? Traffic is a mess there, especially during morning rush hour. Changes they made a few months ago jam cars up. I saw road workers out again now, which I hope means they are relenting.
Answer: No. The “no right turn on red” restriction remains in place at Ala Moana Boulevard and Hobron Lane, although the DOT is making other changes designed to maintain safety and improve traffic flow — perhaps that’s the roadwork you saw.
Crews began sign installations and striping work last week, for changes to makai/southbound Hobron Lane as it approaches Ala Moana Boulevard, according to a DOT news release issued Friday. The changes, which were expected to be completed Monday, include:
>> Allowing right turns from both lanes (on green). This “will allow additional clearance for vehicles from southbound Hobron Lane onto westbound Ala Moana Boulevard,” the DOT said. The “no right turn on red” restriction will remain in place.
>> Extending the peak-hours tow-away zone about 100 feet to the driveway of the parking lot on the right side of Hobron Lane. Peak hours are Monday through Friday from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., when vehicles parked in the expanded zone will be towed.
The DOT changed this intersection to an “all-pedestrian” phase crossing in November to reduce vehicle and pedestrian conflicts. It later prohibited right-on-red at this intersection and several others along the Ala Moana Boulevard corridor. The changes upset many motorists, but the DOT says they have improved pedestrian safety.
The DOT says to submit concerns about traffic or pedestrian signals on state routes to DOTPAO@hawaii.gov or 808-587-2160.
Q: Did I miss the mayor’s town hall? I want to talk to him about Wilikina Drive in Wahiawa. Somehow they never finish paving it all the way. Also, it is overgrown, and there’s a homeless camp that gets pretty bad.
A: No, you haven’t missed your chance to speak up. Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s series of town hall meetings is scheduled to begin tonight in Ewa Beach and continue for the next 10 weeks throughout the island. The meeting you’ll want to attend is scheduled for 7 p.m. April 6 at Mililani High School, for the communities of Mililani and Wahiawa.
Tonight’s meeting, for the communities of Kapolei, Makakilo, Ewa Beach and Ewa, is set to begin at 7 p.m. at Ewa Makai Middle School.
For the full schedule of community meetings, see oneoahu.org/townhall.
Q: I am noticing more of those red-light cameras around town. Do they enforce illegal turns as well?
A: No, Oahu’s red-light cameras are used to enforce “straight-through” violations, and will be limited to that for the duration of the two-year pilot project, the state Department of Transportation has said. The cameras, which catch vehicles running red lights, are active for tickets or warnings at six Honolulu intersections, and are being installed or will be installed at four more intersections, according to the DOT.
Auwe
Auwe to our Kailua church neighbor whose 7:30 a.m. Sunday rehearsals wake us with booming amplified bass drumming. We’ve asked them to begin later or lower the drum volume, to no avail. More recently the church has added insult to injury by hosting an additional congregation whose Sunday afternoon celebrations includes even louder bass drumming. Try having the “Staying Alive” beat pounding through your little house where there’s nowhere to escape. So much for the quaint notions of “Love thy neighbor” or Sunday being a day of rest. — Sleepless in Kailua
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
