City lifts Ala Wai parking restrictions
By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser
To the pleasant surprise of Waikiki residents, the city has quietly dropped all parking restrictions along a mile-long stretch of Ala Wai Boulevard next to the canal.
The city has removed signs prohibiting parking along the Ala Wai Canal in the mornings and afternoons. At one point the city had planned to turn the lane into a bike path, but that proposal was killed.
The decision means that hundreds of Waikiki residents will no longer have to rush out every morning and afternoon to move their vehicles from what was a weekday tow-away zone.
"It's a good change," said Waikiki resident Michael Peters, ruefully recalling the day his car was towed from the area when he overslept.
On Tuesday, workers began taking down signs that banned morning and afternoon parking from the Kapahulu end of the canal to Pau Street, said city spokeswoman Carol Costa. The change was made in response to long-standing requests from residents for more parking in the area, she said.
At one time, the city administration planned to replace the free parking places with an expanded bike path and promenade along the canal. Money for that project, however, was killed by the City Council earlier this year.
"The change will make a lot of residents happy," said Councilman Charles Djou, who represents the area. "I've been asking for this for a long time. There are always complaints about the shortage of parking in the area."
While the change is good news for residents, it could create problems for workers and visitors looking for a parking spot. Because drivers won't have to move their car every day, some residents may choose to have their cars sit in the same spot for days at a time, meaning there will be less turnover for others.
"On Saturdays and Sundays, when there are no restrictions, it's a lot harder to find a parking spot," Peters said. "I'm a little concerned that the same thing could start happening on the weekdays now."
For years, residents along Ala Wai have had to play a shell game with too many cars and limited parking spaces for them, Peters said.
"It takes a practiced eye to be on the lookout for a space or someone pulling out," he said. "It took me a couple of months after moving here to get the hang of it."
Peters said he's also concerned that the stretch along Ala Wai could become a dumping space for abandoned cars.
"If it turns out to be more of a problem, we can always look at other solutions," Djou said. "Right now though, I think it's a great idea. Let's just see how it works out."
Waikiki residents had been strongly opposed to using the lane of parking spaces for an expanded bikeway, Djou said. They also are upset about city projects that are converting parking spaces to planted areas on several side streets in the area, he said.
"They're all in favor or beautification, but not at the expense of parking," he said.
Reach Mike Leidemann at 525-5460 or mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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