By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Staff Writer

Q: While driving downtown recently, someone pointed out to me that one of my car's tires was low on air. I went to three gas stations before I found one that had compressed air available for customers. Since having properly inflated tires is essential for safe driving, aren't gas stations required to make compressed air available?

A: Full-service stations and garages that work on cars usually have air available, but not all self-service stations do.

The Department of Agriculture regulates gas pumps to ensure they measure fuel correctly and to ensure octane ratings are met, and the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs regulates most businesses. Neither has a requirement for providing compressed air.

Q: We have been parking at Cobb-Adams Road, in Kane'ohe, for 14 years. Many employees, visitors or tenants from different businesses and residential buildings in the area park there. Last November, police began ticketing cars there, and then someone posted a "No Parking" sign on a streetlight pole. People just disregard the sign and park there anyway. So is it OK to park there or what?

A: No. There is a parking restriction along the western side of Cobb-Adams Road, from Lilipuna Road for a distance of 460 feet in the southerly direction, according to Vicki Borges, executive assistant to Mayor Jeremy Harris. The restriction was installed at the request of Cobb-Adams Road residents because of traffic safety concerns. HPD should be contacted for enforcement, Borges said. A sergeant with the Kane'ohe police substation said officers will issue tickets in response to complaints but don't have the personnel to check the area routinely.

Q: Are there laws against property owners who block sidewalks with huge permanent shrubs/hedges, plants or other items that force pedestrians to use dangerous streets as a pathway? If so, whom do I call?

A: Call the Residential Code Enforcement Branch of the city Department of Planning and Permitting at 527-6308 for complaints involving obstructions along sidewalks.

Do you ever get frustrated or confused trying to navigate the various layers of government? Are you looking for an answer to a simple question but can't figure out where to start? If you have a question or a problem and need help getting to the right person, you can reach The Bureaucracy Buster one of three ways:

• E-mail: buster@honoluluadvertiser.com

• Phone: 535-2454 and leave a message.

Be sure to give us your name and daytime telephone number.