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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Thursday, January 27, 2005

BUREAUCRACY BUSTER

Four-hour limit for big vehicle

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

Q. I work in the Mapunapuna area where there are many trucking businesses, and every morning we are faced with these on-street parking hogs. You know, the companies that park their 40- to 45-foot containers on the streets, taking up most, if not all, of the on-street parking that is available to other business's employees. Most company parking lots offer very limited availability as it is, but having these trucking companies park these containers, sometimes for most of the workday, forces us to have to park at times up to a block away. Isn't there some kind of time limit on commercial on-street parking?

A. There are limits to parking commercial vehicles of a certain size, according to the Honolulu Police Department. Officer Byron Anaya said large commercial vehicles — those that weigh 10,000 pounds or more or stretch 20 feet or more bumper to bumper — may be parked on a public street for a time "not to exceed four hours."

That means smaller vehicles are allowed to park for up to 24 hours in one spot, he said. Anaya said complaints from the Mapunapuna area last month cleared up after a company in the area moved its vehicles to a new storage lot.

When neighbors see cars that are parked for days at a time or large commercial vehicles that are exceeding the legal limit, Anaya advises them to call police.

Q. Our neighbor parks two to four of his commercial touring vans on our street, usually moving them once during the day, but he stores them on the street at night. Is there a law restricting parking commercial vehicles on residential streets?

A. If the vehicles weigh less than 10,000 pounds or are less than 20 feet long, then they may be parked on the street for up to 24 hours, said HPD officer Anaya. If they're bigger, the four-hour limit applies.

Q. My neighbor is doing renovation on his house and parked a trash bin on the street in front of my house and his. Did he need a permit to do this? Is there a time limit for how long it can be there?

A. Your neighbor can arrange to have such a container on the street but it needs to be included in the construction or building permit, Anaya said. If you can't find out from your neighbor directly, then you can call 911 and say you want to make a traffic or parking complaint about the obstruction on your road, he said.

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