Q. I live on Kalaniana'ole Highway near Wailupe Circle and wonder who I can contact regarding the possibility of getting a pedestrian-activated yellow warning light at the crosswalk at the intersection of Wa'a Street and Kalani'anaole. This is the only major intersection between Kahala and Hawai'i Kai that does not have a traffic light nearby, and it is dangerous.

A. State Department of Transportation spokesman Scott Ishikawa said his office received a letter on this subject and will conduct a study of "traffic volumes and pedestrian counts" to see whether a signal is warranted there. The study is expected to be completed by the end of October, he said.

But Ishikawa said the suggestion of a pedestrian-activated yellow light or flashing lights is less likely to be adopted on this particularly busy traffic corridor. Studies find that such devices are most effective on roads where people drive at low speeds and on roads traveled by fewer cars, he said.

One of the reasons those warning lights don't work as well on busy thoroughfares is that pedestrians tend to expect that drivers will stop, which doesn't necessarily happen in the rush-rush real world. "This creates a false sense of security for the pedestrians," Ishikawa said.

Q. We have a problem on Heulu Street in Makiki with a man who uses the public street as his personal garage, with six to eight cars always parked in the same place. He works on old cars and parks the rest outside.

I have reported this for five months. Sometimes, police will mark the car with an orange marker, which the man promptly rubs off. The police asked me to meet the officer down on the street but I don't want the man to know me and my car.

This is so unfair since parking is at a premium for all of us. I pay someone else $50 to rent a stall at our building.

A. Police Capt. Frank Fujii said problems like yours do crop up in many neighborhoods. And it can be frustrating where parking is scarce. But police must follow the law and mark the car and go back to see if it's still in the same place the next day. "If it shows that the car was moved, then there's nothing we can do," Fujii said.

He said you can call police if the neighbor does repair work on the street because that's illegal (other than emergency repairs).

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