BUREAUCRACY BUSTER

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

Q. Is it legal for motorcycles and mopeds to go between the lanes of traffic when the road is backed up with cars, especially at stop lights?

A. Honolulu Police Sgt. Clyde Yamashiro said it is not legal. State law bans drivers from operating a motorcycle between lanes of traffic or rows of vehicles. He said the law also specifically states that "the operator of a motorcycle shall not overtake and pass in the same lane occupied by the vehicle being overtaken."

For mopeds, Yamashiro said the law says drivers "shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable, exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction."

Q. Can nonpolice motorcyclists drive in the emergency lane of the freeway when all the other lanes are choked with traffic, such as during rush hour?

A. Yamashiro said non-emergency vehicles are not authorized to travel in the emergency lane but can only be driven on roadways designed for traffic.

Q. Every workday, I drive the H-3 from Kane'ohe to Pearl Harbor and back. As I approach the tunnels there is a sign that prohibits all explosives except for the military. I see gasoline trucks going through these tunnels. Are these tankers not considered explosive?

A. State Department of Transportation spokesman Scott Ishikawa said gasoline tanker trucks are not classified as explosives under state safety regulations.

"Although they do contain combustible fuels, neither the tanker trucks nor the gasoline meet the definition of an explosive as a chemically unstable or energetic material that can undergo a sudden and violent release of pressure and heat," Ishikawa said. That's because gasoline is flammable but chemically stable, he said.

Ishikawa said the H-3 Freeway is one of three Interstate and Defense Highways in Hawai'i, connecting Pearl Harbor and Hickam Air Force Base with the Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kane'ohe.

That means the H-3 tunnels are designed with safety features to reduce damage and loss of life by vehicle crashes, fire or explosive force including heat detectors, exhaust fans, carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, emergency call and fire boxes, and video cameras.

Also, the 16.1-mile-long span of the H-3 is monitored around the clock from the traffic center.

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.

Write to:

The Bureaucracy Buster
The Honolulu Advertiser
605 Kapi'olani Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96813

E-mail: buster@honoluluadvertiser.com

Phone: 535-2454 and leave a message. Be sure to give us your name and daytime telephone number in case we need more information.