Honolulu City Council to hear ‘Restricted Parking Zone’ bill

HONOLULU (KHON2) — The city is looking to address parking issues in congested neighborhoods through a restricted parking zone program. 

Portions of Kalihi Valley is the only area on the island that is currently using a pilot program to limit parking to neighborhood residents and some guests, the Honolulu City Council is now looking to make that pilot program a permanent one and expand it.

Some of the biggest headaches for Honolulu residents could come from simply trying to find parking. 

Kapahulu resident Nick Tsamis said, “Sometimes it can be a pain, you know when the streets are super busy… it’s kind of a crapshoot.”

There are street signs all over a Kalihi Valley neighborhood not allowing people to park on the street from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. without a city-issued parking permit. 

Brandon Baniaga said parking used to be so limited, people from outside the neighborhood used to take up their spaces. He has noticed improvements ever since the pilot program was introduced.

Baniaga said, “You get one or two that stop by and still park, but then our neighbors are good about calling the cops.”

Cars parked without a permit run the risk of being cited. The program is now going through the Honolulu City Council process to make it a permanent program. 

Residents who need street parking would pay $50 a year for one car, and a second car would cost an additional $100.

Honolulu City Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam introduced the bill. He said, “But if you have a third or fourth car, it’s going to be $150 or $200, so we want to make it fair if  you’re using more of the street.”

Dos Santos-Tam said they would like to limit the program to four cars but residents could apply for an exemption. He said this is a program that could be applied in other neighborhoods. 

Dos Santos-Tam said, “This is really for these neighborhoods where there’s a particular attractant that brings a lot of outside vehicles in all day and they compete with the neighbors in that neighborhood.”

Kalihi Valley resident Rob Tyrkas said he opposed the program when it was first introduced because he was unable to get an additional parking permit. He paid a couple of hundred bucks in parking citations.

Tyrkas said, “It’s affecting the people that live here, people who live here shouldn’t be paying, shouldn’t be paying $35 a parking ticket just because they are parking on the street they live on.”

On the other hand, the restricted parking zone proposal would allow the City to return no more than 50% of the permit fees collected in the form of public transportation fares to those who do not use street parking. 

Dos Santos-Tam said, “This is to help incentivize people to use the bus, use the rail, especially in these neighborhoods where parking is at a premium.”

The bill will be heard at Tuesday’s City Council transportation committee meeting.