Surfers claim hotel workers are stealing parking stalls at Ala Moana Bowls parking lot
By ‘A’ali’i Dukelow
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HONOLULU, Hawaii (KITV) — The Ala Moana Bowls parking lot is designated specifically for beachgoers, but some surfers said they sometimes have to wait 20 minutes to park because they claim hotel workers are snagging stalls.
“There are signs here that say you can’t park more than six hours, but nobody checks,” longtime surfer Kirby Fukunaga said. “If you just enforce it, I think people would abide by the rules. But there are literally no rules here.”
Fukunaga added he understands why employees at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, as well as construction workers working at the hotel, park their cars in the lot.
“This is the last place in Waikiki you can park for free. I’d probably do the same thing. So I guess there’s like gotta try to make a balance here,” Fukunaga said.
Others, however, are upset with the trend, arguing the Hilton should provide free parking for their employees and its construction workers so they do not take up stalls in the lot.
“It’s frustrating, sometimes. Kinda angry because some of them come rushing in and they’ll just kind of drop in on a parking on you. And they’ll just give you the look like whatever, I need to go to work. And it’s like, read the sign, this is recreational parking,” surfer Solomon Kawamae said.
A spokesperson from the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) said officers with the Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement do cite violators when construction is underway at the Hilton.
Hilton Hawaiian Village sent a statement to KITV4 saying it “provides on-property parking to its employees at a nominal cost. The hotel also encourages tenants and contractors working at Hilton Hawaiian Village to park on property and take advantage of special tenant and contractor rates.”
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