Q. I catch the bus in Makaha at about 4:30 on weekday mornings along with a lot of other people who commute to work daily. We frequently see cars drag-racing at speeds of 80 and 100 mph. We never see a patrol car even though the police station is just two miles down the road. With that many people waiting in the dark, this seems very dangerous. Why does this go on?

A. After he got your complaint, Honolulu Police Capt. Mitch Kiyuna said he realizes that speeding can be a problem in the area and he understands your concern. He said he reminded officers this week to make more frequent checks of the area.

He said police sometimes are not there because they are responding to other calls, even at that hour. "We get calls for services all hours of the day, sometimes for arguments and other cases," he said, such as when people get up and find their car burglarized or stolen.

Q. I live in Kailua along Kupau Street and have noticed that a number of cars in the area park with the tail end hanging out in the street. That means you have to walk in the street to get around them. Isn't that illegal?

A. Yes, it is a violation of city ordinance, according to acting Capt. Dennis Yuen of the Kane'ohe police station. He said patrol officers responded to your complaint along the block you mentioned and found one car in violation.

Yuen said they issued a citation and that beat officers will look in on the area periodically. The ordinance that makes it illegal is "obstruction to public sidewalk."

Q. I've still got that blue recycling can from the city, but it's empty because they've never told us what to do with it. When are they going to do something with them?

A. That's a question that Mayor Mufi Hannemann has been considering. The city had hoped to begin a curbside pickup of recyclable containers during the summer and gradually add on households across O'ahu, but a legal challenge stopped the process.

Hannemann said he's awaiting word from city attorneys on the court challenge but feels that the way is clear to begin the program once that hurdle has been cleared. Earlier, the United Public Workers union, which represents refuse workers, had protested the plan, but he said those concerns were addressed. "There's no problem with the union," he said last week.

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Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.