Dear Mahatma: I was driving into the Big Rock [I-430 and I-630] exchange at night and found it dark and dangerous. About a dozen light towers appeared to be ready but weren't illuminated. It seems that with all the lane shifts, barricades and barrels, lighting up the roadway would be a priority. Why hasn't the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department switched on the lights? -- Mike
Dear Mike: David Nilles, a spokesman for the Highway Department, explained.
Seven old lights were taken down and 16 have been erected, from Shackleford Road east to Baptist Medical Center. Three are 100 feet tall; the others 150 feet.
New wiring had to be installed because some of the copper wiring was stolen. The solution? Aluminum wiring.
The plan is to turn on the first lights in a few months, with all of them on early in 2015.
Dear Mahatma: I use a power chair and we may buy a carrier for the rear of our minivan. The carrier that best suits our needs would obscure the license plate when the chair is in place and also when the chair is off the carrier and the latter is folded flat. We'd also use a cover on the chair while in transport, similar to a barbecue grill cover. What laws apply to obscuring a license plate? -- Beckie
Dear Beckie: The applicable statute is Arkansas Code Annotated 27-14-716. Let's review.
A license plate has to be securely fastened in a horizontal position, it shall not swing, and has to be at least 12 inches from the ground measuring from the bottom of the plate. And ... "in a place and position to be clearly visible and shall be maintained free from foreign materials and in a condition to be clearly legible."
No mention of barbecue grills, or chair carriers, but a cover on a plate that makes it difficult to read or reduces the reflective properties of the plate is a no-no.
No statute can cover every contingency, as we have learned here over the years. As such, Bill Sadler of the Arkansas State Police said, officer discretion comes into play.
"After-market additions to a motor vehicle may lead to a traffic stop by police," Sadler said, "but it will be up to the law enforcement officer to consider the totality of the circumstances associated with the addition of equipment to the vehicle to determine whether there is cause for a violator citation to be issued."
Dear Mahatma: I'm pretty sure your recent question about parking was in reference to pickups and trailers rather than riding mowers. Our lawn crew is pretty considerate but others park haphazardly. -- Jan
Dear Jan: It's possible that question was misinterpreted. It's been said that when God was passing out the brains, The Mahatma was in line at the mess hall.
The answer is the same. Call Little Rock's nonemergency number, 311, and ask for enforcement.
Vanity plate seen on an orange Honda Fit: CLWNCAR.
Vanity plate seen on a black Corvette: 2WICKED.
Mahatma@arkansasonline.com
Metro on 06/14/2014