Question: There’s a sign on Lunalilo Home Road that says 29% of drivers stop for pedestrians. Who installed this sign and how do they know? Are there cameras or sensors there?
Answer: Signs on both sides of Lunalilo Home Road near Kaumakani Street in Hawaii Kai were installed last week by Honolulu’s Department of Transportation Services as part of an islandwide effort encouraging drivers to let pedestrians cross streets safely. No, there aren’t cameras or sensors — DTS collected the data in “staged crossings” that strictly followed state law and allowed motorists ample distance to stop for a crossing pedestrian, an official said. In these traffic studies, one staffer tried to cross the street while another recorded motorists’ reactions.
This intersection had the worst yield rate of nine across Oahu where traffic studies were conducted and signs installed as part of the Oahu Vision Zero program, which aims to boost traffic safety. The motorist yield rates at the other intersections ranged from 36% to 68%. About 40 staged crossings were done at each of the intersections, said Daniel Alexander, Vision Zero’s project manager.
Staff will periodically repeat the traffic studies and update the signs, although it won’t be weekly, he said. The hope is that drivers will notice the signs and be more mindful about letting pedestrians cross, he said. The effort is educational for now, although enforcement may follow.
Signs also were posted on California Avenue near Makani Avenue in Wahiawa (where 68% of drivers stopped for crossing pedestrians); Kailua Road near Hoolai Street in Kailua (64%); Kapolei Parkway near Kunehi Street in Kapolei (44%); Moanalua Road near Ualo Street in Waimalu (60%); North King Street near Harvey Lane in Kalihi (55%); Punchbowl Street near Miller Street in Honolulu (64%); Renton Road near Pahika Street in Ewa (55%); and University Avenue near Kuilei Street in Moiliili (36%), according to DTS.
The city chose busy intersections that have marked crosswalks, no traffic lights and a history of problems. Future safety measures are planned at each of the intersections, such as pedestrian crossing islands, beacons or raised crosswalks, but those structures will take time to install, Alexander said.
The Vision Zero project is developing an action plan to eliminate fatalities and severe injuries on Oahu’s roadways and increase “safe, healthy and equitable transportation choices for all,” its website says. Alexander welcomes public input and encouraged readers to check out resources at honolulu.gov/completestreets/visionzero, where they can share their experiences and suggestions. Pedestrians are disproportionately affected by crashes islandwide, data on the website shows.
Q: I thought the Pearlridge satellite city hall dropped their early hours, but I see appointments on AlohaQ. Is this a mistake?
A: No. The Pearlridge satellite city hall restored its usual 9-to-5 business hours July 3, but the first hour is by appointment only and customers are escorted in and out of the mall.
“Customers with appointments between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. must enter the site from the top level monorail entrance of Pearlridge Center off Moanalua Road, where they will be greeted and escorted to their appointment by satellite city hall staff. Once their transaction is completed, customers with appointments between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. will also be escorted out of the mall by satellite city hall staff,” according to Honolulu’s Department of Customer Services, which announced the restored hours last month.
No standby or walk-in express line services are allowed from 9 to 10 a.m.
The satellite is located within the mall, which opens at 10 a.m. In April, the satellite was forced to conform to mall hours, but city officials and mall management later worked out a system that allowed the busy satellite to open earlier.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
