Mayor unveils pedestrian safety measures

News Release from City and County of Honolulu Feb 20, 2019

Honolulu – Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell and City Council Chair Emeritus Ron Menor, along with members of the Honolulu Police Department, AARP Hawai‘i, MADD Hawai‘i and the Honolulu Bicycling League, joined together today to announce a package of pedestrian safety measures introduced by the city. 

The seven-point package of common sense initiatives is being called “Look All Ways,” and is designed to increase the safety of pedestrians, drivers and cyclists, while making all of us more aware of our surroundings.

“Our goal with these new measures is to introduce common sense pedestrian safety protections throughout O‘ahu,” said Mayor Kirk Caldwell. “The people of this island want action when it comes to keeping pedestrians safe, and we’re working hard to put these new safety measures in place. While we know we’re not going to solve the problem of pedestrian safety overnight, each step we take will hopefully allow people to be safer while walking, biking, or driving on our roads.”

“Look All Ways” Stencils

This effort will begin with stencil installations at 20 locations where pedestrian traffic incidents have occurred (see attached picture). For future installations, locations will be determined by incident occurrence and community need. The initial installation of stenciling will be performed by the Department of Facility Maintenance (DFM). The city will also work with community service organizations (i.e. Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts; Lions Clubs; Hawai‘i Bicycling League; etc.) to assist in stenciling community crossing areas. These group stenciling efforts will be supervised by workers with the Department of Facility Maintenance.

In-Road Pedestrian Safety Delineators

The Department of Facility Maintenance will install 100 in-road pedestrian safety delineators at locations where pedestrian traffic incidents have occurred, and where in-crosswalk installation makes sense. These locations will be determined in conjunction with the city’s Department of Transportation Services (DTS). 

Pedestrian Safety Flags

Two hundred high visibility pedestrian safety flags printed with a “Look All Ways” logo will be distributed across urban Honolulu. The priority will be at high traffic intersections, or intersections with recent incidents. Community input will also be taken into account. More pedestrian safety flags will be ordered as the need arises.

O‘ahu Pedestrian Plan

The City and County is currently developing an O‘ahu Pedestrian Plan, which is scheduled to be completed in the spring. The plan will define the steps needed to make Honolulu a more walkable, livable, and healthy city. Walking is the oldest and most efficient, affordable, and environmentally-friendly form of transportation; it's how transit riders reach their destinations, how drivers get from the parking lot to the front door, and how cyclists get from the bike rack to a place of business. The O‘ahu Pedestrian Plan will evaluate existing conditions and propose/prioritize pedestrian improvement projects and programs facilitating multimodal travel consistent with the city's Complete Streets Ordinance. The plan will complement the Statewide Pedestrian Master Plan that the State of Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (HDOT) prepared for the state’s highway system in 2013.

Proposed State Legislation

Two proposed bills have been submitted to the state Legislature as part of Mayor Caldwell’s legislative package. One bill focuses on not allowing right turns on red. The second bill discusses red light photo enforcement. While the city hopes both pieces of legislation are passed, the introduction of these measures also help raise awareness about pedestrian and cycling safety.

Meanwhile, City Council Chair Emeritus Menor has introduced a bill at the city level that would allow drivers to use their hazard lights when stopped at a mid-block crosswalk.

“Government needs to implement a multifaceted approach that involves a range of solutions,” said City Council Chair Emeritus Ron Menor. “State and City government need to be proactive in exhaustively exploring any and all strategies and measures to reduce or eliminate pedestrian fatalities in the City and County of Honolulu.”

Menor has also secured Mayor Caldwell’s agreement to support Resolution 19-32, which asks the administration to work jointly with the City Council to organize a conference, open to the public, focusing on pedestrian safety.

HPD DUI Enforcement

The Honolulu Police Department is continuing to perform DUI roadblocks, but is also committing to more roving DUI patrols, where officers use patrol cars to pull over suspected drunken or drugged drivers.

New “Look All Ways” PSA Campaign

As part of this larger pedestrian safety initiative, the City and County of Honolulu will be creating a “Look All Ways” PSA that will air on local television and radio.

—PAU—