Editorial: Raising the alert at crosswalks

It’s well known that walking across multiple lanes of the Pali Highway in Nuuanu can be dangerous. Cars entering Nuuanu from either direction can find it difficult to transition from highway speed to 35 mph, making it a popular spot for police officers with speed guns. 

On Oct. 10, 83-year-old Raymond Endow died after being hit by a truck in the Wood Street crosswalk, which, like several others, isn’t attached to a stoplight. In response, the state Department of Transportation (DOT) installed bright yellow reflective signs and delineators at the crosswalk, hoping drivers will be alerted and slow down.

The “gateway in-street” concept has seen some success in Michigan, but it may not translate the same way here. A summary of the Michigan experiment found that appropriate locations for the gateway treatment “include intersections and midblock crosswalks on roads with speed limits of 30 mph or less, or speed limits of 35 mph with average annual daily traffic levels below 12,000.” Annual average daily traffic levels in Nuuanu are much higher — about 42,000, according to the DOT — and speeding traffic has always been a problem.

Still, it’s hoped that the relatively inexpensive signage will be better than nothing, and DOT will put them at two more non-signal crosswalks in Nuuanu. But getting commuters to adjust their driving habits to slow down at those crosswalks will take some time. Meanwhile, pedestrians shouldn’t imagine that those signs give them divine protection — they still have to walk defensively.

It’s a simple rule: Do not enter a crosswalk unless you know that the driver — in each and every lane — is going to stop for you. If you’re not sure, stay off the road.