When city and state officials adopted the "Complete Streets" policy to guide the design of new roads and the rehabilitation of old ones, they took a necessary first step in the transition to a safer, more accessible transportation network.

Necessary, but insufficient: The current statistics on pedestrian deaths, a tally that tragically ticked up over the holidays, ought to illuminate just how much work remains — for the government, but for the general public as well.

The crisis of pedestrian safety is most acute on Oahu, of course, with its more densely populated communities intersecting most frequently with heavy vehicular traffic. Last year, 25 pedestrians on this island were killed on the roads, six more than the previous year, capping three years of increases in the death count.

All ages are vulnerable here — two accidents on Friday killed a 45-year old woman and injured a man, 33. But most have been elderly, including one critically hurt in Honolulu on Saturday.

Given the projected rise in the population of senior citizens in the coming decade, such trends should alarm public officials. Without serious intervention, the trends will only worsen.

So, what kind of intervention is needed? For starters, state and city transportation officials should review how well they deploy the traffic-calming and pedestrian- protection tools in their toolkits. More pedestrian-activated crossing lights and larger, more visible signage at unsignaled, mid-block crosswalks would help alert drivers.

In addition, more pedestrian-only crossing cycles should be considered, especially at more-traveled intersections. Some of these approaches already have been implemented in Waikiki. Known variously as a "pedestrian scramble" or a "Barnes dance" intersection, these signals allow pedestrians to cross in all directions, even diagonally through the intersection while all motorized traffic stops.

When the vehicular cycle resumes, drivers no longer have to worry so much about pedestrians stepping suddenly into their path as they turn onto a cross street.

And that brings us to another, perhaps more pertinent issue. The pedestrians themselves must take steps to protect themselves — clearly more than many are doing currently.

Even when they have the crossing light calling them onward, pedestrians need to turn and look for oncoming traffic and make eye contact with the approaching driver. Drivers are responsible for being on the lookout for pedestrians in crossings, and when cars in adjacent lanes are stopped, the next driver approaching ought to anticipate the reason: a crossing pedestrian.

But pedestrians must not make the potentially fatal assumption that drivers have the presence of mind to do what they should. Pedestrians need to walk defensively, especially as they enter the streets.

Further, drivers are going to need some attitude adjustment as well. Because a city with a Complete Streets design wants to make its thoroughfares more welcoming to all modes of travel, it logically follows that traffic needs to move more slowly. If the slow-and-go pacing required to keep everyone safe means it takes a little longer to get across town, so be it. Drivers simply will have to accept the new reality — the streets belong to everyone, in a car or not.

Of course, drivers, pedestrians and cyclists develop their habits over a lifetime, and habits take education to change. There does need to be a more deliberate public education campaign about ways to make Oahu safer.

The public needs to buy into the notion that building safer roadways is critical to the future of our city. Honolulu should not evolve into a place where it’s too dangerous for our seniors, or our children and grandchildren, to take a walk.