Now it’s time to rein in arrogant pedestrians

Honolulu significantly progressed about 10 years ago when it promulgated a law to increase drivers’ courtesy to pedestrians.

Obviously too many pedestrian deaths were occurring, and elderly ladies suffered the brunt of them.

Under the new law, drivers had to stop for anyone on the zebra crossing and remain still until the pedestrian crosses the street. Consequently, the number of pedestrian accidents plummeted and the mission to improve pedestrian safety was accomplished.

Then I discovered what happens to any group that seizes power for the first time: Power goes to its head. Cars no longer rule the road; pedestrians do.

Pedestrians started to stroll along the zebra crossing, as if in a garden. They could suddenly stop any car by simply extending their toe in the air at the zebra crossing. Drivers would stop to prove how civilized they are, to the glee of the smirking pedestrians. I observed one pedestrian at a crosswalk who faced traffic and walked sideways from one lane to another with arms outstretched, stopping traffic in all lanes. When one car desired to move ahead, he promptly side-shifted to that car’s lane.

Another pedestrian I saw walked across the crossing, reached the 90 percent point of the crosswalk, suddenly realized he had forgotten something, and turned back. He nearly got run over because cars started to move, anticipating he would be out of the crossing.

In a most agonizing incident, a woman slowly walked diagonally across the road and the zebra crossing, delaying traffic for a long time. She seemingly was completely oblivious that she was on King Street and that cars were around her. Fortunately, because of general courtesy, no one beat the horn on her.

Do these pedestrians realize how much lost productivity goes into delaying traffic? And here we are trying to move the economy.

The number of people who violate walking signals is limitless. Would any car dare to cross a red light?

One day, I saw a person start on a crosswalk at Vineyard Boulevard after the traffic signal turned green for the cars. She nearly got killed at the far lane by a car coming at 35 mph on an open lane.

Probably the worst situation is children playing on the zebra crossing. That is as bad as college students skateboarding and roller skating zigzag on the East-West Road, begging for an accident. Who really owns the road?

Honolulu obviously needs new laws:

» Double the fine for crossing the road when the "walking sign" does not show.

» Pedestrians should not be allowed to change direction and walk back before exiting a crossing.

» Loitering or stopping on a crosswalk or skateboarding on a road should be equated to jaywalking.

Finally, pedestrians must respect traffic moving at 35 mph as much as cars respect pedestrians, act carefully and not push their luck.

Apparently, after the enactment of the pedestrian law 10 years ago, pedestrians decided they needn’t look left and right and left again anymore. Elementary schools must start teaching that rule again, but now maybe the high schools and colleges will have to as well, not to mention that adults need to re-educate themselves often.