Standing at the edge of a crosswalk, Eddie Werner waves a bright orange flag to stop cars while pedestrians cross Farrington Highway.

Pedestrian safety is a major concern for Werner, whose 19-year-old son, Kaulana, was struck and killed by a car in April while walking near the family’s home on the highway in Nanakuli.

The flag Eddie Werner waved Thursday afternoon is part of an initiative on the Waianae Coast spearheaded by the Hawaii Bicycling League that places 10 bright orange flags at unsignalized crosswalks along Farrington Highway for pedestrians to wave as they are crossing. The cost for a set of flags, a bucket and zip ties is about $35 per crosswalk.

Bicycling league officials and residents placed the flags at three intersections Thursday. They hope to eventually have flags for all of the crosswalks that are without traffic lights on Farrington Highway.

“We’re trying to get businesses, families and community organizations to adopt each crosswalk so that they maintain it. They give it community support, and they encourage people to use the flags,” said Chad Taniguchi, Hawaii Bicycling League’s executive director.

Werner said he and his family will adopt the crosswalk near his home and encourage people to use the flags. Tearing up a bit, he said what happened to his son was a tragedy and that the highway is “really, really dangerous.”

Several Waianae Coast residents are calling on city and state agencies to prioritize and put in place Farrington Highway infrastructure improvements and safety measures after six pedestrians were killed this year along a 7-mile stretch of the highway.

About 50,000 vehicles use Farrington Highway daily, according to the state Department of Transportation. The highway is the only way in and out of the Waianae Coast, which is home to more than 50,000 residents.

Nineteen of nearly 240 pedestrian fatalities on Oahu over a 10-year period, 2005 to 2015, occurred along the Waianae Coast, according to the state Department of Health. Paramedics responded last year to about 30 pedestrian injuries in Waianae.

Earlier this month residents, officials and the Hawaii Bicycling League discussed pedestrian safety recommendations at two meetings. Suggestions included installing better lighting, repainting signs and road lines, educating drivers and pedestrians, eliminating some unsignalized crosswalks, providing flags for people to wave while crossing the highway, installing red-light cameras and stepping up police presence and enforcement.

A third meeting was held Thursday, near Hakimo Road, the site of another pedestrian fatality.

“We’re asking for simple things to protect our families,” said resident Renee Kawelo, adding that better lighting could help. “We need everybody to fight for us.”

City Councilwoman Kymberly Pine, who represents the Leeward Coast, introduced a resolution that requests the city and state to work collaboratively to prioritize safety efforts on Farrington Highway. Resolution 16-175 was reported out of the Council’s Public Health, Safety and Welfare Committee on Tuesday for adoption.

“For the Waianae community the safety of Farrington Highway has become a top priority,” Pine said. “The community feels very strongly that it’s time that the city and state take action and not just to talk about doing studies, but actually have an action plan of how they’re going to implement making this area safer.”

Mike Formby, director of the city Department of Transportation Services, said although the section of Farrington Highway from Nanakuli to Waianae is under DOT’s jurisdiction, he is committed to working with the state. A DOT representative did not speak at the committee meeting.

During the meeting Formby said he had spoken with DOT, and handed out a list of projects the state is undertaking along Farrington Highway. They include the removal of some unsignalized crosswalks, installation of speed humps and the evaluation of unsignalized crosswalks from Nanakuli to Waianae. DOT is also looking into a Farrington Highway study focusing on congestion, safety and emergency access.

In addition, Formby said, DTS is starting to remove crosswalks deemed unsafe for pedestrians on city streets islandwide.

“The city does collaborate very well with the state on pedestrian projects,” Formby said.