Renee Kawelo worries when her daughter, a Waianae High School sophomore, walks to the bus stop. So she has taken it upon herself to improve pedestrian safety, participating in an initiative spearheaded by the Hawaii Bicycling League.

The bicycling group has begun placing bright orange flags at nearly two dozen crosswalks without traffic lights on Farrington Highway. The organization ordered 300 flags and delivered some of them to volunteers earlier this month.

Pedestrians wave the flags as they start into the crosswalk to make sure drivers see them. Then they leave them in a container on the other side.

Daniel Alexander, the group’s advocacy, planning and communication director, said several residents and local businesses, including Waianae Store and Tamura’s Market, have been supportive of the idea, adding that they hope more groups and community members will adopt crosswalks and help with maintenance and outreach.

Residents can also help by donating $50 to cover the costs of the flags and other supplies for each crosswalk. Alexander said some of the flags they have placed at three un-signaled crosswalks on Farrington Highway have been stolen but that the organization will be able to replace those.

Eddie Werner, whose 19-year-old son, Kaulana, was hit by a car and killed near their Nanakuli home in April, has written his son’s name on the set of flags by his home, but the un-signaled crosswalk on Farrington Highway near Laumania Avenue was removed earlier this month. He said he hopes to relocate the flags to another nearby crosswalk.

“We’re trying to do something to make it (crosswalks) safer,” Werner said. “If every community can do what we’re trying to do … I think it’s going to be a good thing.”

Alexander said that although their primary focus is the Waianae Coast, they are willing to help other communities install flags at other un-signaled crosswalks islandwide. He agreed with Werner that the flags are a starting point.

“This is an initial step. It’s a serious situation,” Alexander said. “It’s something we can do now to improve the situation so people don’t feel powerless against it, but in reality we need to be speaking about more permanent solutions.”

The initiative comes after the bicycling group organized a series of community meetings that brought together residents, victims’ families and state and city officials to discuss pedestrian safety solutions. Suggestions included removing some un-signaled crosswalks, improving lighting and road signs, installing red-light cameras and stepping up police enforcement and presence on the highway.

Sixteen pedestrians have died from being hit by vehicles so far this year on Oahu, and four of them were hit in crosswalks, according to the Honolulu Police Department.

And for the seventh year in a row, the governor declared August Pedestrian Safety Month.

“As pedestrians we need to remember that you are your best form of defense,” said Gov. David Ige. “You need to be aware of where the vehicles are, aware of your surroundings.

“For drivers, we want them to be aware, anticipate situations where pedestrians may be on sidewalks or crossing streets.”

HPD issued about 1,900 pedestrian-related citations last month, about 1,600 of which were to pedestrians and about 300 to drivers.

The city Department of Transportation Services had said officials have started removing crosswalks deemed unsafe for pedestrians on city streets. The state Department of Transportation, which has jurisdiction of Farrington Highway from Nanakuli to Waianae, is looking into a Farrington Highway study that focuses on congestion, safety and emergency access, as well as undertaking other projects such as removing some un-signaled crosswalks and installing speed humps.

The City Council also adopted a resolution earlier this month that requests the city and state to work collaboratively to prioritize safety efforts on the highway.

Councilwoman Kymberly Pine, who introduced the resolution and represents the Leeward Coast, had said pedestrian safety is a top priority for the Waianae Coast and that action needs to be taken to make Farrington Highway safer for everyone.