Bill banning Chinatown bulb-outs advances

A contentious bill barring the city from installing bulb-outs in Chinatown won a narrow 3-2 approval from the City Council Planning Committee on Tuesday, setting up a likely final vote by the full Council on May 9.

But whether Bill 82 would actually lead to the removal of the 11 existing bulb-outs — installed by city crews last summer at three key Chinatown intersections — remains unclear.

The measure, introduced by Council members Carol Fukunaga and Ann Kobayashi, states that “no curb extension bulb-outs may be implemented in the core historic precinct of the Chinatown Special District.”

The bill, however, does not specifically require removal of the 11 existing bulb-outs at Pauahi and Maunakea streets, Pauahi and Smith streets, and Pauahi Street and Nuuanu Avenue.

Planning Committee Chairman Ikaika Anderson, who suggested deferring the measure for two months to give the administration time to come up with arguments to justify keeping the bulb-outs, voted “no,” as did Councilman Brandon Elefante. With Councilwoman Kymberly Pine, the fifth member of the committee, absent from the meeting, it was up to Council Chairman Ernie Martin to break the tie and join Fuku­naga and Kobayashi in supporting the bill.

A form of traffic calming, bulb-outs are sidewalk extensions typically placed at or near intersections to shorten the distance pedestrians need to cross.

Fukunaga said the city installed the bulb-outs without listening to community concerns. Bicycling advocates dominated a March public hearing on proposed bike lanes for Ward Avenue and Pensacola Street, discouraging many of those opposed from testifying against the concept, she said.

Fukunaga, who represents Chinatown, said merchants have complained about suffering significant losses and that several have gone out of business. “How many businesses have to go under in order to show that this type of insensitive installation of pedestrian safety features … has really got to stop?”

HASR Bistro owner Terry Kakazu said her restaurant has been struggling to make its monthly rent since the bulb-outs were installed. People cite lack of parking and “the bulb-outs are confusing” as reasons they don’t frequent her business.

Kobayashi asked city officials whether the administration had other development plans for the historic region that would require today’s Chinatown to disappear, “because this is a good way to close out Chinatown … what you’re doing now.”

Robert Kroning, the city’s director of design and construction, said bulb-outs have proved to be an effective pedestrian safety measure elsewhere.

While many of the merchants and residents who have been testifying in person on the issue oppose the bulb-outs, Kroning said that “quite a bit of merchant testimony is in support of it.” Written testimony submitted on the measure suggest there is more support for the bulb-outs than there is among people testifying orally.

Chinatown resident Anthony Chang testified that he and his family feel safer walking with the bulb-outs in place. But longtime area resident Dolores Mollring called them ugly.

Kroning urged Council members to give the project more time to collect traffic and economic impact data before deciding whether to keep the bulb-outs. “All the information we have right now is anecdotal,” he said.

Kroning acknowledged the bulb-outs are not aesthetically pleasing but noted that the project is a pilot program and, if made permanent, would incorporate designs more in line with Chinatown’s historical character.

Transportation Services Director Wes Frysztacki said he was speaking with Department of Facility Maintenance about replacing the sticklike delineators with surface reflectors, “which would be a lot more appealing and visually acceptable to the community.”

But Fukunaga said, “It’s a little hard to swallow when you talk about wanting to make the area safer and you don’t really have sufficient data at this point to say what the impacts would be.”