City’s bulb-outs run into opposition in Chinatown

Anyone coming to Chinatown by car, by bike or walking can see how narrow Maunakea and Smith, our two-lane main streets, are.

So, it was very disappointing that Mayor Kirk Caldwell chose to veto Bill 82, condemning Chinatown to obstructive bulb-outs, which are unsafe for all road users, thus thwarting the purpose of “Complete Streets,” which strives to serve all road users by providing a safer road plan for all.

Chinatown was chosen to be the pilot testing place of bulb-outs by the mayor’s team. It was supposed to be for 90 days, but this experiment and data gathering is stretching to nearly one year now without any convincing data that bulb-outs save lives and are the best solution for Chinatown’s busy crosswalks.

Chinatown businesses have slowed anywhere from 25-40 percent, and traffic accidents on Smith and Pauahi have increased, according to nearby merchants who recorded these accidents. Not all accidents were reported to police.

Chinatown lacks loading areas and shoulder lanes and with the expanded bulb-outs on all four corners of Pauahi Street extending 7 feet by 27 feet, these bulb-outs create an even-more desperate situation for fire, delivery and garbage trucks turning into or from Pauahi Street on these already squeezed roadways. They also block access to businesses and trash collection.

These bulb-outs painted brown also are confusing to drivers and pedestrians who are unsure what they were there for.

There were approximately 6,000 signatures asking the city to remove these “ugly, dangerous and unnecessary” bulb-outs, as stated by none other than former Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who works in an office in Chinatown.

Other alternatives such as longer crossing lights, traffic lights, stop signs or better yet, “scramble or Barnes crosswalks” where cars come to a stop and pedestrians can cross in all directions safely have not been explored by our city as more suitable for congested historic Chinatown.

Big cities like Los Angeles, Denver, Houston, Seattle and Boston have successfully installed “scramble crosswalks” for better safety for all in fulfilling their Complete Streets implementation. Our mayor needs to listen and respect the majority wishes of Chinatown.

The city acted in bad faith by installing these bulb-outs with little consultation with stakeholders — except to say they would be installed and what choice of planters or flowers did they want?

It is on record that the United Chinese Society, Chinatown Improvement District, Chinatown Community Center Association, Historic Foundation of Hawaii and Chinatown Business & Community Association, and businesses like HASR Restaurant and Char Hung Sut as well as shoppers have testified for these bulb-outs to be removed.

Ironically some of our homeless people use these new “pedestrian safety areas” as their personal bedrooms and storage.

These bulb-outs are not working in our historic Chinatown; however, they might work well in Waikiki, Kahala, Mililani, Kapolei, Nanakuli and Kalihi, where there are wider streets and traffic speeds are more dangerous.

The Chinatown bulb-outs cost taxpayers $400,000, and the end result is a city government disrespecting both City Council Resolution 17-205, which unanimously passed in August 2017 urging the city to remove these bulb-outs; and Bill 82 that had passed 5-4, requiring their removal.

Chu Lan Shubert-Kwock is president of the Chinatown Business & Community Association.