State installs pedestrian safety pilot project on Pali Highway

State officials said Friday that they installed a pedestrian safety measure including signs and delineators on Pali Highway at the Wood Street crosswalk, the site of a fatal collision that claimed the life of a Nuuanu resident earlier this month.

The “gateway in-street treatment” consists of two fluorescent yellow signs flanking both sides of the road alerting drivers to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks, along with 36-inch-tall delineators on the road for motorists to drive between. The safety measures were installed in both directions.

“The safest transportation systems separate motorists from bicyclists and pedestrians to minimize the potential for human error, which is the cause of over 90 percent of fatal crashes,” said Ed Sniffen, state deputy director for highways, in a news release. “We are working towards this end, and it will take time and money. While we improve the facilities that we have, we are always looking for solutions that can be implemented quickly to bring safety improvements. The gateway concept is one that the state of Michigan has found to be efficient and effective to protect pedestrians.”

State officials said the signs also will be installed at the first and last crosswalks without signals on Pali Highway. If proved effective, they also will be added to crosswalks without signals on state routes.

The Michigan Department of Transportation had a research team evaluate the effectiveness of the gateway treatment as a low-cost improvement for pedestrian safety. They found that it significantly improved driver yielding rates and led to speed reductions of 4 to 10 mph. The signs, however, were less effective at roundabouts and interstate highway ramps.

“Engineering has a place in building safer roads, but we can all do our part,” Sniffen said. “I personally want to ask all road users to look out for one another and hope that these signs will remind motorists of their responsibilities. When you get behind the wheel of your car, you are driving a multi-ton machine that can seriously hurt or kill people. Please remember this and drive responsibly.”

State officials reminded drivers that the speed limit on Pali Highway from Waokanaka Street to the H-1/Punchbowl Street offramp is 35 mph since it travels through a residential neighborhood.

On Oct. 10, 83-year-old Raymond Endow was struck by a 2010 Ford pickup truck heading town-bound while in the Wood Street crosswalk.

As of Thursday there have been 95 traffic-­related fatalities in Hawaii this year, including 33 pedestrians.