At a time when private developers and public policymakers are encouraging people to leave their cars behind and hit the streets on foot, Hawaii pedestrians likely have never felt more vulnerable.

Monday’s ghastly crash on Ala Moana Boulevard in the Ward Village area that left three pedestrians dead and three others injured brought the number of Oahu pedestrian fatalities to six for 2019. That grim toll follows a year in which the island recorded 28 pedestrian deaths, the highest total in at least 16 years.

The circumstances for each crash vary, and police have said they can’t pinpoint a reason for the disturbing uptick in pedestrian deaths. Victims have been hit while lying in the street, walking on the freeway at odd hours of the night, changing a tire, jaywalking and using marked crosswalks.

This week’s tragedy seems all the more horrific because the victims were simply standing on a raised traffic island along Ala Moana Boulevard, waiting to cross the street, when they were mowed down. The 27-year-old driver of a Ford F150 pickup truck is now facing manslaughter charges. Police say speed and alcohol may have been factors in the crash.

“It’s alarming,” said Maika Dias, 27, of the incident. He was out walking in Kakaako on Tuesday afternoon with wife Lei Dias and their Shih Tzu named Stoli. The couple live in One Waterfront Towers and regularly stroll the neighborhood, avoiding the more heavily traveled roads.

“I feel safe in our small, confined area, but we are careful not to venture out to the main streets,” he said.

Lei Dias noted some of the intersections nearby are four-way stops, and some aren’t, which can be confusing for both motorists and pedestrians. Just a couple of blocks away at the intersection of Auahi and Cooke streets, which has a two-way stop, a 76-year-old male pedestrian was killed in a crosswalk when he was struck by a JTB tourist trolley Nov. 15. The 52-year-old trolley driver was arrested on suspicion of negligent homicide and operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant.

“I walk and drive with the idea that everyone is distracted and not being mindful,” Lei Dias said.

The Kakaako-Ward Village area has been transformed in recent years with the proliferation of mixed-use condominium, retail and commercial complexes designed to create “walkable” communities. As the condos have filled up, so have the area’s sidewalks as residents take to walking their dogs, pushing baby strollers and visiting shops, restaurants and coffee bars along with tourists attracted by the lively atmosphere.

City and state transportation agencies have been developing plans and policies to accommodate foot and bicycle traffic in Honolulu’s congested urban areas and elsewhere. The state Department of Transportation prepared a Statewide Pedestrian Master Plan that focuses on improving pedestrian safety and promoting pedestrian-friendly streets.

A companion “toolbox” identifies best practices for sidewalk layouts, signals, intersection design and other aspects. The document notes pedestrians are “extremely vulnerable” at intersections and crossings because of their proximity to vehicles. Nationally, 18 percent of pedestrian fatalities in 2016 occurred at intersections, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (Hawaii data were not immediately available.)

Basic measures for safer intersections include more compact and clearly identified crossings, reduced motor speeds through intersections and installation of raised “refuge islands.”

Based on the circumstances of Monday’s triple fatality involving an alleged reckless, impaired driver, none of that would have likely made a difference.

DEADLY ROADWAYS

2019 Pedestrian fatalities

>> A 24-year-old man was driving a 2013 Jaguar sedan north on Hawaii Kai Drive around 6:45 p.m. Jan. 7 when he hit an 86-year-old man who was crossing the street outside of a marked crosswalk.

>> A 72-year-old man was traveling west on Farrington Highway in a Pontiac sedan around 6:38 p.m. Jan. 18 when he struck two pedestrians, a 19-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man, who were in a marked crosswalk at the Linakola Street intersection in Maili. The male victim was thrown into the oncoming lane, where he was hit by a second car. Police said speed may have been a factor.

>> A 58-year-old man was driving on the H-2 freeway prior to the Ka Uka offramp around 4:40 a.m. Jan. 20 when he struck a male pedestrian who was in the roadway.

>> A 27-year-old man was speeding west on Ala Moana Boulevard in a Ford F150 pickup truck, weaving in and out of traffic, when he suddenly veered from the far left lane across three lanes to the right at the Kamakee Street intersection at about 6:10 p.m. Jan. 28, striking six pedestrians and a traffic signal pole before slamming into another Ford F-150 that was stopped at the light, waiting to make a right turn. Three of the pedestrians were pronounced dead at the scene, and three were hospitalized. Speed and alcohol may have been factors.

Source: Honolulu Police Department