Question: Regarding the new traffic signal setups at Ala Moana Boulevard and Kalia and Ena roads and Hobron Lane: To allow for better flow of vehicles and pedestrians, there is now an “all walk” signal where all pedestrians at all crosswalks may enter. … Crossing is only allowed in marked crosswalks as this is not a Barnes Dance type of situation. Thus, if I want to get to a diagonal corner, I have to traverse one crosswalk, and then another right afterward. The issue I have is that once I finish making it through the first crosswalk, the pedestrian signals have already started flashing and, therefore, it would be illegal for me to then enter the second crosswalk. … Why not just make it a Barnes Dance setup and allow us to cross diagonally?
Answer: You are one of many people suggesting this solution, and after a month of evaluating the new setup at these busy Waikiki intersections, the state Department of Transportation agrees. It has decided to adjust these locations to a pedestrian scramble, also known as a Barnes Dance, which will allow pedestrians to cross in any direction when all traffic signals are red for vehicular traffic.
For the past month “all pedestrian” crossings have been in effect, which means that red lights stop vehicular traffic in all directions at once, but pedestrians must cross in traditional crosswalks, not diagonally. The DOT said in a news release Wednesday that it “will take steps to add pavement markings and traffic signal heads to complete the conversion of the intersections to a pedestrian scramble (also known as Barnes Dance) configuration.”
We followed up with the department’s communications office by email Friday asking when this conversion would be complete, but did not hear back by our deadline.
The all-pedestrian crossings took effect Oct. 22 as a pilot program, as DOT sought to reduce conflicts between vehicular and pedestrian traffic and pledged to quickly evaluate the results. Over the course of the month, DOT adjusted the timing of traffic signals based on community feedback. “These adjustments included increasing green time for the southbound approach to Hobron Lane in the (morning) and (afternoon/evening) peaks by 4 seconds and 6 seconds respectively; increasing green time for northbound Kalia Road approach by 3 seconds in the (morning) peak; and reducing green time on Ala Moana approaches in the (afternoon/evening) peak to provide additional clearance time for vehicles from southbound Hobron Lane, northbound Kalia Road and southbound Ena Road,” the news release said.
Overall, for vehicular traffic, DOT found no appreciable change to travel times on Ala Moana Boulevard compared with before the pilot, while traffic on Kalia and Ena was better and traffic on Hobron was mixed; northbound Hobron saw a 7% delay while southbound saw a 12% improvement, the news release said.
Q: Regarding student loan relief that is stuck in the courts, do they know when it will be resolved?
A: No. The pause on repayments for eligible federal student loans has been extended in the meantime. If the legal conflict stretches unresolved to July, payments will resume 60 days after that, Federal Student Aid says on its website. FSA is an office of the U.S. Department of Education.
Mahalo
I am grateful for a kindly stranger, the young man who was in line in front of me at Longs on South King Street on Thanksgiving morning. When it was my turn to pay for my groceries, he told the cashier, “I got hers, too.” I told him I didn’t need him to do that, but he insisted. I asked him his name, so I know I have a guardian angel named Cade. I hope he had a blessed Thanksgiving, and that he, too, will some day be blessed by the kindness of a stranger. I wish I could tell his parents what a lovely man they raised. — Gloria
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
