Flashing beacon installed at busy Kalihi crosswalk
COURTESY HONOLULU DTS
Officials said this pilot project – considered a “quick-build” — will help Kalihi residents safely cross the street, plus help the city to install, operate and maintain more of these flashing beacon crosswalks.
The city has installed a new flashing beacon at a crosswalk on North School Street in Kalihi as part of efforts to improve pedestrian safety.
When a pedestrian pushes a button to cross, high-visibility LED lights on both sides of North School at Ahonui Street will flash, alerting drivers of a pedestrian. The device, known as a “rectangular rapid-flashing beacon,” reduces pedestrian crashes by roughly 50%, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
It was installed at a cost of $38,540, with $30,000 of it provided by AARP.
“The community has said loud and clear: we want safer streets here in Kalihi”, said Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, who represents the district, in a news release. “This is so exciting for the keiki from (Kuhio Park Terrace), the seniors from Kokua Kalihi Valley, and everyone else who uses North School Street to get around.”
Officials said this pilot project – considered a “quick-build” — will help Kalihi residents safely cross the street, plus help the city to install, operate and maintain more of these flashing beacon crosswalks.
The North School Street corridor is identified as a high-injury corridor in both the city’s 2022 Oahu Pedestrian Plan and the 2024 Oahu Vision Zero Action Plan.
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This particular intersection at North School and Ahonui is a busy one with high pedestrian and vehicular traffic, officials said, surrounded by local businesses, high-frequency bus stops, the Kokua Kalihi Valley health center, schools, public housing, a public park, and homes.
The cost of the solar-powered rectangular rapid-flashing beacon is a fraction of the cost of a conventional, ground-wired system, which cost an estimated $500,000 when it was installed in March 2022 on Kailua Road.
Another flashing beacon was installed at North King Street and Richard Lane in Kalihi in November 2022.
