Pedestrians Double-Crossed in Honolulu

There are opportunities currently being squandered away in the reallocating of pedestrian right-of-ways by either eliminating existing marked crosswalks or placing new marked crosswalks in preference of motorist traffic flow with little regard for those on foot.

The Honolulu Advertiser reported on January 15, 2008 that a 79 year old man ".. ran into the path of an oncoming car ..." In previous new articles of the Honolulu Advertiser regarding elderly pedestrian deaths, the reason given for why Hawai'i has the highest national death rate for seniors is because the aged are slow and now - incredibly, they are also too fast.

Highway engineering authors,Wright and Paquette wrote over twenty years ago that, "The pedestrian is the major user of the roadway system; when the systems fails, he is major victim."

The Honolulu Advertiser reported on January 4, 2008 that, " ... in the year 2005, fourteen were killed while in a crosswalk. In 2006, six were killed in crosswalks and in 2007, nine were killed in marked crosswalks." In most news, whether or not the slain pedestrian was in a painted striped crossing is usually pointed out yet any citation against the motorist is rarely mentioned.

Most of the pedestrian accidents are along bus routes and where an overwhelming majority of bus riders are the elderly. That's why Hawai'i has the highest pedestrian deaths for seniors in the entire nation. The bus stops and pedestrian crossings are far from each other and coupled with a a minority of motorists who fail to yield properly, create a hostile environment for pedestrians.

In a recent Sunday, Jef Mallett's "Frazz" cartoon reads, "Classic rules of navigation say the more maneuverable vehicle defers right of way to the less maneuverable. So the airplane yields to the glider, which yields to the balloon. The speedboat yields to the sailboat, which yields to the raft."

Where are the efforts towards a more pedestrian friendly city? Where is the planning traffic design that is sustainable? Newly constructed pedestrian crosswalks reflect the old policy of car dominance over people.