HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Despite several measures to try to reverse the trend, traffic deaths involving pedestrians have been rising nationwide.
So far this year, there have been 71 traffic fatalities in Hawaii, according to the state Department of Transportation.
Out of those, 26 were pedestrians.
Transportation workers have been installing speed humps and beeping crossing signals, restricting turns and more.
“Hawaii was just named the 13th most dangerous state in the country by a group called Smart Growth America, and they said in the most recent four-year-period they saw a 79% increase in pedestrian deaths here,” said transportation expert and author Angie Schmitt.
Schmitt was the longtime editor at Streetsblog and authored the book Right of Way: Race, Class and the Silent Crisis of Pedestrian Deaths in America. She gave a presentation to help Hawaii traffic managers take safety planning to the next level by highlighting high risk areas, such as lower income neighborhoods.
“One reason is they’re more likely to use transit. They’re more likely to walk and bike for transportation, so they have higher exposure. But also their neighborhoods haven’t received the kind of safety infrastructure a lot of times that wealthier neighborhoods have,” said Schmitt.
More of us are also driving trucks and SUV’s.
“People are driving much bigger cars, and when they’re struck by those cars, they’re hit higher on the body and they’re hit with greater force, so it’s more likely to be fatal,” she said.
Honolulu’s transportation director was among those taking note at the Blaisdell Center presentation as the city tries to slow down drivers.
“We have a bill before the council now to take a look at speed as one of the tools we can use, “said city Transportation Services Director Roger Morton. “We’re thinking about in school areas, of reducing the speed limit to about 20 miles per hour.”
The city has also been building more protected bike lanes all over town. Next year, leaders hope to connect a 32-mile bike path from Nanakuli to UH Manoa.
“Some of the cleanest transportation choices are walking, biking and rolling, if you like hoverboards or scooters. That’s all good too. But we can’t expect people to make clean transportation choices if they’re really dangerous,” said Murray Clay, president of Ulupono Initiative.
But after all the data crunching, analysis and government plans, avid walker Claire Santos reminded everyone of their greatest protection — personal responsibility.
“First and foremost, my safety is up to me. So I wear reflective clothing,” the Punchbowl area resident said.
“There’s been too many close calls and we’ve lost too many people that are pedestrians on our streets.”
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Publish date : 2024-09-26 13:49:00
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