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.

Mayor of Honolulu, what is planned for the increased foot traffic to and from the train?

The following is a small excerpt from Pedestrian Friendly, " ... American cities are blighted with an auto centric, pedestrian unfriendly urban design ...absolute dominance of the car on the pedestrian crossings ... purely auto focused and at add odds with a pedestrian friendly community."

As a reaction to pedestrians deaths, the Honolulu police department has been called in to restrict legal pedestrian movement even further with punitive fines that unfairly target the urban underclass - those who have the least financial security and may have to choose between tithing a discriminatory tax or paying rent.

The subliminal culture of car elitistism is reflected in the choice of words when describing the slain victim that was run down as 'too slow' or 'too fast' instead of recognizing an imperial paradigm with a minority of motorists who fail to yield properly. Repeated publishings of this hazardous bias emboldens criminal behavior by unyielding motorists who hurry up for the next red light.

How can a city get its people out of their safe cocoons which are clogging the main arterials of this island? Honolulu is currently being railroaded into financial ruin with the monumental planned EL is like the train with square wheels from the 'Island of Misfit Toys' and should be aborted before conception.

Sources:

Jef Mallett, "Frazz" comics
Wright + Paquette, "Highway Engineering" isbndb
C. K. & E. Adams + S. Baldacci, "Developing a (Really) Pedestrian Friendly Town" gura
Mary Vorsino "Pedestrian, 79, hit in rush to catch bus" honoluluadvertiser
Kali Chondra, "The Plight of the Pedestrian" associatedcontent
ptosis, "2007 Surge in Traffic Accident Deaths" associatedcontent
ptosis, "Call for Swift Action to Reduce Pedestrian Deaths" associatedcontent
ptosis, "Honolulu Mass Transit" associatedcontent