Seniors at risk on roads - Hawaii News

auwe wrote:

There are too many foreigners from Asian countries and the Philipines who drive like jerks and have no consideration of pedestrians.

I recently visited Tokyo and found that motorists there are much more courteous and informed about pedestrian safety. You should stop making judgments without proof. I also notice you're from Southern California, one of the worst places I've visited for driver courtesy.

Pedestrians are LAZY! If not, we could get rid of all those crosswalks without traffic lights. Pedestrians are also impatient that they will cross even though the don't walk light is blinking. They are part of our traffic problem. There are many ways to reduce pedestrian deaths but the easiest is for pedestrians to be aware of the killing machines coming their way!

Everyone blame the drivers. Next time look around at the intersection and tell me how many walkers cross the street when the light says don't walk. By doing this they limit the number of cars that can make the turn and drivers get impatient. There are way more pedestrians breaking the rules than drivers that are careless or reckless. Part of the problem is the law gives the pedestrian a sense of "entitlement" and they expect the driver to watch for them. How many times have I seen pedestrians just step off the curb without even looking for oncoming traffic. Stop putting all the blame and responsibility on the drivers. The responsibility lays with the pedestrians for their own safety. Who stands to lose the most?

As for this article, Vineyard street has a median where the elderly can wait if they do not have time to cross all six lanes of traffic. So don't blame the drivers or the road design. Blame the pedestrians for not looking out for their own safety.

Instead of just asking for money at the intersections, hire the panhandlers to play JPO.

kira_girl wrote:

Pedestrians are LAZY!

Coming from someone driving to the same destination... LOL

Haleiwa Dad wrote:

Au contraire, it's not the drivers, it's the road design and it's the driver education/training, and it's the enforcement side.
DTS & DOT engineers, planners, County Councilmen & women, and top County officials should be required to spend a week without their vehicles, commuting by bus and on foot, and understand the actual situation by putting themselves on the line....
We have, in effect, a situation like the middle ages: the horseback-mounted nobility and...

I agree and disagree. Yes, it's the road design. Pretty simple--with the exception of H-3 and H-2, metropolitan capacity has NOT CHANGED SINCE H-1 WAS BUILT (in the 60's?) while car registrations have risen geometrically every year since then.
It's no wonder that with an increasing aging population and more cars on the road = a deadly mix. Therefore, it's natural that the thinking is that everyone has to modify their behavior, through all kinds of ideas--training, media campaigns, etc.

But that doesn't seem to work, at least for now, because a 65 yr driver killed another elderly pedestrian on S. King Street last week!!! Get the picture?

The urban planning in Honolulu is a disaster (there never was ANY urban planning!!)

There is a epidemic of Red Light running and desperately need red light cameras.

These cameras would also be a great revenue producing source, red light running should have a fine of $250 or greater, experience these violations at every traffic signal on Oahu!

Cross walks are also ignored, especially the unmarked ones where drivers will scream at pedestrians to get out of the road, Island drivers only know what marked crosswalks are and even police cars will run them rather than stop.

Even before furloughs, our State Department of Transportation employees and police have done a terrible job of education and enforcement.

Our Do-Nothing State Legislature are also greatly at fault, with a good example of how badly the crosswalk law was written.

Our Legislature, DOT and Police could care less about elderly citizen street killings, there's no money in it for them!

Localguy wrote:

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I recently visited Tokyo and found that motorists there are much more courteous and informed about pedestrian safety. You should stop making judgments without proof. I also notice you're from Southern California, one of the worst places I've visited for driver courtesy.

I stood on the sidewalk about a foot from the curb at a town in British Columbia and both sides of the street stopped for me to cross.....why?.....because running crosswalks is a major fine.....why?.....because in a collision between a pedestrian and a car, the car always wins, and the legislature and law enforcement act accordingly.

Other contributors say the pedestrians are at fault too, but given the advantage the car driver has in sitting in a comfortable position at his cars controls, and given this advantage, of which the driver has over the pedestrian, the driver has to be held accountable and judged for every pedestrian/vehicle collision!

huh wrote:

Well, it would help if the bottons at traffic lights work.

Correct but all we need to do is paint the crosswalks flourescent colors with flashing lights on the lines, once someone enters the crosswalks - they have these in other areas of the world and it works and saves lives.Plus proper law enforcement!

Yesterday, we were sitting at the light at St. Johns Road and there was an elderly lady that needed to cross Kamehameha Highway. It must've taken her at least 3 minutes to cross from one side to the other. Cars waited for her to get completely off of the road. Some sat through 2 cycles of red lights. I looked at all the people in their cars. They all watched her with a look of "hope" that she makes it to her destination safely. If only more people could slow down like they did that day.

David - Honolulu wrote:

To me, neither the elderly nor the young navigate the street crossing with enough concern or a watchful eye that would determine whether oncoming cars are accommodating to the presence of a crossing pedestrian. Too many of us just walk across the crosswalk oblivious of our surrounding, distracted by cell phones and other portable devises, not looking up or around, and even when there is too much traffic to feel comfortable, we seem to walk slowly and without fear over the omnipresent danger.

I agree. In addition to some really stupid drivers here, we also have some equally, if not more, stupid pedestrians as well. They do everything wrong while crossing without consideration of their own safety instead of getting from one side of the road to the other, with enough common sense to know that they will never win the battle if hit by a vehicle. I watched a woman the other day cross a mid-block King Street crosswalk who did not look to the left once, for oncoming traffic after passing the first stopped car. Not once! Tricks like this convince me that if pedestrians were more cautious, there would be less killed on the roadways.

After moving here from Maui the biggest fear I have when driving is that a pedestrian will walk out on the road and I will hit them. Getting used to pedestrians just walking out on your blind side is a concern every time I am on the city streets. Not only is walkers a concern but bad drivers who cut you off trying to eek out to gain a minute on their drive time. It amazes me how some drivers weave in and out on King street trying to get ahead only to be stopped at the light. The lights are synchronized so if you go a certain speed you can get through the length of king street without ever stopping. So to that I think both sides need to just be more responsible and accountable for themselves. Drivers need to follow rules and walkers need to be more careful and not take for granted that all drivers will stop for them. They simply were not watching for you and they did not see you in time.

I walk every morning in Ewa Beach and cross two intersections. One has traffic signals and the other, all way stop signs. The stop signs are, for the most part, ignored. The traffic signal crossing is very dangerous. Drivers are looking left, to make a right turn on red, some talking on their cells, never check the right, or the pedestrian signal, where the pedestrian is starting to cross. Pedestrians too, are not paying attention. Saw an elderly lady dash across Ft.Weaver road diagonally, dodging traffic, to catch a bus. She made it.

Finder1 wrote:

I am a walker and investigate accidents. Here is my analysis of why we have so many pedistrian problems:
1. We don't have automatic walk at many intersections - It is frustration when arriving at a crossing just as the signal changes and it says don't walk.
2. We don't have timed waling lanes. In Washington DC they are everywhere and you know how much time you have before the signal changes.
3. Many older walkers from Asia follow the rules from where they come where crossing streets at any time is taken for granted. Basically they don't follow the rules.
4. The drivers of vehicles have little consideration for the pedestrian. They are in a hurry and drive like the size of their vehicle determines passage.
5. The roads are so poorly constructed and traffic so bad, drivers operate their vehicles too fast for the conditions.
6. Many drivers are illconsiderate of the walking public. They use their car as an extension of their personality and "get out of MY way."
7. Still far to much use of cells in the car. Drivers just do not pay attention to the roadway. To many distractions.
The problem is both the driver and the walker. Let's look out for each other.

Good points. As for Nos. 1 & 2, I think the traffic signals are being upgraded whenever new ones are put in, and/or as the budget allows. For example, new signals along Kalakaua Ave.(in the Kaheka area) show a countdown, and also allow you to retroactively trigger a walk signal when you press the button, even if you're late for the initial signal light change (provided, of course, that there's still sufficient time available to cross - if not, it won't automatically trigger a "walk"). The buttons are also larger, easier to press, and seem less likely to break.

Just from personal observation, I'd say drivers are a lot better at stopping for pedestrians in crosswalks now than they were before. There's obviously still a lot of room for improvement, and I think more targeted enforcement programs are needed to remind us of the laws and gradually change our driving behavior. We're herding creatures by nature, and there's a strong instinct to conform. As more and more drivers are observed to drive properly, that behavior will be reinforced in everyone.

I also have observed that drivers seem "smarter" when it comes to pulling over and making way for emergency vehicles. This may in part be due to the cellphone ban. Lately, many of the really poor driving I've observed has been by drivers talking on their cell phones - which is no surprise. Not only are they physically and mentally distracted, but their behavior also suggests an inherent disregard for driving laws.

One other observation: I hate to say it, but better driving seems to correlate with intelligence, which in turn seems to correlate with socio-economic environment.

townie wrote:

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Coming from someone driving to the same destination... LOL

That's funny :) What I meant is that pedestrians are too lazy to walk to the nearest intersection to cross the street. Since pedestrians are LAZY, crosswalks must be installed between intersections else they would jaywalk.

Common Sense wrote:

<quoted text>Correct but all we need to do is paint the crosswalks flourescent colors with flashing lights on the lines, once someone enters the crosswalks - they have these in other areas of the world and it works and saves lives.Plus proper law enforcement!

I agree. I remember seeing those in some cities on the mainland, and wondered why we don't do that here. Does anyone know what they do in Europe? Europe seems to lead the world (and maybe, Japan) when it comes to better roads, driving, pedestrian safety, etc.)

I guess one obvious reason is cost... and I'm sure they pose a maintenance problem, and are likely to break down often. But with the newer generations of LED lights, I'll bet they're pretty solid nowadays. At least put them in on certain known problem crosswalks - King St., Pali, etc.

But I'm sure it mostly boils down to money.(I know, I know - what's the cost compared to one life saved, one lawsuit settled, etc.- but construction budgets are still a fact of life, especially in this economic environment.)

auwe wrote:

There are too many foreigners from Asian countries and the Philipines who drive like jerks and have no consideration of pedestrians.

You are right. They do drive like jerks. It is probably because they NEVER had any vehicles to own and drive and now that they are here in the USA and can afford cars, they are driving so badly. MY SUGGESTION IS THIS. Have these drivers take driving test yearly and monitor their driving until they are deemed good enough.

The pedestrian right of way law is working against the pedestrian. An elderly person feels the car should give the right of way and takes advantage of the law. YES, the pedestrian has the right of way but many times in an accident the pedestrian has lost his/her life. There should be no law. Instead, drivers should be courteous and pedestrians be careful. When I cross our streets I always give the right of way to the driver. I am still living and well.

Another problem is that this is somewhat of a cultural problem. In many Asian countries, J walking is prominent. That mentality is brought here to Hawaii. In Waipahu, fences were put up in the median to prevent J-walking. This appears to be taking place in Pearl City also. At least the poles are up, but no fencing yet. The fences do help.

What good is an article or a study which doesn't mention widespread jaywalking??