Pedestrian safety is a top concern for many across Hawaii, including state and county officials, in the wake of a Feb. 15 hit-and-run along Kapiolani Boulevard that caused the death of a McKinley High School student on her way to school.

On Wednesday, at a McKinley High School press conference that included Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi and House Speaker Scott Saiki, officials announced that safety measures, including speed humps and raised crosswalks, would be installed where the hit-and-run happened, at an adjacent intersection, and near the high school on Pensacola Avenue. A previously scheduled red light camera also will be installed as part of the state Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Red-Light Safety Program.

Saiki, who represents the Kakaako district, said all safety features would be installed within 30 days — lightning speed for a project requiring coordination between city and state agencies.

Quick and receptive action to install safety features should be standard procedure when it comes to pedestrian safety, and open, streamlined communication and coordination between state and counties is also a best practice throughout the state. Two bills now moving through the Legislature would support this kind of focused action, with the goal of making streets safer and protecting people who use them.

SB 1506, a “safe routes” bill, begins with a declaration that Hawaii’s current safe routes to schools program is no longer effective, as federal and state funding has been lacking and community engagement is sputtering. The measure proposes “fixing and simplifying” the program and expanding it to include safe routes for people of all ages. The bill also includes $50 million for projects to improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists and people who use wheelchairs or otherwise have mobility problems — allowing all “to safely walk, bike, or roll to common destinations.”

SB 1506 links to federal programs that could provide funding, and to the Vision Zero safety policy adopted by the state and counties, as well the state’s existing Safe Routes to School program. It establishes a safe routes for people implementation committee made up of state and county transportation and community representatives to prioritize awards based on community requests. It advances Hawaii’s ambitions to be a healthy, safe place to live, and it’s rightfully supported by the state’s Department of Health and Honolulu Police Department.

Senate Bill 1535 would allow the state transportation director to exempt small projects from historic preservation review and environmental impact statement requirements.

Its intent is promising: to expedite the process of making safety improvements that do not seriously disturb the underlying ground, in uncontroversial locations.

SB 1535, as amended, would apply only to projects that either widen or create a travel path no more than 12 feet wide, and which do not require any excavation deeper than 24 inches, with express consent of the agency or owner controlling the property involved. No exemptions would be given for historic districts or areas with a high likelihood of being archeological or burial sites. With the limits imposed by its amendments, it has the support of the Department of Land and Natural Resources; it’s also supported by Honolulu’s Department of Transportation Services. It would speed construction of better, safer pathways for pedestrians.

Both bills moved forward through the Senate Ways and Means committee on Wednesday. While adjustments may be necessary to each, including total funding for SB 1506, and parameters for the exemptions SB 1535 authorizes, these bills would further a purpose that is valuable beyond measure — saving lives — and should be enacted.