Two pedestrians were fatally struck by motor vehicles Thursday in separate incidents while crossing major streets in crosswalks without traffic lights.

A 55-year-old Kalihi man was killed when he was hit by a city bus while crossing North King Street near Gulick Avenue in Kalihi, in the third early morning fatal pedestrian accident in the area this year.

A 79-year-old Kailua woman was walking home from the YMCA when a Kailua-bound driver in the left lane of Kailua Road stopped to allow her to cross near the 7-Eleven, police Lt. Robert Towne said. That’s when a 2001 Toyota multipurpose vehicle driven by an 18-year-old Kailua woman in the right lane struck the 79-year-old.

She was taken in critical condition with multiple injuries to the Castle Medical Center, where she died a short while later, police said.

The Honolulu medical examiner’s office identified her as Alicia Moreno, but identification was not released Thursday for the Kalihi man. Autopsies for both victims will be conducted Friday.

These were the 30th and 31st Oahu traffic fatalities this year, compared with 34 at this time last year.

The victims in both incidents were close to home, Towne said.

He offered this advice: "Both the driver and the pedestrian need to look out for each other."

The Kailua accident occurred at about 11:45 a.m. at 1257 Kailua Road, according to an Emergency Medical Services report.

Police closed the Kailua-bound lanes of Kailua Road between Uluoa Street and Ulumanu Road while they investigated the accident.

The man killed in Kalihi was in a crosswalk when he was struck by the bus, which was Koko Head-bound on North King Street near Richard Lane.

He was pronounced dead at the scene after the 4:37 a.m. accident, according to an EMS report.

Rains and wet roads in the area may have contributed to the accident, police said.

Oahu Transit Services said the bus driver is 54, with seven years of service.

"We are deeply saddened by this accident," OTS said in a written statement. "Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends. We are fully cooperating with HPD in their investigation and have also started our own internal investigation."

Gerry Aldos, 51, who lives nearby, said he and his 6-year-old son, Jeremiah, choose to cross North King Street at the Gulick Avenue intersection, where there are traffic signals.

"I don’t like to walk on a crosswalk when there’s no stoplight," he said.

A bright yellow sign indicates a pedestrian crosswalk where Thursday’s accident occurred.

Jerry Lacangan, 39, said a more elaborate sign with blinking lights near the post office on King Street may be more effective.

"It’s horrible to have these kind of accidents, not to mention three accidents in less than a year," said Lacangan, who works close by and used to live in the area.

"This is a heavily trafficked area," he said. "You wait till there’s no cars instead of the mentality that ‘I’m going to jump in and hope the car stops for me.’ … It’s kind of sad for these bus drivers if they don’t see the people." 

He sympathized with the victim’s family as well.

Police closed King Street between Middle Street and Gulick Avenue in both directions as Traffic Division officers investigated the accident.

Officers reopened one lane in the Koko Head direction and all lanes in the Ewa direction by about 7:30 a.m. and cleared the scene by 8:30 a.m.

There have been several fatal or critical pedestrian accident in the Kalihi area this year, including two pedestrian fatalities near the same North King Street and Gulick Avenue intersection.

>> On Feb. 26, 70-year-old Barbara Kato died after she was hit by a garbage truck at about 5:50 a.m. in a marked crosswalk at North King Street and Gulick Avenue.

>> On Feb. 4, Clarita Ocol, 67, was returning from an early morning walk when a pickup driver struck her in a crosswalk on North King Street between Gulick Avenue and Mokauea Street. Ocol suffered critical injuries and died later at the hospital.

Abella Carroll, 54, who walks in the area, recalled the previous accidents.

"Even after the accident, cars are speeding," she said. "You have to look around."

Gulick resident Glen Artienda, 43, said the weather could have been a factor.

"The roads were wet," he said. "Maybe poor visibility. Nobody was at fault. It was an accident."

After a previous fatal accident, more police presence caused drivers to slow down when they saw the blue lights, he said.

Kalihi resident Joshua Campania, 14, said, "They have to be careful when they drive. And it also goes for the pedestrians. They have to look both ways."

Bus rider Johanna Gabriel, 16, of Aiea, who was visiting Campania, said, "Maybe the bus was speeding. Sometimes they brake late." 

Gabriel said she often sees buses speed.