DENNIS ODA/DODA@STARADVERTISER.COM
These two pedestrians wearing earbuds, are jaywalking across Pensacola St. between the Makiki Post Office and Kinau Street. Pedestrians are at risk if they don’t pay attention while crossing the streets.
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Once again, the Star-Advertiser and the Honolulu Police Department appear to have placed most of the blame on pedestrians for our city’s dismal record of pedestrian fatalities (“Crossing at your own risk,” Star-Advertiser, Nov. 4).
More ticketing of jaywalkers is not the solution. The state Department of Transportation’s pilot project of placing warning signage in the middle of crosswalks, as they have on the Pali Highway and in Manoa, truly is a positive step toward pedestrian safety. This signage is not for pedestrians — they already know where the crosswalks are and how dangerous it is for anyone, young or old, to cross a roadway on Oahu.
The signage is there to wake up distracted, speeding or drunken drivers — the real threat to those of us who choose to travel on foot. When you have to wait for drivers to finish running the red light before you can cross a street, of course you run out of time.
The DOT’s mid-street signage should be everywhere — enough with the “pilot project,” which has been going on for years. Those signs can actually prevent deaths. Adopt them already.
Kevin O’Leary
Kalihi Valley
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