Hawaii’s Sidewalk Disaster: Fatalities, Lawsuits, And Hidden Travel Dangers

It has now been confirmed {that a} current motorcyclist’s demise marked the sixtieth visitors fatality on Oahu this 12 months. That quantity is greater than double the rely on the identical time in 2024, when the island had reported 29 fatalities. Behind the grim headline is a much less mentioned reality: many of those deaths, significantly pedestrian deaths, are usually not simply tragic accidents. They are the predictable results of long-standing infrastructure neglect.

Hawaii’s sidewalk downside isn’t nearly sidewalks.

We first wrote about this subject years in the past, when the removing of a key crosswalk in Honolulu resulted in a pedestrian being struck by a automotive. That case led to a lawsuit, and whereas it made waves on the time, nothing modified.

On Oahu, sidewalks usually disappear mid-block, and crosswalks are eliminated with none options. Basic public infrastructure, corresponding to lighting, benches, and shelters at bus stops, is both deteriorating or being intentionally eliminated.

In Waikiki, sidewalks away from the central space of Kalākaua Avenue will be so slim that guests with strollers or mobility aids are compelled into the road.

On North Shore Oahu, Kamehameha Highway has nearly no shoulder in key surf zones like Waimea and Pipeline, but guests nonetheless stroll alongside it every day.

Here on Kauai, the scenario on Poipu Road is especially regarding, with no sidewalks in place between resorts and buying areas. It turns into harmful for guests and locals to stroll alongside the shoulder.

These are usually not remoted complaints. We reviewed current feedback acquired from tons of of Hawaii residents and guests about their pedestrian experiences. Most described it as unsafe, worrying, and at occasions humiliating.

What residents and guests see each day.

Drivers honking at aged pedestrians in Waikiki as they slowly cross Kalakaua Avenue. Visitors moving into visitors to go mopeds parked on the sidewalk close to Diamond Head. Parents lifting strollers over damaged curb edges in Ala Moana. Tourists stranded at TheBus stops with no seating or shade, uncertain in the event that they’re even in the fitting spot.

Visitors report struggling to search out locations to take a seat whereas ready for buses alongside Kuhio Avenue, the place seating has been eliminated completely. Others describe needing to stroll blocks out of the way in which simply to discover a authorized crosswalk throughout Ala Moana Boulevard. These are usually not minor inconveniences. They’re the lived penalties of design decisions that put vehicles first.

What occurred to Vision Zero?

Hawaii adopted Vision Zero years in the past, committing to eradicate visitors deaths. But the truth on the bottom means that implementation has stalled. Residents report that intersections and corridors identified to be harmful have seen little to no change.

In 2020, Honolulu renewed its Complete Streets coverage to enhance pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. But lots of the promised upgrades by no means made it to customer zones like Waikiki, Ala Moana, or resort corridors the place 1000’s of vacationers stroll every day.

The sidewalk downside is not only about security. It’s about equality. Those who depend on strolling or public transit are sometimes those that select to not drive for quite a lot of causes or can’t afford vehicles. Hawaii’s infrastructure more and more tells them they’re second-class residents.

A deeper query about who issues.

Why has this subject persevered for thus lengthy? With 60 pedestrian fatalities already this 12 months, Hawaii dangers climbing to the highest of this tragic record. Despite the urgency, security enhancements usually come slowly, often solely after preventable tragedies happen.

It took a fatality to get new striping and signage at some intersections. In different circumstances, residents have reported harmful areas repeatedly for years with out motion.

Students from UH Manoa participated in tasks earlier this 12 months geared toward enhancing pedestrian security, corresponding to drafting up to date signage and striping plans by way of the Pookela Fellows program. These efforts align with long-standing issues: sidewalks which can be too slim or nonexistent, shaded bus stops changed by open-air concrete pads, and routes made inaccessible for anybody utilizing a mobility assist.

What might really make a distinction.

Safety consultants have lengthy emphasised that just a few focused modifications might have an outsized impression: putting in mid-block crosswalks in high-use areas, including curb ramps and tactile paving, defending sidewalks with buffers, and restoring shade and seating at bus stops.

Hawaii tourism officers could wish to take notice. For many guests, particularly these with out rental vehicles, strolling is central to their Hawaii expertise, particularly in Honolulu. When that have contains dodging visitors, skipping puddles, or watching buses blow previous each them and inaccessible stops, the aloha fades rapidly.

The tales hold coming.

There are nonetheless no sidewalks in components of North Shore resort zones, the place guests stroll slim shoulders subsequent to rushing vehicles. In Waikiki, lighting is damaged at key crosswalks. And at Ko Olina, some luxurious properties are fenced off in ways in which block historic pedestrian paths. It’s laborious to disregard the sample.

So we ask once more: is Hawaii actually secure for strolling?

If you reside right here or have visited just lately, we wish to hear what your expertise was like. Did you’re feeling secure as a pedestrian? Were sidewalks and crossings straightforward to navigate? Did you discover enhancements or really feel like issues have gotten worse?

We know this isn’t only a Honolulu subject. From Hilo to Lihue, the gaps on this crucial infrastructure are all over the place. Let us know within the feedback under.