Run! Ala Moana Crosswalk Has Pedestrians Counting Down The Seconds
Cars power through this busy Ala Moana pedestrian crossing, while walkers are still trying to reach the other side.
The timing of the signals at a busy pedestrian crosswalk creates hazards for kūpuna and others needing a little more time to cross back and forth to the Ala Moana Center, says nearby resident Lani Michael.
Michael lives in the Yacht Harbor Towers. Just outside Waikīkī, they loom over the crossing opposite Magic Island on the corner of Atkinson Drive and Ala Moana Boulevard and have a perfect view of the intersection.
The crosswalk traverses a total of eight traffic lanes broken up by two pedestrian islands in what traffic engineers call a multi-stage crossing.
“The problem is there’s only a certain amount of time that you have to cross all the way from that opposite corner all the way over to the shopping center side,” Michael said. “I proceed to walk and I can’t because cars are already going through it.”
The stretch took a reporter 43 seconds to make it across on a Thursday morning walking at a fairly fast pace and just under the 45 seconds that crosswalk allows. Many pedestrians would likely take more time to complete the walk.
Vehicles turning left from Ala Moana Boulevard onto Atkinson Drive often plow through the crosswalk while many pedestrians are still trying to complete a crossing, Michael said.
She has raised the issue through several channels including making calls to the mayor’s office and the Honolulu Police Department, and even had an HPD officer come and take a report about the pedestrian hazard.
And she has taken to carrying an air horn to blast pushy motorists with decibels but, so far, to little avail.
HPD Traffic Division data and other reporting shows major incidents in the last three years at the crosswalk and the immediate vicinity.
A major motor vehicle hit-and-run incident occurred there on March 25, and a man in his 50s died there on Oct. 30, 2023 after being struck crossing Ala Moana Boulevard outside of the crosswalk.
The timing of around 850 in Honolulu traffic signals normally falls to the city’s Traffic Signals and Technology Division, spokesman Travis Ota said.
“When it comes to city signals, motorists and pedestrians can report and issue via the 311 app if they have concerns over signal timing,” Ota said. “DTS pays close attention to the timing of these signals, and can add or decrease time during times of heavy traffic to improve flow and movement of vehicles and pedestrians.”
But the Ala Moana and Atkinson intersection signals fall under the jurisdiction of the state’s Highways Division. The state Department of Transportation also manages the signals on more than 80 other major arterial roads on Oʻahu, according to its website.
An email to the state transportation department Wednesday about the intersection and the process for providing feedback on the timing of signals was not answered.
The state has implemented solutions at other locations on Ala Moana Boulevard where accident data showed high rates of crashes between cars, cyclists and pedestrians.
Starting in November 2022, two other Ala Moana intersections –– at Hobron Lane and Ena Road –– were converted into all-pedestrian crossings. Those intersections now have a separate phase where all the vehicle signals are red, reducing “potential conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians,” the department said.
Who Do You Contact?
While the Joint Traffic Management Center launched in 2022 is meant to provide better coordination of state and county traffic management and public safety agencies, the process of complaining about the signals is still siloed.
For intersections controlled by Honolulu’s Department of Transportation Services call the Traffic Signals Division on (808) 768-8387 or (808) 768-5323 or use the HNL 311 app or email the city’s complaints office complaints@honolulu.gov.
For state-controlled traffic signals on major highways on Oʻahu, report them to (808) 587-2160 or email complainthighwayoahu@hawaii.gov.
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