THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	12
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SERVICES OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU TO COOPERATE AND COORDINATE EFFORTS TO HARMONIZE PEDESTRIAN WALK SIGNAL LIGHTS WITH THE PEDESTRIAN'S RIGHT OF WAY IN CROSSWALK LAW.

     WHEREAS, in the first two weeks in 2007, there have been four fatal pedestrian accidents, some in crosswalks, in Honolulu, three of which involved senior citizens; and

     WHEREAS, Act 73, Session Laws of Hawaii 2005 (Act 73), enacted a revision to the law regarding pedestrians' right of way in crosswalks; and

     WHEREAS, Act 73 requires the driver of a vehicle to stop and yield the right of way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a crosswalk when the pedestrian is upon the half of the roadway upon which the vehicle is traveling, or the pedestrian is approaching so closely from the opposite half of the roadway as to be in danger; and

     WHEREAS, elderly citizens generally need more time to complete crossing the street; and

     WHEREAS, in one of the four pedestrian fatalities in Honolulu, it was reported that many people in the neighborhood where the accident occurred, North King Street, speculate that the woman did not have enough time to get across in the clearly marked crosswalk because the light turned green to fast; and

     WHEREAS, pedestrian signal light indicators and traffic signal lights should be timed to allow adequate time for pedestrians to complete a crossing in a crosswalk; and

     WHEREAS, one of the objectives for pedestrian safety recommended in 2004 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration) is to reduce pedestrian exposure to vehicular traffic by upgrading traffic and pedestrian signals; and

     WHEREAS, some roadways and streets are under the jurisdiction of the State and others are under the jurisdiction of the City and County of Honolulu; and

     WHEREAS, the State and the City and County of Honolulu need to cooperate and coordinate the timing of traffic signals, as well as the timing of pedestrian walk signals in order to enhance pedestrian safety; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, that the State Department of Transportation and the Department of Transportation Services of the City and County of Honolulu cooperate and coordinate efforts to harmonize pedestrian walk signal lights and traffic stop lights with pedestrian's right of way in the crosswalk law; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the pedestrian walk signal lights and traffic stop lights allow sufficient time for all  pedestrians, particularly the elderly, to complete their crossing in a crosswalk; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to Director of Transportation and the Director of Transportation Services of the City and County of Honolulu.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Pedestrian Signal Lights