School Safety Zones

Since 2009, the department of Public Work’s Traffic division has continued designating safety zones for pedestrians near schools.  A safety zone is defined in section 24-3, chapter 24, in Hawai‘i County Code on Vehicles and Traffic “ as the area or space officially set apart within a roadway for the exclusive use of pedestrians …protected, marked, or indicated by adequate signs plainly visible at all times.”

In 2009 crosswalks were installed on the Kealaka`a Street extension; Americans with Disability Act (ADA) ramps leading to new pedestrian overpass were completed, and sidewalks extended.  Public Works also installed three additional traffic calming measures on Kealaka`a Street, two Smart Signs and a flashing light alerting motorists to reduce speed to 20 mph in the school zone.

Smart (radar) Signs are informational signs that display the speed of oncoming vehicles or a reminder for the driver to slow down.  Smart Signs use highly visible light-emitting diodes (LED) to make motorists more aware of their speed and to encourage safer driving behavior.  They are a traffic-calming solution that has been proven to slow traffic and are installed in residential areas and school zones.

Zigzag stripes were installed 110-feet before the crosswalk on Kealaka’a Street to encourage motorists to slow down.  Zigzag stripes capture the attention of motorists, who then slow down to look at them as they approach the crosswalk.

“The problem is the high speed zones on the main road fronting the schools,” said Ron Thiel, Traffic division’s chief.  “Some of these roads are owned by the County,”  he added.

There are safety zones at Keonepoko elementary school on Kahakai blvd in Puna, and Kealakehe high school on Keanalehu drive in North Kona.

A school safety zone consists of traffic calming devices, crosswalks, and signage.  The cost is $35,000-$50,000.  Price depends on the different types of traffic calming devices, pedestrian signals, and signage.

Last year Smart signs were installed along Keanalehu drive.  Reflective bands on utility poles, shark’s teeth around the curve leading to the stop sign on Kahakai blvd and Zigzag lines at the new crosswalk were recently added surrounding Keonepoko elementary school.  A LED Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacon will be added at the crosswalk.

The division is currently reviewing a request for school safety zones at Waimea elementary school and Hawai‘i Prep Academy in South Kohala.

KVBID, county promote pedestrian safety program (as reported on www.hawaii247.com, March 14, 2012)

A pedestrian crosses the intersection, PedFlag in hand. The flag will be placed in a holder on the opposite side for use by the next pedestrian. (Courtesy of Kailua Village Business Improvement District)

MEDIA RELEASE

Kailua Village Business Improvement District has been working to enhance public spaces including walkability in and around Historic Kailua Village. With the uptick evident in general business growth, there is also a related increase in pedestrians and motorists.

As part of a pilot program to promote pedestrian safety, Kailua Village Business Improvement District (KVBID) is partnering with the Hawai‘i County Department of Public Works to implement PedFlags (pedestrian flags).

The pilot began March 14 at the busy three-way crosswalk intersection of Ali‘i Drive and Hualālai Road.

The PedFlag program is meant to encourage enhanced safety and awareness for both pedestrians and motorists. PedFlags assist pedestrians using crosswalks by gaining the attention of approaching motorists.

With the aid of a brightly colored orange flag that can be held out in front of the pedestrian and/or waved, the pedestrian is better able to attract the attention of drivers sooner by becoming more visible.

“Everyone is concerned about pedestrian safety, especially as we make our community more enticing and walkable,” KVBID President Eric von Platen Luder said. “We have a large number of seniors and children who may need a little more time and visibility in busy crosswalks.”

In many communities where PedFlag programs have been implemented, evidence shows the program is helpful in encouraging pedestrian safety while some communities report less encouraging results.

KVBID believes the low-cost experiment is well worth a try. If the pilot proves to be helpful, additional crosswalks will be included in the PedFlag program.

PedFlags are stocked in holders near the three-way Ali‘i Drive crosswalks and pedestrians are encouraged to take one, cross the street, and replace the flag in the holder on the opposite side for the next pedestrian’s use.

The mission of the Kailua Village Business Improvement District is to make Kailua Village a model sustainable community that is a better place to invest, work, live and play.

KVBID is working cooperatively to improve and maintain the physical appearance and aesthetics of public right of ways, open space and parks, increase cleanliness and security, and attract long term sustainable business and community activity in Historic Kailua Village.

— Find out more:
www.HistoricKailuaVillage.com

PedFlags are placed in holders at the 3-way crosswalk intersection of Ali‘i Drive and Hualālai Road to encourage safety and awareness for pedestrians and motorists. (Courtesy of Kailua Village Business Improvement District)

Increased visibility (as reported in West Hawaii Today, March 15, 2012 Article by Chelsea Jensen)

Look carefully — and carry a bright orange flag when crossing Alii Drive in the downtown Kailua-Kona area.

Brightly colored flags for pedestrians to hoist when using a crosswalk are now stationed at the Alii Drive and Hualalai Road intersection, said Kailua Village Business Improvement District Executive Director Debbie Baker. The improvement district’s pilot PedFlag program, aimed at improving pedestrian safety in the downtown Kailua-Kona area, began Wednesday.

“With the flag, the visibility (of a pedestrian) increases exponentially,” she said. “Drivers will come to really appreciate the flags because sometimes it is really difficult to see pedestrians.”

No specific incident or accident prompted the program’s initiation, but rather a realization by the district that it needed to enhance pedestrian safety in the area. The PedFlag program was chosen over placing a crossing guard at the intersection not only because of cost, but also to encourage pedestrians to take some responsibility into their own hands, she said.

“Communities, like ours, are starting to recognize the need for more pedestrian safety,” she said. “We made the realization that with a lot of seniors and children pedestrians we need to try to make our community more walkable and pedestrian friendly.”

The PedFlag system is simple: A pedestrian looking to cross the road carries the bright orange-colored flag, either waving it or holding it out in front of them, to grab approaching motorists’ attention, Baker said. The flag is then left at the other side of the intersection for the next user.

Yancey Derringer, whose business Hawaiian Titanium Rings is located on the intersection’s makai side, was happy to see the flag system get under way Wednesday. He said the intersection has been dangerous for some time and hopes the flags will help.

“The flags have really stirred up people’s interest. They’ve been using them all day while going across the street,” he said. “The kids are amazed — it’s like an adventure for them.”

The Kailua Village Business Improvement District, which is tasked with improving and maintaining public areas and getting people into the village area, paid nothing to get the project under way, Baker said. The Hawaii County Department of Public Works, which the district partnered with for the pilot project, provided and installed flags and flag holders at the intersection, she said.

According to a Public Works prepared statement, the PedFlag program has been used since late 2011 at the Mamalahoa Highway and Lindsey Road intersection in Waimea. The county plans to install crosswalk flags at the Paniolo Avenue and Waikoloa Road intersection in Waikoloa Village, as well as in Hilo, where Kamehameha Avenue intersects with Haili and Pauahi streets.

PedFlags have become a popular means for enhancing pedestrian safety on the U.S. mainland, Baker said. Areas around the U.S., including Kirkland, Wash., Chicago, and upscale beach communities in California, are using the system, she said.

In Kirkland, Wash., the PedFlag program has proven successful in increasing pedestrian visibility at intersections throughout the city of nearly 50,000 residents, said Dave Godfrey, Kirkland’s transportation engineer manager. Since the mid-1990s, more than 70 intersections have been outfitted with the flags.

Though some people may walk off with the flags, posing a minor cost, overall the PedFlag program provides the most cost-effective means of protecting a large number of intersections, he said.

“People enjoy the pedestrian flags and we find them very effective,” Godfrey said. “They’re not for everyone, but I see many people using them and they are a very popular item since they help increase visibility.”

If the program catches on in the downtown Kailua-Kona area, Baker said the district would like to install PedFlags at other crosswalks along Alii Drive.

“If pedestrians warm up to the idea, we would install more, absolutely,” she said. “It’s a wonderful and inexpensive way to keep pedestrians safe.”