In today’s Star-Advertiser, there was an article about complete streets in Chinatown.  Unbelievably, some businesses want to make it more dangerous for people who walk so that people who drive can break the law.

Curb extension at Nuuanu/Pauahi. Not only do they cut down the crossing distance, but they provide room for bike parking as well.

The City and County of Honolulu recently added curb extensions (bulb-outs) to a handful of intersections in Chinatown.  The bulb-outs extend the sidewalk into a portion of a road that is kind of a no-mans land, since there’s no parking near intersections to preserve line-of-sight.  Out of curiosity, I did some digging through the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu and found Section 15.14-1, which defines the distances:  no parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk, within 30 feet of a stop sign, or within 75 feet of a stop light.  (If you’ve ever tried to walk or drive through lower Palolo Valley, you’ll know how hard it is to see when cars park too close to the intersections.)

As described by the Federal Highways Administration, “Curb extensions significantly improve pedestrian crossings by reducing the pedestrian crossing distance, improving the ability of pedestrians and motorists to see each other, and reducing the time that pedestrians are in the street.  Or, in the words of the National Association of City Transportation Officials, “Curb extensions increase the overall visibility of pedestrians by aligning them with the parking lane and reducing the crossing distance for pedestrians.”

In other words, bulb-outs make the road shorter/faster to cross and also make both pedestrians and vehicles more visible.  It becomes obvious to traffic when a pedestrian wants to cross, so no more yielding to someone on a corner who doesn’t actually want to cross the street.  This is a three month evaluation but some want it to end early–apparently so they can park illegally and make it more dangerous for pedestrians.  No legal parking or loading zones were removed for these extensions.  The City held multiple meetings in Downtown/Chinatown to talk about this project (here are the reports from the first, second, and third meetings).  In those meetings, pedestrian safety was highlighted as the biggest concern.  Instead of pushing to remove the curb extensions, businesses with concerns should work with the city to add more loading zones for their customers and suppliers.

As a business owner with an office on Hotel Street, I would like to pass this along to the City:  thank you for moving forward with this and other Complete Streets projects.  I walk and bike along these streets and feel safer because of these improvements.  Please don’t be discouraged by a vocal minority who can’t accept improvements to the safety and livability of the area.

More information:  Downtown/Chinatown Complete Streets Implementation Fact Sheet from the Honolulu Department of Transportation Services Complete Streets Program