Drivers warned
of traffic ‘zoo’
as students return

Officials also urge pedestrians
to be careful on the road

CORRECTION Friday, August 26, 2005 » A new state pedestrian safety law requires motorists to stop and yield to pedestrians who are in the motorists' half of the roadway or approaching closely from the opposite side of the roadway. Articles that ran on Page A3 on Aug. 13 and 18 incorrectly described the law. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at corrections@starbulletin.com.

With nearly 50,000 students returning to school next week, transportation officials are expecting a "zoo" on Oahu's roads.

By the numbers Nearly 41,000 students return Monday to University of Hawaii campuses on Oahu. » UH-Manoa: 21,000 students » UH-West Oahu: 1,000 » Honolulu Community College: 3,500 » Kapiolani CC: 7,000 » Leeward CC: 6,200 » Windward CC: 1,900 Also returning next week: Chaminade University, 1,000; Maryknoll School, 1,400; Iolani School, 1,800; Punahou School, 3,700.

And to alleviate all the monkeying around that comes with traffic jams, transportation officials are calling for calm preparations with a "Beat the School Jam" campaign.

"Get ready for Monday. It's gonna be a zoo out there," said Rod Haraga, director of the state Department of Transportation, who announced the 18th annual campaign yesterday.

More than 40,000 college students attending the University of Hawaii and Chaminade University will start their fall semester Monday, and almost 7,000 private school students will return to school during the week.

So how can motorists avoid the "zoo"?

Leave before or after the peak time, make sure vehicles are in good condition to avoid stalling on the roadways, and use alternative modes of transportation such as car pools, bikes or TheBus, he said.

And he reminded drivers that since Monday, with the opening of the Zipperlane's 15-mile extension from Radford Drive to Iwilei, it pays to have more than one person per car.

To ease traffic, state highway projects, including the Nimitz Highway repaving project, will be put on hold until Sept. 6.

But that's not enough. Haraga said he is concerned about the increase in pedestrian fatalities and injuries on Oahu, and he stressed that motorists must watch out for children crossing the street.

Three days ago a woman and three children -- two in a stroller -- were struck by a pickup truck while they were walking in a crosswalk at the intersection of Iroquois Point Road and Keaunui Street in Ewa. Six-year-old Nathan Mallari was hospitalized with a broken leg.

A new pedestrian safety law was signed this year that requires motorists to yield to pedestrians who are in their half of the roadway or approaching closely from the opposite side of the roadway.

"We are No. 4 in the nation right now as far as pedestrian fatalities per capita, and that needs to come down," Haraga said, announcing a six-week campaign to remind residents about the new pedestrian safety law. Violators face a $97 fine. Jaywalkers face a $70 fine.

Haraga said jaywalkers, primarily seniors, have become a problem.

"It takes them longer to cross the street, and they do the midblock crossing because they don't want to walk to the marked crosswalk," Haraga said. "So we're going to pay particular attention to where the high incidences have occurred and (enforce) it in those areas."

But just because you are in a crosswalk does not ensure safety, he said.

"It means they still have to be very vigilant of what's going (on) around them -- cars turning, people not signaling and people coming to a rolling stop rather than stop on a right turn on red," he said.

Ed Hirata, director of the city Department of Transportation Services, said they have continued to hold programs such as Walk Wise Kupuna to educate seniors about pedestrian safety.

Like Haraga, Hirata said that it takes the vigilance of both drivers and pedestrians when it comes to safety.

"It takes attentive drivers and it takes attentive pedestrians, so I think it's not all one way," he said. "But congestion and inattention, I think, contribute toward accidents."