The city plans to install innovative pedestrian-activated flashing lights at two high-volume crosswalks — one in McCully and one in Kalihi — as part of a drive to improve pedestrian safety on O'ahu.

These upgrades, which will cost a total of about $150,000, are part of a pilot project to find more effective ways to alert drivers of pedestrians crossing O'ahu's roadways.

Both are expected to be installed sometime in the first part of next year.

The crosswalk at South King and Hau'oli streets in McCully, fronting Times Supermarket, will be upgraded to include 17-foot-tall arms that will stretch over the crosswalk. Flashing amber-colored lights will be hung or attached to the arms to alert drivers to pedestrians crossing the street.

The other crosswalk, on North King Street near the Kapalama post office, will feature flashing amber-colored lights embedded in the pavement paired with street-level lights and signage.

Both systems are activated when a pedestrian pushes a button.

This is similar to a flashing crosswalk system installed by the state on Pali Highway and on Farrington Highway in Wai'anae in 2001. Soon after the lights were installed, however, vandals damaged or stole the lights. The project never took off after that.

The Kalihi crosswalk is expected to be completed first.

These two crosswalks were selected because of the high volume of vehicles and pedestrians that cross the intersection and the number of accidents or near-accidents reported in this area, said Richard Torres, acting director of the city's Department of Transportation Services.

PART OF LARGER PLAN

The city picked one crosswalk on a one-way street — South King Street in McCully — and another on a two-way street — North King Street in Kalihi — as they pose different challenges, Torres said.

If these crosswalk modifications prove successful, the city will look at implementing similar upgrades at other high-priority pedestrian crossings, he said.

This upgrade is part of a larger city-led initiative that includes installing new traffic signal lights at busy intersections and pedestrian countdown signals at 525 crosswalks islandwide.

The cost is $50,000 for the crosswalk with embedded lights and $100,000 for the one with overhead lights.

When the state installed lights in the pavement at the crosswalk on Farrington Highway in 2001, the cost was $45,400.

City officials looked at various crosswalk designs and signage used in other states to determine what might work in these two O'ahu neighborhoods.

"Any effort cities can do ... in attempting to make our streets safer is clearly a step in the right direction," said Bruce Bottorff, associate state director for communications for AARP Hawai'i. "We're seeing that now, but there's still a lot more to be done."

HIGH-PRIORITY AREAS

O'ahu registered its 13th pedestrian fatality Monday — a 56-year-old man was killed when a van veered off Fort Weaver Road and struck him as he was working on the side of the road. Police classified the case as a pedestrian death.

Kalihi and McCully were identified as high-priority areas by the city, as thousands of vehicles and pedestrians travel along these roadways every day.

The busy crosswalk at Times Supermarket in McCully has long been a safety concern, said Ron Lockwood, chairman of the McCully/Mo'ili'ili Neighborhood Board.

While he praised the initiative and attention to a dangerous crosswalk in his neighborhood, Lockwood hopes the city does more than just install overhead lights and signs.

He wants city officials to consider removing at least one parking stall on the mauka side of King Street to improve pedestrian visibility and move the line where cars are required to stop back about 10 feet from the intersection.

"Overall, we like the idea," Lockwood said. "But we'd like it to be done right the first time."

North King Street in Kalihi also has been the scene of pedestrian accidents and fatalities in recent years.

Bernadette Young, a longtime Kalihi resident and chairwoman of the Kalihi-Palama Neighborhood Board, said she's seen people — mostly seniors and teenagers — jaywalk across the busy two-way street.

"It's a problem and I'm glad the city is taking the bull by the horns," Young said.

She hopes that flashing lights embedded in the pavement along the crosswalk will improve the visibility of pedestrians.

"To me, it sounds terrific," Young said. "If it's something that flashes, I'm sure more people will see it. I hope it helps. But we'll see."

Reach Catherine E. Toth at ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com.