{"id":2659,"date":"2014-02-19T11:45:24","date_gmt":"2014-02-19T16:45:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.roadtrafficsigns.com\/blog\/?p=2659"},"modified":"2024-06-12T02:08:55","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T06:08:55","slug":"imaginative-street-art-draws-controversy-hawaii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.roadtrafficsigns.com/blog\/imaginative-street-art-draws-controversy-hawaii\/","title":{"rendered":"Imaginative street art draws controversy in Hawai’i"},"content":{"rendered":"

Certain playful denizens have been adding paint lines to existing crosswalks in the Hawaii Kai and Kapolei areas of Hawaii to spell out the welcoming phrase, \u201cAloha.\u201d First discovered this past Christmas, the alterations are considered by tourists and citizens to be, by and large, thoughtful touches — but for authorities, the painted lines amount to acts of vandalism.<\/p>\n

\"aloha<\/a>

Two instances of the ultra-dangerous ALOHA crosswalks. From Yahoo.com!.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Aloha configuration will soon be removed. As Ross Sasamura of the Department of Facility Maintenance explained, according to <\/span>Yahoo.com!, the crosswalk is “a national standard, and any deviation… creates the potential for drivers not recognizing that is a crosswalk.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Some advocates of the mischievous design are opposed to the removal. Nathaniel Hood of Strong Towns, a nonprofit blog covering America\u2019s towns, responded to the local upheaval over the crosswalk modifications, saying \u201cSomeone just wanted to make their neighborhood a better place and they just did it\u2026 Unfortunately, making your neighborhood a little more <\/span>Aloha <\/i>violates the Standard.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hood also argued that, contrary to the government\u2019s safety concerns, the crosswalk design doesn\u2019t pose any danger, writing that it is \u201cwithin the original template, works within the lines, and was painted only on the less busy side street crosswalks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

One resident, Ken Middleton, happens to be in favor of the design, but <\/span>shared with local TV news channel KITV that “we started seeing people disrupting traffic, out in the middle of the street with cameras.” Still, he appreciates the underlying message: “Ah, slow down and enjoy a little Aloha.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The cost to fix the crosswalk painting may reach $2,000, according to local TV news channel KHON, which <\/span>reports that the city will have to purchase materials, assign a crew, create a traffic control plan, and ascertain that the area is safe for repair crews. The crosswalks will be amended either by wire brushing or \u201cgrinding into the roadway,\u201d prior to re-painting the crosswalk.<\/span><\/p>\n

(While a simple solution would seem to simply paint over the lines, Sasamura told KHON that \u201cCrosswalk markings are actually something that\u2019s fully vetted and specified to a national standard that we to comply with.\u201d)<\/span><\/p>\n

Hood reflected on the standard, saying, \u201cTo have a standard that is so inflexible is to say that we\u2019ve perfected intersection crosswalks. We haven\u2019t. Especially Hawaii which has some of the highest rates of pedestrian automobile-related deaths in the United States.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hawaii does in fact have some very real pedestrian safety issues. As <\/span>reported<\/a> by the Honolulu Civil Beat, more elderly pedestrians were killed here as of 2012 than anywhere else in the country. This year alone, a 94-year-old man, walking in a crosswalk, was killed after a driver ran a red light; a 68-year-old woman was also killed while crossing the street in a crosswalk, after an elderly driver hit her while making a left turn.<\/span><\/p>\n

Part of the government\u2019s concern is the \u201cgraffiti\u2019s\u201d impact on pedestrian safety. \u201cIt can pose a danger to pedestrians because people that are approaching it and driving in vehicles unfamiliar with that area may think it\u2019s a marking on the road and not a crosswalk,\u201d Sasamura <\/span>told<\/a> KOHN.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Like this topic? Check out our related products:<\/h3>\n
<\/div>\n