Highways

HONOLULU – The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation (HDOT) informs the public that the evaluation of the Ala Moana Boulevard and Hobron Lane and the Ala Moana and Ena Road/Kalia Road intersections as all-pedestrian phase crossings has been completed. The all-pedestrian phasing will remain in effect and HDOT will take steps to add pavement markings and traffic signal heads to complete the conversion of the intersections to a pedestrian scramble (also known as Barnes Dance) configuration.

An all-pedestrian crossing phase is used to reduce potential conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians by providing a separate phase where all traffic signals at the intersection are red. Signs to caution pedestrians to cross only on the walk or walking person signal have been installed on poles at Ala Moana Boulevard’s intersections with Hobron Lane and Ena/Kalia Road.

Findings during the month-long evaluation of the all-pedestrian phase crossings are summarized below:

• Safety improvements
  • Phasing eliminates potential pedestrian-vehicle conflicts when pedestrians and vehicles follow the lawful instruction of the signals.
  • Crash data from 2017 to 2021 for the intersections showed significant crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists.

Intersection	Total Crashes	Number of crashes involving pedestrians	Number of crashes involving bicyclists
Hobron Lane	21	8	3
Kalia/Ena Road	13	3	1

 

• Vehicle travel times compared to times before the pilot:
  • Ala Moana Blvd:  No appreciable change
  • Southbound Hobron:  12% improvement
  • Northbound Hobron:  7% delay
  • Kalia Road:  13% improvement
  • Ena Road:  7% improvement

Adjustments were made to signal timing throughout the evaluation phase, with significant adjustments made to address feedback from the community on Nov. 7 and Nov. 18. These adjustments included increasing green time for the southbound approach to Hobron Lane in the AM and PM peaks by 4 seconds and 6 seconds respectively; increasing green time for northbound Kalia Road approach by 3 seconds in the AM peak; and, reducing green time on Ala Moana approaches in the PM peak to provide additional clearance time for vehicles from southbound Hobron Lane, northbound Kalia Road, and southbound Ena Road.

HDOT thanks the public for their patience as we continue to work to make the Ala Moana Boulevard and Nimitz Highway corridor safer for all modes of transportation. Problems or concerns regarding traffic or pedestrian signals on state routes may be submitted to [email protected] or (808) 587-2160.

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