State legislators are moving along a measure to ban police from enforcing current jaywalking laws.
Senate Bill 2630 would allow jaywalking unless “a reasonably careful pedestrian would determine that doing so would result in a collision with a moving vehicle or result in the moving vehicle slowing or stopping in any fashion.”
A recent report by the Hawai‘i Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice argued that Hawaiʻi's jaywalking rules are enforced more strictly than other cities studied.
They state that stricter enforcement requires precious police resources and doesn’t actually improve road safety.
Jaywalking enforcement also has a history of promoting racially based police stops.
But testimony on the bill has been split. The Honolulu Police Department and the state departments of Transportation and Law Enforcement opposed the removal of jaywalking enforcement.
“Not only does that cause a problem for the motorists, but it causes problems for insurance companies, causes problems with the health care of the person that was struck," said Michael Campbell, acting captain for HPD’s Traffic Division.
"Our infrastructure is set up for people to cross safely within the crosswalks. Motorists are not expecting pedestrians to cross outside of crosswalks,” he continued.
The measure passed through the House Committee on Transportation last week, but two committee members voted against it because they don’t believe the infrastructure is set up to allow jaywalking.
“I look to the unimproved areas like my community. It could expose some of these folks to danger,” said committee vice-chair Darius Kila, whose jurisdiction includes the Nānākuli and Mā‘ili areas on Oʻahu.
Still, many agree that jaywalking enforcement is problematic.
In written testimony, the state Department of Health noted only one-quarter of Hawaiʻi residents met federal guidelines for physical activity “despite Hawaiʻi’s favorable climate, geography and reputation for active outdoor living.”
Hawaiʻi Appleseed argues that infrastructure changes are a more appropriate way to improve road and pedestrian safety.
The DOH agreed, saying, “The design of roads that integrate options like walking and bicycling is a public health concern since the built environment can promote or hinder physical activity. This includes removing barriers and providing opportunities to cross streets safely and conveniently to access destinations such as bus stops, schools, and worksites.”
Oʻahu alone is missing 900 miles of sidewalk on city streets.
