Officials grapple with pedestrian dangers on Oahu
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii tourism officials are offering to help fund possible solutions to problems such as traffic and jaywalking near a popular tourism site, a report said.
Traffic and pedestrian issues are affecting how and when people drive around Oahu’s North Shore.
A 10-year-old boy from California was hit by a vehicle while crossing Kamehameha Highway Aug. 1, which increased calls for changes near Laniakea Beach.
The Hawaii Tourism Authority has said it is willing to spend $7 million to $8 million to help fund solutions at Laniakea Beach, which is not an official beach park and has no bathrooms or parking lots.
Ideas include the installation of traffic lights, crosswalks and hiring crossing guards or off-duty Honolulu police officers, officials said.
The state Department of Transportation installed concrete barriers along the highway in 2013 to prevent parking and jaywalking, but the barriers were removed following a 2015 lawsuit.
“If the barriers were still in place, that kid never would have gotten hit,” said Ed Sniffen, the transportation department’s deputy director of highways.
There is currently no consensus on how to make Kamehameha Highway safer for crossing pedestrians, officials said.
Drivers often pull off the road and sprint in front of traffic at Laniakea Beach, which is a popular spot to watch sea turtles.
Shark takes bite out of teen’s surf board
HONOLULU (AP) — A teen surfing off Oahu escaped a shark encounter uninjured, but his board didn’t.
KHON-TV reports 16-year-old Max Keliikipi was waiting for a wave Sunday evening near Makaha Beach when he spotted what he thought was a turtle fin.
It wasn’t.
The teen says the shark chomped down on the front of his board just inches from his foot, taking off a chunk bigger than his head.
The shark’s impact threw him into the water.
The junior lifeguard says his flight instinct kicked in and he swam toward shore. He made it to land safely.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources has recorded seven shark bites this year.