Sidewalk Safety Crisis Threatens Pedestrians And Tourism In Hawaii, Here’s What You Need To Know

Published on September 13, 2025

Renowned for its picturesque landscapes and celebrated tourer hotspots, Hawaii has a superior yet silent situation connected its hands—sidewalks. There The caller summation successful postulation deaths, peculiarly nan caller decease of a motorcyclist, which makes for nan sixty fatality connected Oahu this year, marks a grim milestone. It serves arsenic a caller reminder of a greater rumor astatine stake—pedestrian infrastructure neglect. While fatal accidents are alarming, nan existent rumor that truthful its halfway focusses connected and deserves truthful overmuch much attraction is nan regular challenges for residents and visitors alike. Particularly pinch a attraction connected nan pedestrians. Ranging from surgery pavements to a complete deficiency of crosswalks, Hawaii has mediocre infrastructure which adversely impacts nationalist safety, time to time life, and tourism.

A Steady Increase successful Traffic Fatalities and Pedestrian Deaths

Hawaii has seen a crisp emergence successful postulation fatalities this year, pinch Oahu unsocial surpassing its 2024 count of 29 fatalities by much than double. A ample information of these fatalities involves pedestrians, which is particularly concerning fixed nan precocious measurement of visitors and residents who trust connected stepping arsenic their superior mode of transportation. Pedestrian deaths, often preventable, are nan nonstop consequence of years of infrastructure neglect, including poorly maintained sidewalks, insufficient crosswalks, and a wide disregard for non-vehicular safety.

While attraction is often focused connected postulation accidents involving vehicles, pedestrian fatalities should not beryllium seen arsenic isolated incidents but alternatively arsenic an inevitable consequence of mediocre municipality planning. In caller years, galore of these accidents person occurred successful pedestrian-heavy areas, wherever sidewalks are either absent aliases successful disrepair.

Hawaii’s Sidewalk Crisis: More Than Just Missing Paths

The deficiency of due pedestrian infrastructure successful Hawaii is not a caller issue, but it’s 1 that has grown worse complete time. In Honolulu, nan business is peculiarly alarming. Key crosswalks person been removed, leaving pedestrians pinch nary safe alternatives. Sidewalks often vanish mid-block, and successful places for illustration Waikiki, pedestrians are forced to locomotion successful nan thoroughfare owed to constrictive sidewalks. Visitors pinch strollers, walkers, and mobility immunodeficiency look important challenges, often uncovering themselves successful vulnerable situations while trying to navigate these areas.

On North Shore Oahu, celebrated surf zones for illustration Waimea and Pipeline, wherever visitors and locals alike stitchery to bask nan ocean, are plagued by a complete deficiency of shoulders connected Kamehameha Highway. Visitors often locomotion connected nan roadside, exposed to speeding cars, creating an highly hazardous situation.

Even successful Kauai, nan business connected Poipu Road is troubling, pinch nary sidewalks connecting cardinal resorts and shopping areas. Tourists stepping on nan enarthrosis of nan roadworthy look nan consequence of accidents, further highlighting nan request for improved pedestrian infrastructure successful nan state.

The Inconvenience and Danger Faced by Pedestrians

Hawaii residents and visitors person been vocal astir their antagonistic experiences stepping done nan islands. Hundreds of comments from some locals and visitors overgarment a image of a organization wherever pedestrians are often second-class citizens. From honking drivers successful Waikiki who turn impatient pinch aged pedestrians to visitors stepping into postulation to debar mopeds blocking sidewalks adjacent Diamond Head, nan experiences shared are filled pinch frustration, fear, and, astatine times, humiliation.

Parents struggle to assistance strollers complete surgery curbs successful areas for illustration Ala Moana, while visitors astatine autobus stops are near opinionated successful nan sun pinch nary shade, incapable to find seating aliases moreover beryllium judge they are astatine nan correct stop. In immoderate parts of Waikiki, autobus extremity seating has been removed entirely, leaving visitors unsure astir their adjacent move. These inconveniences are not simply insignificant annoyances—they correspond nan ongoing, systemic problem of neglecting pedestrian needs successful favour of car-centric municipality planning.

The Failure of Vision Zero successful Hawaii

In consequence to increasing postulation fatalities, Hawaii adopted nan Vision Zero inaugural years ago, which group an eager extremity of eliminating postulation deaths statewide. However, nan reality connected nan crushed suggests that these policies person mostly stalled, pinch small advancement successful addressing pedestrian information issues successful high-traffic areas frequented by visitors. Even aft Honolulu renewed its Complete Streets policy successful 2020, galore of nan promised upgrades grounded to materialize successful cardinal tourer zones for illustration Waikiki, Ala Moana, and edifice corridors.

For galore tourists, stepping is an basal portion of nan Hawaiian experience. Whether exploring nan beaches, shopping districts, aliases scenic areas, stepping is often nan champion measurement to bask nan islands. However, erstwhile that acquisition includes dodging postulation aliases navigating poorly designed streets, it quickly turns from enjoyable to stressful and dangerous. Visitors expecting a tropical paradise are near disappointment arsenic their information is compromised by outdated infrastructure and ineffective policies.

Pedestrian Infrastructure and Equality: A Question of Priorities

The sidewalk situation successful Hawaii is not conscionable a matter of nationalist safety; it’s besides a matter of equality. Many of nan individuals affected by inadequate pedestrian infrastructure are those who cannot spend a car aliases take not to drive. These are nan group who trust connected stepping aliases nationalist proscription to get around. Yet, Hawaii’s infrastructure progressively caters to cars and visitors pinch rental vehicles, leaving those connected foot—or utilizing mobility aids—without nan due accommodations.

The deficiency of sidewalks and safe stepping routes further underscores nan disagreement betwixt those who thrust and those who do not. It highlights an inequity that affects some residents and visitors who trust connected stepping to navigate nan state. The absence of basal infrastructure, specified arsenic wide sidewalks, curb ramps, and safe pedestrian crossings, tells pedestrians they are not a priority.

What Could Make a Difference: Practical Solutions

Experts work together that respective elemental yet effective changes could dramatically amended pedestrian information successful Hawaii. Installing mid-block crosswalks successful high-use areas, adding curb ramps for accessibility, and protecting sidewalks pinch buffers to abstracted pedestrians from postulation are each imaginable solutions. Shaded autobus stops pinch seating could besides make a large difference, improving nan acquisition for visitors and residents waiting for nationalist transport. These changes would not only heighten information but besides make nan stepping acquisition much pleasant and accessible for everyone.

In fact, these solutions are not conscionable beneficial for residents; they would besides amended nan wide tourer experience. Tourists often locomotion astir areas for illustration Waikiki and Ala Moana, wherever crowded streets and constrictive sidewalks create a stressful environment. Making these spaces safer and much welcoming would straight effect their cognition of Hawaii, ensuring that nan aloha tone remains astatine nan bosom of their visit.

The Need for Immediate Action

Tales of unsafe, risky conditions proceed to popular up crossed nan state. In Ko Olina, while crossing nan street, you will announcement surgery streetlights crossing nan main thoroughfare which poses a nonstop information consequence while Ko Olina’s luxury properties and tied up fending fences blocking historical pedestrian promenade paths. The shape of neglect is undeniable, and nan mobility remains: Is Hawaii genuinely safe for walking?

Calls for alteration travel from some residents and visitors alike arsenic nan pedestrian infrastructure successful Hawaii appears to beryllium successful a authorities of collapse. The clip for alteration is now, beryllium this nan Vision Zero policy, restoring basal infrastructure, aliases adopting pedestrian-first policies. In bid to debar pedestrian fatalities, much importantly to guarantee nan safe and comfortable entree to nan islands for everybody, action is intermediate.

Hawaii’s pedestrians person been failed. It has been nan little said for nan visitors to these islands. In a beauty that tin only beryllium genuinely felt whilst uncaged down nan wheel, these islands prolong nan utmost awe and excitement arsenic 1 wades done utter joy, done streets, to sorb not only nan ambiance but nan lukewarm embraces talented to her worth by nan people.