At the Ala Moana Boulevard and Atkinson Drive crosswalk, neighbors say people on foot are locked in a daily standoff with turning cars. The marked crossing stretches across eight traffic lanes and two pedestrian islands, so anyone trying to get through, including kūpuna, often has to hustle to beat the clock. Residents complain that drivers making left turns regularly keep rolling even while pedestrians are still in the middle of the stripes, creating what they describe as a routine safety risk.
“The problem is there’s only a certain amount of time that you have to cross,” nearby resident Lani Michael told Honolulu Civil Beat. She said she sometimes brings an air horn to blast at motorists who edge too close. A reporter for the outlet clocked a brisk walk from one side of the crosswalk to the other at 43 seconds, barely under the 45 seconds the signal currently provides. Michael and other neighbors argue that many people need more time than that to get across safely. She says she has complained to the mayor’s office and asked police to look into the problem but has seen few changes so far.
Crash History And Police Records
Honolulu Police Department traffic data show that serious crashes have taken place near the crossing. In a March 24, 2025 press release, the Honolulu Police Department reported a hit-and-run collision on Ala Moana just before Atkinson that left a juvenile passenger in serious condition. Another HPD traffic release documents a deadly crash on Oct. 30, 2023, when an unidentified man was fatally struck while crossing outside a marked crosswalk in the same general area.
Who Controls The Signals
On Oʻahu, responsibility for signal timing is divided between city and state agencies, which can leave residents guessing about where to send complaints. The Joint Traffic Management Center was created to bring traffic and public safety agencies under one roof and make it easier to respond to issues, yet neighbors say their requests can still bounce between departments. That split in authority affects how fast anyone can tweak timing or add new crossing phases at a particular intersection.
State Pilot Offers One Possible Fix
The state has already tried an all-pedestrian signal phase at two other Ala Moana Boulevard intersections. In a November 2022 evaluation, the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation reported that converting the Hobron Lane and Ena Road intersections to an all-pedestrian phase cut down on pedestrian-vehicle conflict points. The agency said the pilot also let engineers adjust timing based on what nearby residents were seeing on the ground. According to HDOT’s review, the changes produced fewer conflict areas, along with modest shifts in side-street green time to balance vehicle travel with pedestrian clearance needs.
What Neighbors And Engineers Are Pushing For
Residents and safety advocates say that giving people on foot more time to cross or adding an all-pedestrian phase at Atkinson could help curb the problem of cars turning through the crosswalk. City Department of Transportation Services spokesman Travis Ota told Honolulu Civil Beat that officials track complaints about signal timing through the HNL 311 app and can add or subtract seconds as needed to improve traffic flow. Urban planners point to a familiar toolkit that includes longer pedestrian clearance times, leading-pedestrian intervals, curb extensions and tougher enforcement of turn-on-red rules as relatively low-cost ways to cut back on conflicts between people walking and driving.
How To Report A Signal Problem
For timing or safety issues at city-controlled intersections, residents are directed to submit a report through the HNL 311 app so the Department of Transportation Services can log and respond to the request. For signals on state-controlled roads such as major arterials, the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation lists a complaints email and phone line on its Ala Moana evaluation page: [email protected] and (808) 587-2160. People can also contact the City’s Traffic Signals & Technology Division directly; the state directory lists its main number as (808) 768-8387 for signal concerns.
Residents say they plan to keep tracking what happens in the crosswalk and pressing for a lasting fix until the lights clearly favor safe walking. For now, the intersection stands as a daily example of how much signal timing and street design still decide who gets to move through the city without putting their safety on the line.
