Saturday, May 12, 2007
Human Sacrifice succeeds again in Honolulu
For nearly four years the Liliha Neighborhood Board has been pushing for a traffic light at the crosswalk on North School Street in front of St. Theresa School, according to an article in today's Star-Bulletin, Pedestrian light debuts at School Street school, and it has finally been installed. But not, of course, before a human life was sacrificed. A 92-year-old man was killed at that crosswalk in March.
While the installation of this light is cause for celebration, the process is fatally flawed. The light should have been put in by the city years ago simply because it was needed there. According to the article,
...there have been several accidents at the crosswalk, which is busy with schoolchildren, senior citizens getting off the bus, and churchgoers.
The article also mentions that three years ago the school started petitioning for a traffic light when a child was injured (not killed) in that crosswalk.
Popular pressure should have been enough to get that light installed four years ago.
"This is part of our effort to improve pedestrian safety islandwide," said Mayor Mufi Hannemann, quoted in the Star-Bulletin article. That's not much of an effort. The mayor needs to assure us that traffic lights will be immediately put in when needed and replace the people in charge who have failed to protect pedestrian life and safety so far.
Only then will his statement have any meaning.
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