Waimanalo seeks crackdown on speeding
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By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer
WAIMANALO — Residents are asking for a police crackdown on speeding and drunken driving and are petitioning for roadway safety improvements, following three crashes here that have killed four people in a five-week period.
The four traffic deaths, at opposite ends of a 3.8-mile stretch of Kalaniana'ole Highway, account for one-fourth of all highway fatalities on O'ahu this year.
At a Waimanalo Neighborhood Board meeting Monday, members voted to ask the police department for more enforcement of traffic violations in hopes of curbing accidents.
Police suspect alcohol was involved in all three accidents.
At the same meeting, family members of a man killed in a Feb. 23 crash near Olomana Golf Links said they have collected about 3,000 signatures on a petition asking the state to make roadway improvements at the accident site.
State Transportation Director Rod Haraga on Tuesday said the DOT will install water-filled barriers by March 21 in the median uphill of the golf course entry. It is also looking into placing a barrier near the "s" turns on Kalaniana'ole Highway downhill of the golf course entrance.
The transportation department installed more rumble strips near the golf course immediately following the Feb. 23 accident that killed Waimanalo resident Ramus Seabury.
The deadliest crash was on Feb. 1, when a pickup truck swerved off the highway, slammed through a concrete pillar and hit a utility pole near Kaiona Beach Park. Killed were Jamie Singleton, 17, and Zebedee Leahy, 21. Six other people were injured.
Not far from that spot, a 57-year-old motorcyclist was killed Sunday when he was hit by a car that was trying to pass a pickup truck. The victim's name has not been released.
"It's too many to believe," said Joe Ryan, Waimanalo Neighborhood Board member.
The neighborhood board unanimously supported a motion Monday to ask police to seek federal money or to create a task force to provide more enforcement in the area. The board wants a crackdown on drunken driving, speeding and other traffic violations that contribute to accidents, Ryan said.
But long-term solutions also are needed, including driver safety programs and possible widening of some sections of the road to accommodate a median, he said.
"Everybody understands that a long-term solution is necessary, but we need a short-term fix now," Ryan said.
Police Lt. John Cheong said the police department considers the problem serious. He is drafting a plan that may include stepped-up enforcement, more roadblocks and increased police visibility. Cheong said police have been citing and arresting drunk drivers in the area.
Cheong said he is baffled by some of the accidents, especially the two near Kaiona Beach Park where the highway is straight, visibility is good and traffic moves steadily. Impatience and impaired driving contributed to those accidents, he said.
"The individuals that we believe are responsible have been arrested and processed," Cheong said. "Their cases are pending under the vehicular homicide section."
Harriet Seabury, whose husband was killed in the collision near Olomana golf course, said stepped-up enforcement would help, but she's also concerned about underage drinking and who is supplying alcohol to minors.
Her husband died when a 19-year-old man crossed the center line after apparently falling asleep at the wheel. The driver and his 19-year-old passenger escaped serious injury.
Seabury also would like the state to install barriers at certain locations or straighten the road near the golf course. She said she has collected nearly 3,000 signatures in support of the improvements.
Barriers would save lives, Seabury said, adding that her husband's vehicle stopped the other driver's car from careening off the road.
"He was those boys' barrier," she said. "If he wasn't there they would have ended up in the Olomana parking lot and there would have been two deaths instead of one."
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com. or 234-5266.
