'Aiea looks at road safety after latest traffic death
By James Gonser
Advertiser Staff Writer
'Aiea residents are looking for ways to make a busy four-lane road safer for pedestrians after Dr. Stephen Tokunaga was killed Jan. 16 when he was struck by a car while crossing Ulune Street.
In January 1999, a 68-year-old woman died after a pickup truck hit her as she crossed Ulune Street, one block from where Tokunaga was struck.
Residents say from late November to early February, the morning sun shines directly into drivers' eyes as they head east on Ulune Street toward Honolulu. Police said glare may have been a factor in the fatal accidents, both of which happened in the morning.
Dr. Mark Greer, chief of the state Department of Health's Dental Health Division and a Tokunaga family friend, said more than 1,000 people attended the dentist's funeral yesterday.
"It's sad that it takes something like this to draw attention to the problem," Greer said. "I would like to believe there was a thorough investigation done at the time of the first incident and it wasn't discounted as just 'these things that happen' and they actually looked at the issue of glare or line of sight in the area."
Tokunaga, 42, became O'ahu's seventh traffic fatality of the year after he was struck by a car while crossing Ulune Street at Pohue Street at 7:40 a.m. on Jan. 16. Witnesses said he was struck by a 1996 Honda driven by an 'Aiea man.
Police have made no arrests in the case, but are still investigating.
"Ulune is a wide street and very busy in the mornings," said William Clark, chairman of the 'Aiea Neighborhood Board. "Someone should take a look at it in light of the last incident to see if improvements could be made."
Tokunaga's death was the fourth pedestrian fatality on O'ahu this year, compared with two during the same time period last year. There were 14 pedestrian fatalities in 2003 and 27 in 2002.
Ulune Street resident Kenneth Takata said there have been many minor accidents on the road besides these two fatalities and that he avoids walking across the street in the morning or even driving it if he can.
"It's terrible, the glare from the sun in the morning," Takata said. "I've heard drivers complaining many times (that) you can't see. It goes right in your eyes."
City Councilman Gary Okino said Ulune Street is a busy road during the morning and afternoon rush hours and has a well-documented problem with commuters driving too fast for a residential area. The community has conducted sign-waving to urge motorists to slow down.
Okino said the issue of road safety on Ulune Street was discussed during the recent 'Aiea/Pearl City Livable Communities study. He said narrowing the road to two lanes and adding a tree-lined median would slow traffic and provide a "safe haven" for pedestrians.
"With (the city's) fiscal situation we cannot afford to do this kind of full treatment thing," Okino said. "So at this point I'm thinking of just restriping the roadway and reducing the lanes."
Cheryl Soon, director of the city Department of Transportation Services, said the city's hands are tied on making these type of improvements because the City Council last year adopted a moratorium on installing new traffic-calming projects.
"The intersection of Ulune and Pohue streets was designed and built in compliance to all applicable traffic standards," Soon said. "Ulune Street does have a speeding problem, which the community has tried to address through sign waving. Other communities with similar speeding problems have worked with their councilmember to develop traffic-calming measures. We would be willing to work with the community and any other interested parties regarding traffic-calming proposals, however, such projects cannot be built until the City Council lifts its moratorium on traffic calming."
Reach James Gonser at 535-2431 or jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com.
