20-05-2025
Some claim a new safety measure is ruining quality of life
HONOLULU (KHON2) — It's a sound all too familiar to residents who live on Pali Highway and Wood Street.
'Thump, thump, thump.'
Gondola development project proposed for North Shore
A resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said it's like someone's driving over train tracks.
For Mark, who lives on the corner, the constant tire thumping is driving him up the wall.
'It sounds like something is hitting something,' Mark said. 'I can't really get rid or get away from noise in my house. So I think the worst part for me is that it sounds like people are knocking on my door 24 hours a day now.'
The culprit is the white striping put in less than two weeks ago leading up to the new raised crosswalk on the Pali to the Shelly Kunishige, the Department of Transportation spokesperson, the white advanced warning bars are made of a raised thermoplastic.
'Our inspector said it was a typical installation,' Kunishige explained. 'But I will basically have our guys out there to take noise measurements and stuff to see if there's anything unusual. But from what the construction inspector said, it's no different than any other raised crosswalk.'
But this isn't the first time that DOT has dealt with noise complaints relating to raised crosswalks.
The raised crosswalk at Kailua Road and the Ululoa Street in Kailua has had a number of complaints since it was put in several years ago according to Kunishge.
Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news
A resident said they've dealt with a number of issues, noise is just one of them.
According to Kunishige, that raised crosswalk is going to be replaced with a traffic signal.
She confirmed there were also complaints with the raised crosswalk at Pali Highway and Ahipuu Street, which she said was relocated to Pali Highway and lower Dowsett.
The city Department of Transportation Services has also been installing speed humps in residential areas.
Hawaiian Airlines: No one will lose their miles
'DTS received less than half a dozen complaints once speed humps have been installed. Some of these issues were related to noise and damage to lowered vehicles,' the department said in a statement. 'This small percentage of speed hump installation complaints, when compared to requests to create safer and slower streets, shows our island residents are very much proponents of slower travel through our neighborhoods.'
DOT has installed over 258 raised crosswalks and speed humps statewide since 2019 and hope to add another 40 this year.
Downtown armed robbery prompts HPD investigation
Mark knows the raised crosswalk by his house is for pedestrians safety. He isn't saying it needs to go.
He just wants the constant thumping to stop.
'I'm hoping they'll just remove these strips and replace them with regular road paint, because those don't make any sound at all and they'll serve the exact same purpose,' Mark explained. 'I wouldn't say I get a good sleep with this.'
DOT said they do plan to contact Mark to schedule a time to test the noise level.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
