Unsolicited Advice: No More Aloha

Photo: Katrina Valcourt
 

A few months ago, two Oahu crosswalks made headlines when a mystery graffiti writer added eight white lines to each of them, spelling out the word “ALOHA.” It was a clever bit of vandalism, one that was going to take $4,000 to fix, officials estimated, because of the need to reroute traffic, dig into the asphalt to remove the paint, and then repaint the crosswalks.

Here’s another option: How about doing this to all crosswalks? Everyone could use a reminder to add a little aloha to our lives, especially when so many people are killed or injured crossing the street. Were the crosswalks hurting anyone? The city said they were dangerous and not up to standards, but has the city seen the surrounding Hawaii Kai crosswalks?

They’re thinly drawn lines that have been there since Lunalilo Home Road was repaved … last summer. Aloha crosswalks may not be up to code, but no one is going to mistake them as anything but crossings for pedestrians. Can the city say that for the rest of our deteriorating and fading crosswalks?

How about instead of immediately attacking something that brings a lot of joy to the community, we use that money to fix potholes instead? You know, something that’s actually dangerous?