Crossing the road for pedestrians can be dangerous and, for some, costly

Every year on Oʻahu there are hundreds of citations issued for jaywalking. Last year alone, Honolulu Police officers wrote 1,227 of those citations. The numbers are even higher statewide.

“On average, every year we give out about 5,000 jaywalking citations,” said Malia Boksanski, a transportation equity policy analyst with Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice.

Fines on Oʻahu for jaywalking start at $130 and go to $180.

Some feel that is too much.

“Fines for speeding start at $62, so just that alone is really alarming. That we’re policing pedestrians more than we are drivers,” added Boksanski.

According to data from the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary, more of those citations are issued in places like Waikīkī, Chinatown and other urban areas.

Boksanski says the areas with higher number of jaywalking citations also have poorer residential populations.

“The demographics that are facing kind of the brunt of this impact are low-income individuals and people who don’t drive, people who really rely on walking to get around,” added Boksanski.

Hawaiʻi Appleseed sponsored a bill this past legislative session that would no longer consider it jaywalking if you entered the crosswalk after the timer started. And another that would reduce the cost of a citation—but those bills did not pass.