Honolulu bans crosswalk ‘zombies’
Honolulu has become the first city in the world to ban “zombie walkers” from crossing the road.
The law, which came into effect Wednesday, allows police to fine pedestrians up to $ 35 for viewing their electronic devices while crossing streets. Repeat offenders could be fined up to $99.
“This is really milestone legislation that sets the bar high for safety,” said Bran- don Elefante, the city councillor who proposed the bill, which passed in July.
Pedestrians, he said, will share the responsibility for their safety with motorists.
In the United States, pedestrian deaths in 2016 spiked nine per cent from the year before, rising to 5,987, the highest toll on American roads since 1990, according to federal data. One reason may be the rise in smartphone use, “a frequent source of mental and visual distraction” for drivers and walkers, a report by the Governors Highway Safety Association found.
“I’m guilty myself,” said Charles Chan Massey, chief executive of Synaxis Meetings & Events, a management firm, who uses the time walking to and from meetings to catch up on calls, texts and emails.
“A lot of people do it; they know it’s risky and do it anyway. They convince themselves that ‘ this text is important,’” he said.
There is a dearth of data directly linking distracted walking to pedestrian injuries and deaths, but it seems to be a global problem, too.
Preliminary studies “give a hint to unsafe behaviour,” said Dr. Etienne Krug, director of the Department for Management of Noncommunicable Diseases, Disability, Violence and Injury Prevention at the WHO.
People who text and walk, for example, are nearly four times as likely to engage in at least one dangerous action, like jaywalking or not looking both ways, and take 18- percent more time to cross a street than undistracted pedestrians. Solutions, Krug said, are “hard to legislate and even harder to enforce.”
Other cities have come up with creative ways to help protect so- called zombies, who talk, text, listen to music, check their email and even snap selfies. Initiatives include low- tech efforts, like edgy signs in Hayward, Calif. (“Heads Up! Cross the Street. Then Update Facebook.”), no- selfie zones in Mumbai, India, special traffic lights in Europe and several pieces of legislation in reaction to Honolulu’s new law.
Last month, San Mateo County, Calif., unanimously passed a resolution prohibiting pedestrians’ use of cellphones while crossing streets. It’s not enforceable, as state law governs such issues, but David Canepa, who introduced the measure, said it was an important springboard; the resolution is expected to go to the legislature in January.
Critics are concerned about personal freedom and are slow to adjust to new ideas, Canepa said. “But at the end of the day, people understand the value of public safety,” he added. As children, he said, we are taught to look both ways when crossing a street, but “you can’t look both ways when you’re looking down and texting.”