How Far Would You Go to Make Your Community Safer?

Strong Towns member Mary Moriarty Jones.

What lengths would you go to to make your community, and its children, safer?

Strong Towns member Mary Moriarty Jones lives in Honolulu. A few years ago, she became aware that the street in front of her children's school, Leahi Avenue, was terrifyingly dangerous, due to its speedway-like design, lack of curbs or improved sidewalks, and use as a cut-through by non-local drivers trying to access the Waikiki Beach area. In fact, Jones once had a driver literally hit her hand with their car while she was walking (mercifully while going slowly). School administrators said that she was not the first to complain, but that their hands were tied. When Jones started pestering city officials about the street, she finally found out that it was privately owned. (While this is an unusual arrangement in most parts of the U.S. outside of gated subdivisions, it is common in Hawaii.)

So Jones did what any normal, mild-mannered, easily mollified, not at all doggedly persistent human would do: She bought the road.

Yes, Jones actually tracked down the private street's owner—a trust for a long-dead Hawaiian king that had no idea it owned this city street—and bought it for $10 through an LLC she set up. What followed was what we can only imagine is the dream scenario of countless Strong Towns members: What if you had free rein to do the things you know need to be done to fix your neighborhood street? Jones changed the speed limit to 15 miles per hour and put up new school zone signs. She planted street trees for beautification and traffic calming—all in accordance with city codes, as she hopes the City of Honolulu will yet take over the street. Jones made a portion of the avenue a yield street: a design in which narrowing to less than two full lanes forces drivers passing each other in opposite directions to slow down and take turns.

Leahi Avenue, prior to the changes implemented by Jones. (Source: Google Maps.)

Most controversially among her neighbors, Jones began to charge for on-street parking. In our interview with her on The Bottom-Up Revolution, she explains that (as any Strong Towns reader knows) street maintenance is far from free, and an individual isn't really in a position to do it without a revenue stream. The move pitted neighbors accustomed to free street parking against those who were happy to see a more orderly parking situation and a much safer, more pleasant street. These conflicts are still being worked out, and Jones has made some changes in response to complaints.

While Jones's bold experiment would be hard to replicate in its details, she urges those in similar situations, but where the road is (as is far more typical) publicly owned and maintained, to be squeaky wheels and draw the city's attention to the problem. Jones typifies the persistence and dedication to improving our world of so many Strong Towns members. And her experience is a powerful lesson in why places need to be designed in response to the immediate needs and struggles of those who use them every day.

Are you ready to take action, but unsure about what your first step should be? Start by becoming a Strong Towns member, to help support activists in your place and all across North America.