’Very dark, sketchy,’ Ala Moana residents want streetlights fixed

HONOLULU (KHON2) — It wasn’t usually so dark on Rycroft and Ahana Streets. It’s been a few weeks, and residents hoped the streetlights would have been fixed by now.

“When it’s so dark, you never know who is somewhere behind the bush or between cars. I don’t want to get attacked or anything, and sometimes there are really kind of unpleasant individuals around, and it’s just dangerous. Also, with the cars, they don’t see you,” stated Jayne Cloutier, Board Director at Rycroft Terrace.

Those living in the area stated it’s surprising how long the streetlights have been out without getting fixed. Residents expressed concern for their own safety and that of their neighbors.

“My mom’s car got broken into right here. Somebody broke the window and tried to steal her stuff. It does promote more crime because you can’t really see what’s going on,” said Bobby Hwang, a resident in the area. “It’s very, very dark and it kind of looks sketchy.”

The City said it was first alerted of the outage Sept. 12, through software that monitors street light operations. In a statment, officals said crews were sent to investigate but because of a nearby construction site, crews were not allowed access to the area.

“We have a lot of elderly people living in our building, which are over 70, and you don’t want them to get hurt just because maybe somebody doesn’t see them or somebody goes after them,” said Cloutier.

Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news

Officials said, “Tomorrow, City crews will again go to the area to try to determine the cause of the outage, determine the responsible party, and determine a timeline for repairs.”