A series of recent accidents and a renewed effort by a resident are spurring officials and Mariner's Ridge residents to take another look at safety improvements on Kaluanui Road.

Makani Christensen took up the campaign after his roommate was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident on Jan. 26.

Two days later, two cars collided near the same spot.

Residents have been calling for the city to improve safety for more than a decade on the road, which winds up the ridge.

"Nobody's been able to put their foot down and make something happen," said Christensen, who has gotten residents of 100 homes to sign a petition for speed bumps and a better overall safety plan.

Residents say severed trees, bent street signs and broken concrete walls are common sights, especially along the S-turn near the bottom of the hill.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! It's incredible," said Christa Gerlich, a 28-year resident of Mariner's Ridge. "I've seen a police car going backwards. You wouldn't believe it."

She has counted 18 to 24 accidents per year in recent years. Most aren't serious and aren't recorded because drivers simply drive away, she said.

The problem, many say, is that the road is not properly banked and vehicles tend to spin out on its curves.

"Even going 20 mph can get you in trouble," Gerlich said.

Efforts over the years have been stalled because residents are split on how to make the road safer.

In 2003, a plan to install speed bumps or rumble strips came before the City Council, but was shot down by residents who were concerned about noise.

In 2006, the city came up with a $100,000 plan to re-stripe a stretch of Kaluanui and trim the width of the lanes in both directions.

But some, like Hawai'i Kai resident Natalie Iwasa, who frequently bikes up and down the road, took issue with the proposal because it did not allocate space for cyclists.

"People speed, so it's not really a matter of the road being dangerous, but that people don't really slow down enough," she said.

The Mariner's Ridge Maintenance Association eventually voted against the narrowing plan in part because of aesthetic concerns, but also because members thought altering the lanes without re-grading the road would lead to head-on collisions.

Other proposals have included installing a median strip, putting up "Slippery When Wet" signs, erecting a stop sign at Ka'ahue Street or having Honolulu police patrol the area for speeders.

Councilman Charles Djou said both he and the Hannemann administration are well aware of the situation and that the recent accidents have shown that safety concerns now trump aesthetic concerns.

"We have reached that point," he said. "Clearly this road is unsafe. It is a liability to the city. The city knows it is an unsafe road.

"For me, it's no longer a question of trying to find a nice aesthetic project."

Gerlich said that for many in the community, a full re-grading is the only option.

"The only solution is that, once and for all, the city takes responsibility and comes out and fixes the road before somebody is killed," she said.

Reach Kim Fassler at fassler@honoluluadvertiser.com.