The City Council wants you to put that phone down when you're crossing the street. 
 
 The City Council wants you to put that phone down when you're crossing the street. 
 
 City Council: Get off the phone! (when you're crossing the street) 
 
 City Council: Get off the phone! (when you're crossing the street) 
 
 It's already illegal to use your phone while driving, but Honolulu City Council members are considering a measure that would make it illegal to use or look at a cell phone or other mobile electronic devices when crossing a street or highway -- even if you're in a marked crosswalk. 
 
 It's already illegal to use your phone while driving, but Honolulu City Council members are considering a measure that would make it illegal to use or look at a cell phone or other mobile electronic devices when crossing a street or highway -- even if you're in a marked crosswalk. 
 
 It could soon be illegal to look at your cellphone while crossing the street 
 
 It could soon be illegal to look at your cellphone while crossing the street 
 
 A bill that would fine pedestrians who use mobile electronic devices while crossing the street passed its third reading Wednesday. 
 
 The bill passed with a 7-2 vote in favor with Councilmembers Ann Kobayashi and Ernie Martin voting no. 
 
 Bill 6 prevents pedestrians from using cell phones, pagers, tablets, laptop computers, handheld video games or digital cameras while crossing the street. 
 
 Those caught face fines of $100 for the first offense, and up to $500 for a third citation. 
 
 The bill, however, doesn't prohibit audio equipment, so listening to music with headphones will still be allowed. 
 
 Supporters of the bill say it will hold pedestrians and motorists responsible for actions on the road, while critics called the bill intrusive and "another attempt at local government overreach." 
 
 HPD has expressed support of the measure. 
 
 The bill now heads to Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell's desk. If signed into law, enforcement could begin in October. 
 
 Copyright 2017 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved. ||||| Make sure you put your phone away when you cross the street. 
 
 A new city ordinance makes it illegal for pedestrians to look at electronic devices while crossing the street. The law goes into effect on Wednesday, Oct. 25. 
 
 Bill 6 (2017), CD2, FD2, was authored by Councilmember Brandon Elefante, and signed into law by Mayor Kirk Caldwell on July 27, 2017. 
 
 Police have spent the past 90 days educating pedestrians of the new law. 
 
 “Your eyes looking down on your phone is so dangerous when you’re crossing the street, and a lot of pedestrians get hit by cars here and nationwide,” said Sgt. James Shyer of the Honolulu Police Department. 
 
 First-time violators can receive a fine from $15-$35. The range goes up to $35-$75 for the second offense, and $75-$99 if you’re caught breaking the law a third time within one year after the first infraction. 
 
 The fine may be relatively small, but you can’t just pay a ticket. You’ll have to appear in court. 
 
 “Right now it’s a court citation that could change in the future. That will be up to the courts whether or not they want to let you pay it,” said Shyer. 
 
 We double checked with Hawaii State Judiciary and sure enough, for a ticket as low as $15 you’ll need to go down to the courthouse. 
 
 It’s not just your phone. Some of the electronic devices that are included under the new law: text messaging devices, laptops, video games, even cameras. 
 
 You can, however, listen to music on a device and talk on your cell phone, provided that you’re not looking down at the device while doing so. 
 
 How will visitors be educated? 
 
 “It’s on a case by case basis I think most officers apply common sense and realize not everybody is aware of our laws,” said Shyer. 
 
 An officer said in an earlier report that bicyclists using the road need to follow traffic rules, like all drivers. 
 
 However, pedestrian laws apply for them when walking their bikes. 
 
 The law does have exceptions. You’re allowed to use your electronic device while contacting 911. 
 
 On-duty emergency responders are also allowed to view their electronic devices if the situation calls for it. ||||| (Reuters) - A ban on pedestrians looking at mobile phones or texting while crossing the street will take effect in Hawaii’s largest city in late October, as Honolulu becomes the first major U.S. city to pass legislation aimed at reducing injuries and deaths from “distracted walking.” 
 
 FILE PHOTO: A woman uses a mobile device in San Francisco, California July 21, 2015. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith/File Photo 
 
 The ban comes as cities around the world grapple with how to protect phone-obsessed “smartphone zombies” from injuring themselves by stepping into traffic or running into stationary objects. 
 
 Starting Oct. 25, Honolulu pedestrians can be fined between $15 and $99, depending on the number of times police catch them looking at a phone or tablet device as they cross the street, Mayor Kirk Caldwell told reporters gathered near one of the city’s busiest downtown intersections on Thursday. 
 
 “We hold the unfortunate distinction of being a major city with more pedestrians being hit in crosswalks, particularly our seniors, than almost any other city in the county,” Caldwell said. Honolulu data on distracted-walking incidents was not immediately available. 
 
 Caldwell signed the legislation on Thursday after it was passed in a 7-2 vote by the city council earlier this month, city records show. ( bit.ly/2veHFau ) 
 
 People making calls for emergency services are exempt from the ban. ( bit.ly/2v76lRA ) 
 
 More than 11,000 injuries resulted from phone-related distraction while walking in the United States between 2000 and 2011, according to a University of Maryland study published in 2015. 
 
 The findings pushed the non-profit National Safety Council to add “distracted walking” to its annual compilation of the biggest risks for unintentional injuries and deaths in the United States, highlighting the severity of the issue. 
 
 “Cell phones are not just pervading our roadways but pervading our sidewalks too,” Maureen Vogel, a spokeswoman for the council, said in a phone interview on Friday. 
 
 Efforts to save pedestrians from their phones extend beyond America’s shores. London has experimented with padding lamp posts to soften the blow for distracted walkers, according to the Independent newspaper. 
 
 In Germany, the city of Augsburg last year embedded traffic signals into the ground near tram tracks to help downward-fixated pedestrians avoid injury, local media reported. 
 
 Opponents of the Honolulu law argued it infringes on personal freedom and amounts to government overreach. 
 
 “Scrap this intrusive bill, provide more education to citizens about responsible electronics usage, and allow law enforcement to focus on larger issues,” resident Ben Robinson told the city council in written testimony.
– People in one Hawaiian city may have to say "aloha" to texting while crossing the street.* CNN reports the Honolulu City Council voted 7-2 Wednesday to bar pedestrians from looking at their mobile devices while crossing the street. The legislation applies to cellphones, tablets, video games, digital cameras, pagers, and laptops, according to Hawaii News Now. Pedestrians caught checking Facebook or sending a tweet while in the street would be subject to a fine of between $15 and $99. Fines could increase to up to $500 for multiple citations. Brandon Elefante says he got the idea for the legislation from high school students. "These high school groups were concerned for their peers being distracted while crossing the streets and looking at their phones instead of looking both ways," the councilman tells CNN. While the Honolulu Police Department supports the legislation, Councilman Ernie Martin, who voted against it, says a public awareness campaign would be a better solution. The legislation now heads to Mayor Kirk Caldwell for approval. A spokesperson for the mayor's office tells KITV that Caldwell is still deciding whether he'll approve the legislation. *Ed. Note: In this case, "aloha" means "goodbye," not "hello."