Five months after suffering critical injuries in a pedestrian accident, AARP volunteer Gwyne Isa went to the Legislature yesterday to support a bill to provide state money for crosswalk improvements.

Moving with the help of a walker, Isa joined other AARP members at a conference committee meeting in which legislators were considering HB 357, which would appropriate money for pedestrian safety.

Isa was critically injured Nov. 16 as she walked in a midblock, no-signal McCully crosswalk that has been identified by AARP as among the most dangerous on O'ahu. The King Street crosswalk, at the intersection with Hau'oli Street, spans six lanes in a busy area that includes a supermarket, bank and school.

Outside of yesterday's hearing room, Isa, who is still recovering from her injuries, told reporters her doctors didn't think then that she was going to survive. But "I needed to live to tell my story," she said. "We really do need funding for pedestrian safety."

Hawai'i has one of the nation's highest rates of pedestrian deaths per capita, officials said. Beginning in 2000, the state has averaged 29 1/2 pedestrian deaths per year.

The bill being considered by the Legislature is similar to a pedestrian-safety measure that was passed last year but vetoed by Gov. Linda Lingle because the funding — $3 million — came from the state's highway special fund. Lingle had supported that bill when the money was earmarked from the state's general fund, but the funding source was changed later in the session.

This year's bill would appropriate a yet-to-be-determined amount from the general fund, presumably removing the concerns Lingle had. A Lingle spokesman said the governor would have to review this year's bill to determine whether she will support it.

The conference committee members yesterday said they supported the bill in principle but that it couldn't be passed until the state budget bill was adopted. Once the budget is approved, legislators will know how much money is left for other measures.

The pedestrian bill would provide money for a variety of crosswalk improvements, including recalibrating signals that do not give elderly or disabled people enough time to cross. Insufficient crossing time is one of the main complaints of senior pedestrians.

The state in December announced it will spend $2 million to install 600 new countdown crosswalk timers at intersections around O'ahu by 2011.

Isa said funding for pedestrian safety is important given the severity of the problem. Hawai'i has among the highest pedestrian fatality rates in the country and is considered the most dangerous state for elderly pedestrians.

"Every day I see how dangerous it is," Isa said.

The city plans to install a pedestrian-activated signal by year's end near the intersection where Isa was hurt.