Why Hawaii Has Blue Stop Signs
Red means stop, green means go, blue means ... private property? Since the 1950s in the United States, red signposts have been the government-issued signal for traffic to stop. There were several versions of the stop sign before the unmistakable red octagon we recognize today, but it's now so ubiquitous a symbol that you'd be forgiven for not knowing there's another colorful octagon still in use.
Blue stop signs are used to signify the exact same instruction as the red — basically, for drivers to cease moving — but they tend to be found in only places where the red ones aren't, such as on private property. Because government-issued signs are prohibited on private property in some locations, the blue stop sign communicates the same information but in a different color, enabling private landowners who wish to communicate the "stop" instruction the legal ability to do so. In the U.S., blue stop signs are most commonly found in Hawaii, where there's a large concentration of privately owned property as well as restrictions on state signs being used on it.
The evolution of the famous octagon
The stop sign is most famously red, but it hasn't always been so. The idea for a road sign signaling travelers to "halt" was proposed in the early 1900s out of a need for increased street safety in the U.S. At the time, despite the psychological connection between "red" and "stop", yellow was selected as the first official stop sign color because it could be more easily seen at night. Red was introduced later when material science evolved and the color could be made into sign with a reflective material. In 1954, the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices officially designated the stop sign as a red octagon with the four block letters we recognize today.
Limitations on the use of government-issued signs on private property and vice versa (privately issued, unofficial signs can't be placed on public roadways) necessitate an alternative to the red octagon for those who own enough property to direct traffic on it; hence, the blue stop sign. The sharp contrast between red and blue makes the differentiation between public and private very clear, but by maintaining the equivalent shape and lettering, the same information is communicated to drivers.
Here's what to do when you encounter a blue stop sign
There are 37 billionaires who collectively own 11% of Hawaii's private land — a startling statistic that fits right in with the one about billionaires' enormous climate footprint relative to the rest of us. Should you ever find yourself at one of their parties on a large island estate with those blue signs, simply do what you always do and roll right through after looking both ways (we're kidding about that — please stop at stop signs).
There are plenty of downright goofy road signs out there, but the blue stop sign serves a legitimate traffic purpose and you should be prepared to comply if you encounter one, in Hawaii or elsewhere. Luckily, you don't need to learn anything new — blue stop signs instruct the exact same action as their red counterparts, they just get placed in different locations. And as with most other urgent road signs, if you get confused feel free to simply read the written instruction rather than relying on the color. "Keep moving" means keep moving, "yield" means yield — and whatever the color, "stop" means stop.
