Visitors walking along Airport Road highlights road safety concerns

A viral video on TikTok shows a tourist in Guam attempting to walk from the airport to his hotel to save money on a taxi fare. 

The 32 minute walk to Ypao Road is a bumpy one with a lack of sidewalks. 

He’s just one of many visitors frequently seen lugging their luggage in the area and it’s on the Guam Police Department’s radar.

“Personally, in my experience, I have seen visitors or tourists either from or leaving the airport and I get kind of concerned because they’re walking– unfortunately there are no sidewalks after you leave the airport, and all you see are these tourists lugging their luggage and pulling them behind them,” said Chief of Police Stephen Igancio.

But the sidewalks are just one aspect of a larger road safety concern, from reports of visitors jaywalking to driving on the wrong side of the road. 

“We don’t know their ability to understand traffic signs or some of the rules of the roadways here,” said Ignacio. “But I think the rental car companies do a good job of educating them as much as they can when they check out a vehicle. But what we can do if there is an issue, maybe we can work with GVB and Public Works to put up signage, traffic signs or road signs, that kind of point them in the direction they need to go.” 

Just one accident making headlines could have an impact on tourism recovery efforts. When making travel plans, destination safety is a driving factor. 

“Safety and security is always top of mind for our visitors. We really want to make sure that we continue to collaborate. We’ve been working very closely and well with the Department of Public Works to make sure that postage street signs and areas for pedestrians are very well marked, especially here in Tumon,” said Guam Visitors Bureau President and CEO Regine Biscoe Lee.

She says safety is a priority for GVB, that includes making sure the small things like potholes, broken reflectors and even medians aren’t overlooked. 

“Our maintenance team has also done a very good job painting medians, making sure our curbs are bright and vibrant with that ‘safety yellow’– making sure it’s visible for our motorists and any pedestrians or visitors that might be walking up and down Tumon,” added Lee. 

Meantime, KUAM reached out to the Department of Public Works for comment regarding plans for constructing sidewalks near airport road.

DPW Director Vince Arriola confirmed with KUAM that Route 10A is scheduled for a complete expansion and reconstruction.

He said DPW applied for and was awarded a federal grant for the project, which includes additional lanes and sidewalks.

“We are aware of the pedestrians walking from the airport to Marine Corps Drive and we are reviewing options to see what short term improvements we can implement to accommodate the safety of pedestrians in the area,” Arriola said.