It’s no secret that Honolulu’s streets are not the safest for cyclists – with one of the highest bicycle fatality rates in the nation, it’s no wonder our streets are car dominated.

Unfortunately, the process of changing urban transportation is a complex and time-consuming process. You cannot just go out with a bucket of white paint and stripe the streets yourself.

Act 54, which was passed by the Hawaii State Legislature in 2009 requires the State of Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) and the County transportation departments to adopt a Complete Streets Policy that seeks to reasonably accommodate convenient access and mobility for all users of the public highways including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, motorists,and persons of all ages and abilities.

2 years later, the Oahu Bike Plan is still in draft, the Hawaii Bike Plan is still dated 2003, and the Hawaii Statewide Transportation Plan has not seen a revision since 2002.  There is a current draft of a Statewide Pedestrian Master Plan that was made available today, and there is a Coordinated Public Transit Plan draft dated May 2011 available for review, so there is some progress being made towards a comprehensive transportation policy.  But at the end of the day, the progress is at a snail’s pace and it is clear that the promise for Complete Streets is not being met.

The latest battleground for bike lanes in Honolulu is now drawn on Waialae Avenue.  The city recently notified the Kaimuki community that Waialae Avenue would be repaved and though a striping alternatives plan was commissioned in 2005, bike lanes have been omitted from the project.  The Department of Transportation Services (DTS) is calling for traffic feasibility studies to be conducted in September, however, it is unlikely that the results from these studies would be incorporated into the resurfacing project that is scheduled to be completed in November.

To protest the absence of bike lanes in the resurfacing project, members of Cycle Manoa, HBL, and the AARP gathered on May 28, 2011 to show their support for Complete Streets.

On August 17, the Kaimuki Neighborhood Board issued an official statement that they  ‘Support the idea of a bike lane on Waialae.’

During the meeting, DTS communicated their plans for a traffic feasibility study in September, but repetitively stated that the resurfacing project would continue as planned without the inclusion of bike lanes.  Sharrows or share-arrows were the compromise.

Given that the time frame for the project is imminent, it is important for the cycling community become increasingly proactive and vocal about the matter.  At the Kaimuki Board Meeting, City Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi reported that she had written an open letter to the Mayor inquiring into the inclusion of bike lanes on the resurfacing project.  If many citizens followed suit, in phone calls and letters to the Mayor, City Council members, and DTS, perhaps the tide can still be turned.

:: Honolulu City Council Website ::  :: Honolulu Mayor’s Office ::  :: Honolulu Department of Transportation Services ::

:: Petition for Dedicated Bike Lanes on Waialae Avenue ::

*10/11/11 UPDATE:  The Waialae Avenue resurfacing project dates have been postponed – the project is now scheduled to commence in January 2012.  The DTS has concluded their traffic lane study conducted on Waialae Avenue on September 20-22, 2011.  Their stance currently is that they are reviewing the results and will make a decision on bike lane inclusion within the next month.

*04/06/12 UPDATE: Hnlbike’s Waialae Ave Bike Lane Petition reached the goal of 1000 signatures in February 2012 and has now been delivered to city officials. View the corresponding article. The resurfacing project has been declared to be independent of the issue of bike lanes. DPP is scheduled to commence the repaving of Waialae Avenue once they complete repairs at the intersection of Harding and 11th Avenue. The project will proceed utilizing paint instead of thermal plastic in case changes addressing bike lanes should be implemented at a later date. DTS will be holding a community meeting to discuss bike lanes at stake on April 19, 2012.