What’s your name?
Patricia Johnson

How young are you?
69

What do you do?
Full time caregiver for my Mom, Erma Johnson – 99 and 6 months old + part-time business consultant

How long have you been riding bicycles?
Since 2005  - age 62

Tell us about your bicycle/s.
First bike – TREK hybrid, 7100 multitrack + a year later, TREK road bike, Pilot 5.0 (WSD) carbon

Why do you ride?
For the JOY of being on a bicycle and for the great friends I have met who love to ride, too + for health & fitness AND helping keep my in a positive frame of mind as a caregiver for Mom

You will see me riding:
All over Oahu, exploring new places for bicycling adventures + Monday for the HBL “Start The Week Off Right Ride” + Thursday for the” Kailua for Brunch Ride” + Saturday for the “HBL Saturday Ride” and on Sunday with the Red Hot Ladies – our group for women over “50″ who love to ride bicycles.

]]> http://www.hnlbike.com/2012/complete-waialae-avenue/feed/ 0 http://www.hnlbike.com/2012/waialae-stripe-it-and-we-will-ride-it/ http://www.hnlbike.com/2012/waialae-stripe-it-and-we-will-ride-it/#comments Sat, 07 Apr 2012 00:27:29 +0000 hnlbike http://www.hnlbike.com/?p=1044 Perhaps the most famous quote from the popular movie ‘Field of Dreams‘ was the repetitive command heard in dreams by the film’s main character, “Build it and they will come.” The farmer finally relents to the command and builds a baseball field in the middle of a cornfield in Iowa.  Subsequently, spirits do come to play baseball on his field.

Though the parallels to a fantasy-drama starring Kevin Costner in a cornfield may be few, cycling advocates in the city of Honolulu have been hoping for a well-planned, inter-linked bikepath network for decades.  If Honolulu stripes bike lanes, cyclists will ride them, there is no doubt about it.

Yesterday, Bill 26 – The Honolulu Complete Streets Ordinance passed the City Council Transportation Committee without amendments. If all goes well, the bill will eventually be enacted law for the City and County of Honolulu and compel the city’s planning departments to work together to provide accessible transportation options for all users regardless of age or ability. Bill 26 is a natural progression to Act 54, which was passed by the Hawaii State Legislature in 2009. Act 54 mandated that the Department of Transportation and all Hawaii counties adopt Complete Streets policies.

Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle greets HBL Executive Director Chad Taniguchi at Honolulu City Hall

Cycling advocates were out in force earlier in the day to deliver the Waialae Bike Lane Petition to Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlise. Dennis Manago, father of Zachary Manago, an HPU student whose life was tragically taken in a 2010 auto bicycle collision, addressed the crowd with words of encouragement,

Dennis Manago speaks at the petition rally.

Other speakers offering support included Hnlbike founder Ivy Chuang, Crystal Atkins, representing UH Manoa, Daniel Alexander of Cycle Manoa/HBL, and Chad Taniguchi, Executive Director of the Hawaii Bicycling League. The Mayor and Department of Transportation Services (DTS) Director Wayne Yoshioka accepted copies of the petition and thanked those who came. The Mayor even joined the rally crowd in a short chant, shouting, “Complete Our Street, Waialae Avenue! Complete Our Street, Waialae Avenue!” The petition delivery generated media coverage from many news outlets (full list below) and sets the stage for the ensuing debate with the extended Honolulu community.

Cycling advocates congregated in the Honolulu Hale Courtyard on April 5, 2012.

Though the Mayor and DTS director both gave positive remarks when presented with the petition, it is clear that continuous vocal support is still needed in order to make striped lanes a reality. Despite the positive energy at Honolulu Hale yesterday, Yoshioka warned that there may be community backlash yet to come from those that are vehemently pro-auto. DTS will be sponsoring a community meeting on April 19 at 7pm to address the community at large about the issue. It is expected that they will officially announce their recommendations and report the results of the traffic lane study conducted in September 2011, on this date. The location has not yet been confirmed.

At the last MACB meeting (Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Bicycling), everyone in the room had a hearty chuckle when Harry Partika made the suggestion that cycling advocates should use the slogan, “Stripe it and We Will Ride it!” in our efforts. Though meant as a light-hearted joke, Harry’s comment rings true for many would-be cyclists.

“Survey after survey and poll after poll has found again and again that the number one reason people do not ride bicycles is because they are afraid to be in the roadway on a bicycle. They are generally not afraid of other cyclists, or pedestrians, or of injuring themselves in a bicycle-only crash. When they say they are “afraid” it is a fear of people driving automobiles.”  - Roger Geller, Bicycle Coordinator - Portland Office of Transportation [source]

In 2006, 77% of Honolulu residents voted in support of Charter Amendment 8.   The Honolulu Charter thus currently states that it shall be one of the priorities of the Department of Transportation Services to make Honolulu a pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly city. It seems, the city may need to be reminded of its obligated priorities – please show your support at the community meeting schedule April 19, 2012.

Keep up to date with Waialae Avenue bike lane efforts on facebook. [:: Facebook | Complete Waialae Avenue ::]

Waialae Bike Lane Petition Rally Coverage:

Hawaii Public Radio – The Conversation April 5, 2012 –  Ivy Chuang, Hnlbike founder featured in 3rd segment

KHON – Bicyclists push city to create bike lane on Waialae Avenue

Star Advertiser – Bicyclists seek space on roads

KITV (VIDEO) – Petition calls for bike lanes in Kaimuki

KITV (VIDEO)- Cycling Community Pressures City for Bike Lanes

What’s your name?
Sau Hsu

How young are you?
30 and getting older

What do you do?
Kalihi Valley Instructional Bike Exchange (KVIBE) Coordinator.

How long have you been riding bicycles?
The other day in the elevator an older gentleman saw my bicycle and remarked, “when I was younger I used to ride my bicycle everywhere. but now I never ride bicycles.” My hope is that I never become that guy.

Tell us about your bicycle/s.
My first bicycle was a MT Racing BMX bicycle with training wheels. Eventually I evolved into mountain bicycle and had one the first Specialized HardRocks. Numerous accidents later I moved to road bicycles. My current rides are: Bianchi d2 Super Pista (commuter/beater/coffee) and a Cannondale CAAD 10 (mediocre racing/training/full lyrca).

Why do you ride?
rephrase the question to “why wouldn’t you ride?” its an island, everywhere is bicycle-riding distance.

You will see me riding:
I’m active in some of Hawaii’s road races, otherwise I usually only ride to get to places (i.e. work, groceries, dates with my gal). I hate to sound cheesy, but I do ride everywhere. Please feel free to say “hello” to me if you are riding a bicycle on the road.

Watch video on YouTube.

]]> http://www.hnlbike.com/2012/believe-in-yourself-you-will-know-how-to-ride-a-bike/feed/ 0 http://www.hnlbike.com/2012/more-miles-on-the-road-more-progress-in-bed/ http://www.hnlbike.com/2012/more-miles-on-the-road-more-progress-in-bed/#comments Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:41:27 +0000 hnlbike http://www.hnlbike.com/?p=888 ::
Bike Love Print by William Dohman ::

Though there have been studies that male cyclists tend to have lower sperm counts and that cyclists of both sexes report discomfort from the pressure from road bike saddles, it doesn’t mean that your cycling habit drags you down the road to celibacy. In fact, studies show that cycling can have a positive effect on you love life.

Some interesting findings were detailed in a Valentine’s Day article on Bicyling.com:

“A University of Texas at Austin researcher found that vigorous exercise—specifically, cycling—helped increase sexual arousal in women, both subjectively (the women reported being more aroused from an X-rated movie after a brief ride than they were without the ride) and objectively (blood flow to the genitals was significantly increased).

In an Archives of Sexual Behavior study, 78 sedentary but healthy men (average age 48 years) participated in a moderate aerobic exercise program—mainly cycling and jogging—three to four days a week for nine months. At the end of the study, the men reported a significant increase in their sexual arousal, activity, function and satisfaction. One inspiring example: Their frequency of intercourse went up by 30 percent.”

For those looking for optimum conditions, we suggest giving your privates some breathing room with these fine saddles:

New for 2012 – ISM Adamo Prologue saddle – MSRP $169.95 – Inquire at IT&B.

Specialized Romin Evo Pro Saddle – MSRP $180 – Inquire at The Bike Shop.

We hope everyone had an enjoyable Valentine’s Day this year, ride on!

What’s your name?
Hisayuki SATO

How young are you?
36

What do you do?
Triathlon shop staff

How long have you been riding bicycles?
31yrs, 17yrs on road bikes

Tell us about your bicycle/s.
Road bike, MTB, commuter (one each)

Why do you ride?
Because it’s fun. Bikes take me farther than walk, bikes give me more experience than car.

You will see me riding:
Holoholo ride (every last Friday, in the city)
Commuting every morning and evening from Diamond Head area to Kapahulu/Campbell.
IT&B shop ride, Tue/Sat

At the first Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Bicycling meeting yesterday, City Bicycling Coordinator Chris Sayers informed the committee that the final decision on bike lanes on Waialae Avenue has yet to be determined.

“The City Department of Transportation Services (DTS) is still evaluating the data collected during the test which included observations, speed and volume counts, vehicle and bicycle counts, and delay studies…”

Now is the time to make a difference! We need to continue to voice our concerns at neighborhood board meetings, continue to write letters, and make phone calls to make bike lanes a reality on Waialae Avenue. Honolulu needs a well-planned, multi-modal transportation system, not a chopped up mishmash of badly connected roadways.

Our petition is just 100 shy of goal. Please sign today!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/waialaebikelanes/

Here are upcoming neighborhood board meeting dates and times:
Thursday 1/12/12 Diamond Head/Kapahulu/St Louis Heights 7pm
Ala Wai Clubhouse, 404 Kapahulu Ave

Wednesday 1/18/12 Kaimuki 7-9pm
Kaimuki Christian Church Fellowship Hall,
1117 Kokohead Ave

Wednesday 2/8/12 Palolo 7pm
Palolo Elem Sch Cafe 2106 10th Ave

After a move across town, over the other side of Diamond Head, my bicycle only saw a few trips down the street to Kahala Mall, less than a mile round trip on a completely flat road.

For the last month, I stared up the other way at daunting Kilauea Ave and never gathered the courage to cycle into town. Through the end of the year, I explored the neighborhood just once by foot, and navigated mostly by car – it became clear over time that no matter which way I biked, I was going to hit hills.

In my old neck of the woods, Makiki, just a few blocks from Punahou school, it seemed I had access to all neighborhoods within 20-30 minutes by bicycle. Now that I was living on other side of Diamond Head, I thought that I would have to make major time adjustments to bike travel plans.

Yesterday, I had an appointment in town and wanted to give myself an hour for travel. I tumbled onto the street (late, of course) with 45 minutes ticking and realized that my tires weren’t fully inflated and circled around. On second departure, I had 40 minutes to make it. I shrugged off the urge to throw in the towel and drive. Slowly, I started my pedal up Kilauea Ave.

Two minutes later, I’m pushing my stead up the hill, sweating bullets, and wondering just how late I was going to be.

But then, after the crest, I coasted down to Kapahulu, continued my way on Date St., side-wiggled McCully onto Young, and at just under 30 minutes with 10 to spare, I parked my bike and looked at the time with relief and a smile.

Now in retrospect, it makes sense, our move was 4.5 miles across town. It naturally doesn’t mean that everything will take 30 minutes longer, even with a big hill. Just 2 years ago, cycling in San Francisco, hills became a non-issue over time. How quickly I’d become a softie.

Well, so there you have it – no wimping out this year! If you haven’t logged your first ride this year yet, get on it! Happy 2012 everybody!