Summary of O‘ahu Bike Plan May 2008 Workshops

In May 2008, a round of public workshops was held in the Leeward, Windward, and Metro Honolulu areas of the island to gather input and ideas on the O‘ahu Bike Plan.  Participants included community members, students, and public officials who lived and worked in a cross section of the island. 

After a Powerpoint presentation overview of the project, workshop participants joined three small group discussions:
The Vision, Goals/Objectives, Policies/Programs group discussed what a bicycle-friendly O‘ahu means to them, and evaluated the goals, objectives, policies and programs from the 1999 Bike Plan.  The discussion themes included:

• Safety (from vehicles, on paths/lanes, with other cyclists/drivers/pedestrians)
• Enforcement and Education for all members of the community (cyclists, drivers, police, community members)
• Facility use priorities (bicycles/bicyclists should have same priority as cars)

The Transit Accessibility group explored the relationship between biking and mass transit options.  Discussion focused on how bicyclists currently utilize mass transit options such as TheBus and TheBoat and how they would like to see future transit options, such as high capacity light-rail, integrated with biking facilities.  Participants were shown examples of bike-friendly amenities at transit stations (e.g. bike storage facilities, bikeways connected to transit routes, signage) and asked what types of further amenities would be needed to encourage people to use the mass transit system with bikes.  The most comment responses from the group were the following:

• Programs and Policies (e.g. have periods of no car/vehicle traffic on certain roads)
• Bike Parking (e.g. ample covered bike lockers/stations)
• Design Guidelines (e.g. use best type of racks)
• Specific New Facilities/Improvements and Priorities (e.g. need bicycle signal detection loops)
• Existing Bus Bike Racks (e.g. continue to expand bike rack capacity on buses from 2 to 3 bikes)

The Bicycle Facilities group discussed existing and proposed bike paths, lanes, and routes for the island.  Regional maps of O’ahu (click to view Leeward, Windward, Metro Honolulu maps) were laid out on tables and participants asked to draw in potential new routes, improvements, and problem areas.  The most common responses from the group concerned the following topics:

• Specific Improvements to Existing Facilities and Priorities (e.g. Waialae Avenue bike lane)
• General Routes/Corridors Needed (e.g. UH Manoa to KCC route needed)
• Specific Problem Areas (e.g. dangerous transition around stadium from Pearl Harbor Bike Path to Kamehameha Highway)
• Programs and Policies (e.g. give bikes for commuters to use similar to Van Pool program)
• Specific New Facilities/Improvements and Priorities (e.g. complete the Nimitz Highway bike lane)

Written comment sheets were available at the workshops for additional input.  Forty-five of these comment sheets were filled out and the most common responses concerned the following issues:

• Specific New Facilities/Improvements and Priorities
• Programs and Policies
• Design Guidelines
• General Routes/Corridors Needed
• Potential Stakeholders and Advocates

Click here for a complete list of the written comments submitted

Based on public input received at the workshops, results from the questionnaire, and ongoing research and consultations, the planning team is exploring alternatives that will be presented at the next round of public workshops planned for Fall 2008.  In addition to participating in these community meetings, the public can submit comments and suggestions through the O‘ahu Bike Plan’s information e-mail.  The planning team is also looking for photos for display on the website that exemplify your vision of bike-friendliness.