The Oahu Bike Plan is an ambitious endeavor that seeks to make the city of Oahu a more bicycle-friendly community. By investing in bike lanes, trails, and off-road paths, the plan will connect people to their favorite places and more. The Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB) is also promoting Oahu as a bicycle-friendly destination, which is great news for local businesses. Investing in bicycle and pedestrian paths that link recreational areas, commercial spaces, bike paths, and bike repair stations has enabled businesses to draw in those who want to live close to and enjoy the city where they work. As an avid cyclist with over two decades of experience, I'm delighted to see every new bike path, no matter how small or disconnected.
One project that's awaiting funding is the reconstruction of the Sunset Beach bike path. Rex Dubiel Shanahan, the bike path coordinator for the North Shore Outdoor Circle, has been lobbying Mayor Rick Blangiardi on behalf of his entire administration. The results of this year's Bike Plan Hawaii Refresh survey demonstrate that the lack of bike paths, along with unsafe drivers, are the main reasons why bicycles are gathering dust in garages across the state. The pandemic has led to an increase in bicycle use, particularly among schoolchildren. Schools have had to install more bicycle racks to accommodate the demand for kids biking to school.
Families are cycling together to parks or sports events, children are biking to school, recreational cyclists are out and about, and people are using bicycles as a means of transportation. Noyes is eager to see progress in plans for bike lanes on Kauai. However, he understands that “the complex and lengthy legal and planning processes take a long time before real construction can be expected.” Unfortunately, the Department of Transportation's top priorities don't include bicycle use since there has been no progress in implementing the state's bicycle plan over the past 10 years.
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