November has some big advocacy items happening -Walk Bike Vote 11/6, Bike Plan Update meeting 11/14, Primary Urban Center Plan meeting 11/7, Safe Passing 3 Foot law implementation campaign, Open Streets program, and Kipapa safety improvements moving to implementation.

Walk Bike Vote 11/6

Election Day is 11/6. Before you vote, read your candidates Walking and Bicycling Candidate Questionnaire to find out where they stand on important bicycle and pedestrian issues. We asked Governor, State Senate and House, and Honolulu City Council candidates where they stand on building a network of bikeways, prioritizing Complete Streets projects, embracing Vision Zero, and other important issues. Complete info at: HBL.org/WalkBikeVote

O’ahu Bike Plan Final Meeting 11/14

The City is holding the final public meeting on O’ahu Bike Plan Update November 14th Wednesday 6:00pm at Neal Blaisdell Center, Hawaii Suite. This is a our twice a decade chance to make sure the O’ahu Bike Plan has everything we need in it to make O’ahu bicycle-friendly for everyone. Please come out to have your voice heard and help shape a plan that will guide us to a bicycle paradise. Complete info at: HBL.org/OahuBikePlanFinalMeeting

Primary Urban Center Plan 11/7

The Primary Urban Center Development Plan guides the development and public investments for the area from Pearl City to Kāhala – literally shaping our community – let’s make sure it’s a bicycle-friendly and bicycle-oriented community! The City is holding a public meeting on it November 7th Wednesday 6:30pm at McKinley High School’s Hirata Hall (1039 King St). Please come out to get involved in shaping a bicycle friendly future for Honolulu. Complete info at: www.pucdp.com

Safe Passing 3 Foot Implementation

The Safe Passing 3 Foot law (HB2215) came into law July 1st 2018. Now we need to educate and build awareness. We’re seeking your help! We are asking for your involvement in helping us develop a multi-faceted campaign to build awareness about the law and it’s importance, to include PSAs, educational materials and graphics, bumper/bike stickers, police outreach, and other items. Please respond to daniel@hbl.org to step forward to help us.

Open Streets Program

Open Streets (or ciclovias) are events that close some of our streets to cars to allow people to walk, bike, run, rollerblade, skateboard, scouter, and enjoy. Open Streets are changing cities across the country – getting people biking/walking/moving natural. We are forming a group to put together a solid plan on how we can make this happen here. Please respond to daniel@hbl.org to help.

Kipapa Safety Improvements

HDOT is nearing implementation of the Kamehameha Hwy safety improvements through Kipapa Gulch, which will include shoulders and median to create a safer highway for everyone. Big shout-out to the Mililani and Central Oahu advocates that showed up at meeting after meeting to demonstrated the community support for this project.

Join the Bike Advocacy Email – get the latest

If you’re still reading this, you should definitely be on the Bike Advocacy Team email list. This email goes out ~2 times a month and gives you latest on advocacy happenings and how you can get involved. Change takes a community – thank you for being involved, together we’re making Hawaii more bicycle friendly everyday. Sign up: HBL.org/AdvocacyTeam

Update – Submit Your Comments by 10/19

Take a few moments to fill out City’s online survey and show your support for a new bike/pedestrian connection over the Ala Wai! Do so by Friday October 19th – click here.

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Action Alert – Join 9/22 or 9/24. The City is holding an important public meeting on the Ala Wai bicycle and pedestrian bridge project (called Ala Pono). Please come to one (or both) of the meetings to support!

• Saturday September 22nd 1:00pm @ Ala Wai Elementary (503 Kamoku St)
• Monday September 24th 6:30pm @ Ala Wai Elementary (503 Kamoku St)

We’re organizing a group ride to Monday evening meeting. Click for details and to join.

The City is also looking for volunteers to help with project surveys on Saturday 9/22 – email daniel@hbl.org if interested.

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Connecting Our Neighborhoods

Ala Wai Bike/Pedestrian Bridge (Ala Pono)

The City is the (long) planning process towards building a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the Ala Wai Canal linking Waikiki and the neighborhoods just mauka (the formal project name is the Ala Wai Canal Bridge Alternatives Analysis – Ala Pono). The bridge has the opportunity to create a much needed safe and protected bicycling and walking connection that will also make trips shorter – leading to more biking and walking. Many of you have already come out to one of the Neighborhood Board meetings in 2017 to support this, we need your continued support to make this important project a reality. Read on for more details.

Ala Wai bridge – what’s being considered

The City Department of Transportation Services has begun the Ala Wai Canal Bridge Alternatives Analysis (link to project website) for a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the Ala Wai Canal somewhere between Ala Moana Blvd and the Manoa/Palolo Stream.

 

Ala Wai bridge – why it’s important

Waikiki isn’t just Hawaii’s tourism hub, it’s also one of Hawaii’s largest employment centers and home to some 32,000 residents. Creating safer, more direct walking and biking connection between Waikiki and mauka neighborhoods (McCully/Moiliili, Manoa, Makiki) will have a giant impact in making biking and walking a real transportation option for the thousands of work, school, shopping, and other trips between these neighborhoods. Only one of the existing three bridges into Waikiki (McCully St bridge) has bike lanes and all three bridges have high records of bike and pedestrian crashes and injuries (the data provided by the City shows that between 2012-2016 there were 17 bicycle and pedestrian injuries on these bridges). Creating a bicycle and pedestrian bridge would have the highest level of safety for walking and biking. In addition to safety, a bridge can dramatically reduce travel distances – for example, a bridge at University Ave would reduce the travel distance between central Waikiki and UH Manoa by nearly one-mile making people far more likely to bike.

Ala Wai bridge – what you can do to support

We need you come out to support either 9/22 or 9/24!

• Saturday September 22nd 1:00pm @ Ala Wai Elementary (503 Kamoku St)
• Monday September 24th 6:30pm @ Ala Wai Elementary (503 Kamoku St)

Next, click here to get on our Bike Advocates email list. There will be more public meetings and need for support! But with determined and organized support, we can make sure the bridge happens!

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Previous posts

In October and November 2017, this project went before the McCully/Moiliili and Waikiki Neighborhood Board. The above is an updated version of posts that occurred at that time. Thank you to everyone that came out for those important meetings nearly a year back – your involvement and support helped push this forward. Things are headed in the right direction. Please stay involved as we’re going to need a LOT of support along the way!