Overview:
Makiki and Tantalus are a pair of neighborhoods located in Honolulu that together form the neighborhood board district of Makiki-Tantalus. According to its neighborhood board, the Tantalus-Makiki district is defined as the area from King Street to the top of the Koolau Mountains. Between King and Beretania Streets, the area is mostly reserved for business, though as Tantalus is approached in the mountains the sector grows more residential and more upscale. Commuter cyclists frequent Makiki, using King, Young, and Beretania for their travel. Tantalus is prized among recreational cyclists for its low traffic volume, scenic views, and long stretches of uninterrupted road. Despite its use by cyclists, the Makiki/Tantalus area has few bikeways. With the exception of sharrows and a short bike lane on Young Street, there currently is no bike infrastructure in Makiki.
What the Oahu Bike Plan calls for:
The Oahu Bike Plan looks to add bike lanes to the major roads of Makiki and bike routes to the roads closer to Tantalus. More specifically, bike lanes will be added to King, Beretania, and Young Streets, offering cyclists a sheltered way to travel across urban Honolulu. Wilder Street will also have a bike lane, though nearby Nehoa Street will simply become a bike route. The entire ten miles of Tantalus will become a bike route. To provide bikeways for mauka-makai bound cyclists, the Bike Plan suggests turning Keeaumoku Street, Piikoi Street, and Pensacola Street into bike routes. The Oahu Bike Plan designates the lanes on Young, King, and Beretania Streets as priority one (high priority) projects. The remaining projects are designated as priority two and three (medium to low priority).
Projects:
- Beretania Street, McCully Street to Alapai Street, Lane
- King Street, South Street to Kapiolani boulevard, Lane
- Manoa Makiki Mauka Corridor, Lusitana Street to Oahu Avenue (along Nehoa), Route
- Pensacola Street, Waimanu Street to Wilder Avenue, Route
- Piikoi Street, Ala Moana Boulevard to Wilder Avenue, Route
- Spencer Street, Alapai Street to Wilder Avenue, Lane
- Tantalus Loop, Makiki Street to Makiki Heights Drive to Tantalus to Round Top, Route
- Thomas Square Park, Victoria Street to Ward (through center of park), Path
- Victoria Street, Beretania Street to King Street, Lane
- Ward Avenue, Ala Moana Boulevard to Prospect Street, Route
- Wilder Avenue, Dole Street to Spencer Street, Lane
- Young Street, Pensacola Street to Isenberg Street, Lane
What’s being done:
There are tentative plans to add bike lanes to King and Beretania Streets. Sharrows were recently added to Young Street, though there is no timeline on the addition of full bike lanes. Ward Avenue is slated for repaving in the near future, though there is no word yet on whether a bikeway will be added in the repaving. There are currently no plans to build further bikeways in the Makiki-Tantalus area.
