Why Isn’t Honolulu Bike Friendly?

The picturesque landscape of Honolulu provides bikers with the perfect ambiance for biking. Yet, despite the natural beauty, the question of why Honolulu isn’t bike-friendly seems to shake its population.

With a harmonious amalgamation of the perfect terrain, climate, and bus system, Honolulu can be the next great city for biking. However, it must cross several hurdles before it reaches the goal.

Let’s look at a few causes as to why the magnificent city of Honolulu isn’t exactly the cup of tea for most bicycle enthusiasts.

Causes For An Unpleasant Biking Ambiance

In short, the lack of a proper biking environment in Honolulu is due to financial implications and the absence of a strong, supporting advocate.

These factors cause the city to fall behind other large mainland cities such as Chicago and Portland.

However, the local authorities and state governments have taken action by implementing various plans at both levels to create effective bicycling infrastructure and connect the existing lanes and paths for bicyclists.

Another major concern for bikers is the city’s safety. They are constantly bombarded with stories of accidents and crashes. If you encounter such a situation, it is advised to get in touch with a good Honolulu Personal Injury Lawyer.

Furthermore, according to Chris Sayers, the city’s bicycle coordinator has reiterated this to the people. He further adds that people want to feel safe, and they can do that by taking safety classes or engaging in group-riding activities more often.

The main problem related to safety is the pathways. As per the existing design, older neighborhoods like Kaimuki and Manoa aren’t formed as per the new grid system. Due to this, their roads are narrow and lack sidewalks.

To redesign these neighborhoods with a new grid plan will require funds, as it can be expensive.

On the other end of the scale, the newly developed communities lack proper connection facilities from one area to another and are unsafe for bikers.

Lastly, the local people feel that while other spheres of transportation have expanded and grown to meet the increasing public, the concerns for an ideal biking environment have been neglected.

According to Chad Taniguchi, the esteemed Executive Director of the Hawaii Bicycling League, the change is not an overnight process.

It will require immense patience and support, as it is a long-term project. He strongly believes that the cooperation between the inside and the outside will truly transform communities.

Statistics

According to the Bicycling Magazine, League for American Bicyclists, and the Alliance for Bicycling & Walking, Honolulu has ever made the cut as one of the best cities for bicyclists.

Despite that, the people haven’t given their hopes up yet. The city constantly strives to improve the prevailing conditions for bikers. From adding lanes to encouraging more bike-related projects, the city has done it all.

This has yielded results. As per the League of American Bicyclists, Honolulu is ranked 13th for bicycle commuting in America in 2008, which is higher than the national average.

Even though Hawaii has moderate recognition in satisfying state standards in terms of policies, legislation, infrastructure, enforcement, and education, there is still a lot of groundwork that needs to be done to make it an ideal spot for bikers.

Plan Of Action

According to Taniguchi, there are an array of cities and states that are continuously making efforts to improve their bicycling environment including Minneapolis, California, and Portland.

He believes that the state should learn from the experiences of such states to reach greater heights. He further added that it all comes down to enforcement, engineering, education, and encouragements of bikers and evaluation.

He urges the government to improve the existing facilities, as well as build more.

Plus, the government should implement various schemes to educate the general public about the laws and regulations of road safety and foster the need for rides. This way, more people are motivated to get on their bikes and feel a breeze against their skin.

Conclusion

Overall, the current biking situation in Hawaii is not entirely bad. Constant efforts from both sides can yield positive results, enhancing the overall environment. On a closing note, Taniguchi strongly believed in the journey rather than the goal of being ranked nationally.