Accelerator lanes giving way to bikes in Kailua-Kona

Drivers traversing the intersection of Queen Kaahumanu Highway and Makala Boulevard in Kailua-Kona may need to adjust their driving pattern, and more changes are ahead.

Following complaints from cyclists that having a bike lane sandwiched between lines of roaring traffic is just too dangerous, the state Department of Transportation is removing right-hand lanes that have traditionally been used for vehicular traffic.

Drivers approaching Queen Kaahumanu on Makala from the Makalapua Shopping Center must now yield before turning north on the highway. The accelerator lane that allowed cars to come up to speed — but forced them to cross a bike lane before merging — has been eliminated in an ongoing DOT restriping project.

Drivers must now observe a yield sign at the intersection, then enter directly into traffic as it accelerates from a 35 mph zone to 45 mph heading north.

Southbound on the makai side of Queen Kaahumanu between Makala and Henry Street, drivers should expect a similar loss of the far right lane, which is scheduled to be removed by DOT crews starting next week. Drivers heading mauka on Makala and Palani Road to turn south on the highway use the lane to come up to speed, but then must cross the bike lane in order to merge.

That transition point has caught cyclists in the pinch since the bike lanes were added in a widening project in 2009.

“We received a lot of complaints from bicyclists about safety in that area from Henry Street to a little past Makala,” said Sal Panem, Hawaii District engineer for the DOT. “Our traffic engineer recommended this.”

But Kailua-Kona resident Tom Russi has tried to make the case to DOT officials that the accelerator lanes should not be removed. Instead, the bike lanes should simply be placed to the far right, said Russi.

“You got these bikers between cars, one going 45 and the other trying to go 45. Then at the end of the bike lane they have to get all the way over to the right. It’s just ridiculous,” Russi said. “So what do they? They get rid of the (accelerator) lane. What about the others on Queen Kaahumanu? Are they going to disappear too?”

“I’m not against bikes,” Russi added. “but I believe they would be a lot safer all the way on the right side, where they belong.”

Asked if it presents a safety issue that cars no longer have the option to accelerate on Queen Kaahumanu before merging at Makala from the mauka side, Panem said the intersection has signals which force oncoming traffic to stop, allowing a window for merging traffic to get out on the highway.

Panem said similar changes were made to the intersection of Kanoelehua Avenue and Puainako Street in Hilo several years ago. Panem said he was not aware of conflicts between bikes and cars at the junction since the change.

Tina Clothier, executive director of Peoples Advocacy for Trails Hawaii, said the changes to Queen Kaahumanu will require motorists to pause and really look for both bikes and vehicles. That added care is probably not a bad thing in general, and is certainly a plus for cyclists, she said.

“It’s much more desirable than the current design,” said Clothier, who is both a motorist and cyclist. “It’s far too dangerous to have cars on both sides, especially as motorists are trying to merge and change lanes.”

Clothier said she hopes the measures will calm the flow of traffic and increase driver awareness.

“It’s worth trying out to see how everyone behaves with the new design,” she said. “You hear people say that cyclists don’t use that stretch anyway. But they’ll be using it a lot more now that it’s safer.”