Protected lane leads to more Honolulu bike traffic

HONOLULU — More people have been bicycling and fewer bikes are on sidewalks since Honolulu opened a 2-mile protected bike lane on South King Street in December, according to the city’s deputy director transportation services.

“We know that the number of people bicycling has increased,” Mark Garrity said. “The city really wants to encourage that.”

City crews on Monday will install the first of 13 traffic lights for cyclists heading toward Ewa on the bike track near Thomas Square, he said.

The lights are shaped like bicycles. They eventually will display a signal on main traffic lights along King Street but will remain covered for two weeks to avoid confusion until the track is open to bike traffic in both directions, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.

The city on May 15 is planning to unveil the lights and open the track to both directions on “Bike to Work Day.”

“We think it will increase the number of people on it,” he said.

According to data gathered by the city, about 600 bicyclists use South King Street along the bicycle track daily. That’s a 70 percent increase compared to last year.

Bicyclists using the sidewalk fell from 66 percent to 14 percent after the bike lane opened, Garrity said.

“People feel a lot more comfortable using this protected bike lane,” Garrity said. “At the same time, the speed for cars has not changed.”

The city is considering a protected bike lane on South Street from Ala Moana Boulevard to King Street, and considering some form of protected bike lane or just a regular bike lane for other streets.

U.S. Census data from 2013 reported 2.4 percent of Honolulu commuters were bicyclists.

Daniel Alexander of the Hawaii Bicycling League said Washington, D.C., saw commuters using bicycles double from 2.2 percent to 4.5 percent in about four years after improvements were made.

“If we keep going in the direction that we are,” Alexander said, “we’re going to see big gains.”