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On any given weekday, there are bicyclists whizzing past pedestrians on the pathway behind the state Capitol, particularly during the morning and evening rush hours. Read more

On any given weekday, there are bicyclists whizzing past pedestrians on the pathway behind the state Capitol, particularly during the morning and evening rush hours.

The path is a popular downtown thoroughfare, connecting Punchbowl and Richard streets, and cyclists and pedestrians dodge one another as best as they can. But as the number of cyclists continues to grow, state Rep. Ty Cullen (D, Royal Kunia-Waipahu) decided pedestrians needed protection.

Cullen introduced House Bill 857 at the start of the session to ban bikes and motorized foot scooters from path.

The proposed ban met with resistance from a number of groups, including the Hawaii Bicycling League, Hawaii Public Health Institute, Bikeshare Hawaii, Blue Zones Project Hawaii and numerous individual cyclists who use the path as part of their commutes.

In its latest version the bill bans only scooters while securing funds to widen the pathway and establish a separate, designated bicycle lane.

The bill passed the House and has crossed over to the Senate.

Cullen said one of his constituents brought the matter to his attention when her mother was almost hit by a bicyclist after leaving the Capitol and walking along the pathway toward Richards Street.

“The most important thing was to improve walking and pedestrian safety in the area,” said Cullen.

While he is amenable to the changes in the bill, he is glad it has raised awareness, given that other parts of the island may be experiencing the same issue. He said he looks forward to having the dialogue continue in the Senate.

“More people are coming forward about incidents and safety concerns between walking pedestrians and bicyclists,” he said. “As the bicyclist wants to be protected from vehicles, we should protect walking pedestrians from bicyclists and motorized skateboards and those types of technologies used for modes of transportation.”

Cullen has also seen groups cruising along the pathway on Segways, as well as people on hoverboards, which he would also like to ban.

Daniel Alexander, co-executive director of the Hawaii Bicycling League, testified against the original bill, saying the path was “the only dedicated bikeway” connecting downtown Honolulu to areas to the east. The path behind the Capitol connects Hotel Street to Civic Center grounds and then to the South King Street bike path.

It’s also the safest route, he said, given that neither Beretania nor King street has dedicated bike lanes for that block.

Busy bike block

Alexander conducted an hourlong count on a recent Friday and tallied 88 bicyclists on the path between 7:45 and 8:45 a.m. The busiest times are in the morning and from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., he said.

Anukriti Hittle testified in support of the original bill. She said she was sent to the emergency room after a bicyclist crashed into her on the Capitol campus as she was walking from the bus stop to her office. She has also been jostled by bicyclists and seen many near misses.

Claire Santos, a registered nurse, said she uses the pedestrian mall portion of the Civic Center regularly and was appalled at the “rapid increase in the number of bicycles on what is called a pedestrian walkway.”

“I have personally experienced, on nearly a daily basis, bicyclists riding rapidly through groups of people on the Civic Center walkway, weaving in between us as if we’re objects in a bicycle racing obstacle course,” she wrote in her testimony on the bill. “It can be terrifying for the pedestrian.”

Bicycling on sidewalks is prohibited within a business district such as downtown Honolulu and Waikiki, or if there are signs prohibiting it. But in other areas, they may be ridden on sidewalks as long as the speed is 10 mph or less, and the bicyclist must yield the right of way to pedestrians.

The pathway at the Civic Center grounds and behind the Capitol — collectively known as the Civic Center Path — is designated for bike use in the city’s Oahu Bike Plan. The city owns the portion of the pathway at the Civic Center, and widened it in 2014. The state, which owns the portion of the path between Punchbowl and Richards streets, has not made improvements yet.

The state Department of Transportation said it supported the intent of the original bill but recommended cyclists be required to ride in a designated area on the path.

Conflicts between bicyclists and pedestrians occur fairly regularly, the DOT noted, but allowing bicyclists within the Capitol district removes conflicts between bikes and vehicles on nearby roads.

Cullen said the state DOT is exploring funding possibilities, and his bill calls for the various state departments to work together to develop a long-term plan to improve the pathway. He had no estimated cost or timeline yet for the project. He said those details would be worked out as the legislative session continues.