There’s a long, bumpy road ahead before Oahu can claim it has bike-friendly roads, but Honolulu’s cycling community wants everyone to know they’re not turning back.

Their message — and it’s one that everyone can endorse — is that this city needs to get going with the transformation, and the adoption of the proposed "Complete Streets" policy is necessary to build momentum.

State lawmakers enacted a similar law three years ago for state highways. Complete Streets is a planning approach in which design of roadways must include some accommodations for cyclists and pedestrians, as well as motorists at the earliest stages.

But clearly bike safety is an even greater concern on city streets, since most people may be more inclined to venture short distances on them rather than a longer commute involving state highways.

The City Council is, at long last, moving ahead with the consideration of its own Complete Streets ordinance. Bill 26 on Thursday passed one committee hurdle and will be discussed in further hearings over the coming weeks.

Last week’s hearing included testimony from off-island: Bev Brody, coordinator of Get Fit Kauai, told members of the Council Transportation Committee that Complete Streets policies pay off over the long term by encouraging more cycling and walking, which contributes to overall public health as well as yielding better traffic safety conditions.

"It’s sad that several residents in Honolulu have to get into their cars and drive to a safe place to walk," Brody said.

One recent focal point for the cycling movement has been Waialae Avenue, where city officials have proposed temporary accommodations for bikers — well-marked shared lanes, or "sharrows" — so that urgently needed resurfacing can happen in the short term. Wayne Yoshioka, Department of Transportation Services director, said then design can begin for a permanent network of sharrows and dedicated bike-lane segments.

It’s incremental progress, but good news all the same. A Kaimuki community meeting to discuss the proposals has been set for April 19, and other neighborhoods would be wise to begin conversations about similar upgrades, spanning urban Honolulu.

Chad Taniguchi, executive director of the Hawaii Bicycling League, said his organization is working to expand its offering of bicycle education classes to more adults, supplementing a 23-year-old program for children and their parents, conducted through community schools (see the league website, www.hbl.org). One such course, held on weekends at the University of Hawaii, is underwritten through a grant from the state Department of Education. More such support will be needed going forward.

Honolulu, with its year-round temperate weather, ought to be a place where cycling thrives as recreation and transportation. As the city continues its challenging but necessary transition to that preferred future, it’s evident that the coexistence of motorists with cyclists will take some adjustment, and re-education, on both sides of the equation.

There’s no time like the present for beginning that learning process. Passing Bill 26 will be a statement from the city that Honolulu officials take this seriously, and that the realities on the ground are going to change.