Most people who are concerned about Honolulu’s urban redevelopment are looking skyward, trying to picture how it all will look once those new, very tall buildings go in. Maybe more of us need to have our eyes focused at street level, where the elements are that will make the new city work better.
One such element would be roadways designed to accommodate those who walk or bike through the streets as safely as those who drive. This approach to street and highway planning is known as “Complete Streets.” Both the city and state have adopted Complete Streets as part of official planning policies for roadways and other transportation structures.
The injuries suffered earlier this month by cyclist Fletcher Parker ought to speak volumes about the need for Complete Streets being implemented. Parker, biking home after work at Ala Moana Center, was clipped by a car making a right turn. The driver never stopped; it’s not even clear that he or she even realized what had happened.
Parker had recently moved here from Kauai, where Ke Ala Hele Makalae, a mixed-use pathway along parts of the east shore, and generally less frenetic vehicular traffic had made the island a bit more bike-friendly than congested Oahu. The seemingly endless string of pedestrian and cyclist accidents underscore the need to create a new environment on Oahu, especially in urban Honolulu, that fosters awareness of travelers other than those behind the wheel.
That’s why it was good to hear the governor, in his State of the State address this week, endorse the idea of a Complete Streets plan for the redevelopment of Kakaako. The Hawaii Community Development Authority, the agency overseeing the Kakaako plans, has already embarked on the blueprint.
The concept is called “Complete Streets” because its designs reflect the entire range of uses, rather than merely providing vehicular lanes. The HCDA, in its documents outlining the proposals, list some of the elements, including:
>> Safety design elements aimed at forcing vehicles to slow down, such as narrower lane widths, a reduced turning radius for most turns and other “traffic calming measures.”
>> Bike lanes buffered from traffic and separate bike crossings at some intersections, along with “sharrows” (bike and vehicle shared lanes) where there isn’t room for separation.
>> An overall emphasis for improved sight lines and visibility, so there’s less likelihood of a motorist being surprised by the emergence of a cyclist or pedestrian into traffic.
All these improvements seem obvious choices, but like other auto-centered American cities, Honolulu planners have placed their priorities on boosting the speed of vehicular traffic. One among many notable mainland departures from that trend is the bike-friendly Portland, Ore., which adopted its first bike plan in 1973 and built on that.
The point is, it can take years to change the orientation of urban planning, but other cities have done it. Implementing policies such as Complete Streets is one way Honolulu can start down this path.
