In 2006 voters mandated that one of the priorities of the city Department of Transportation Services (DTS) is to make Honolulu a pedestrian-and bicycle-friendly city. After years of little effort, we finally have an administration that has taken on the task.

One example is the King Street cycle track. People have expressed concerns about it, and now the Honolulu City Council is considering a bill that it says is needed to improve transparency and allow for more input on bikeways.

Bill 68 would require bikeways to be put on public infrastructure maps (PIMs) and be approved by the Council. There are eight PIMs, one for each development or sustainable community plan. PIMs are revised via Council resolution. The city Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) has 75 days to review proposals for PIM changes, consult with other agencies and community organizations and make a recommendation to Council.

DPP has stated that mandated reviews such as this take precedence. As a result, regular permit applications go to the bottom of the pile. There are more than 350 bike projects in the bike plan. If Bill 68 passes, how many permits will be pushed aside, even if multiple projects are put on the same resolution?

What about the transparency side of the issue?

The bike plan is the product of public workshops, group meetings, a survey and comments solicited online and via phone. The plan was adopted unanimously by Council via Resolution 12-307.

In 2012 several bicyclists started the BYK Project. They did extensive research along Beretania, Young and King Streets, held workshops and gave presentations to neighborhood boards and the City Council. On March 16, 2014, the Council unanimously adopted Resolution 14-46, CD1, which urged the mayor to make the BYK corridor a priority and consider recommendations made by the BYK group, including putting a cycle track on King Street.

Since then, DTS has held public meetings and given presentations about the cycle track to neighborhood boards, the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization and City Council. All businesses along the track were contacted.

On Sept. 1, the city held another meeting to update the public about the King Street cycle track and provide information about proposed tracks. About 300 people attended with a wide variety of groups represented, except City Council.

The cycle track has been covered by the media, and the city has a website (www.honolulu.gov/bicycle/kingcycletrack.html) specifically dedicated to it. (This site includes the bike counts as well as educational information on the track itself. DTS may include a feedback form on the site.)

In addition to all of this, Council approves some bike projects via the Transportation Improvement Plan and holds the purse strings for all transportation projects. Further, Mike Formby, DTS director, has offered to provide the Council with regular updates regarding bike projects.

There are already enough mechanisms in place to provide transparency and input on bikeways. Bill 68 would simply add more red tape to the process and slow things down. It should not be passed.