It’s never too late to make our island more livable.

During lockdown, many families discovered the pleasure of riding bicycles together. However, vehicles on essential errands tended to speed, creating a dangerous situation for cyclists on streets with no protected bike lanes. Some roads have “sharrows” or share arrows but these are useless as no one pays any attention to them. Riding on sidewalks to avoid impatient drivers isn’t a good option since it’s illegal in many places. If we want to encourage people to ditch their cars for short trips, we need a network of protected bike lanes.

Until we have more bike lanes, the city is trying another approach to get people biking and walking. Last Sunday, from 6 a.m. to noon, more than a half-mile of Kalakaua Avenue from Seaside to Kapahulu avenues was closed to vehicular traffic to encourage families to bike and walk in Waikiki.

My family and I rented Biki bikes and participated in this “Open Streets” event. There was a great turnout of local families and adequate space to practice physical distancing. The employees at the restaurants and shops we visited told us they had been very busy all day. Kalakaua Open Street Sundays is slated to run for three more consecutive Sundays, until July 5. Let’s hope this project becomes permanent, as it benefits local families as well as merchants in the area.

Local surfers flock to Waikiki when there is a south-shore swell, but parking is difficult to find and walking with a surfboard is cumbersome. Surfboard storage on Waikiki Beach is extremely limited. Adding more surfboard storage and parking options in Waikiki would help local surfers and beachgoers.

Diamond Head has a couple of beautiful little beach parks, thanks to a former mayor, Frank Fasi. Yet, there is no parking anywhere near those parks. So by default, they are akin to private parks for the residents living nearby. Adding convenient parking options at popular beaches and trails such as Lanikai would make these places much more accessible to everyone.

Most of us agree with weatherman Guy Hagi that Hawaii has the “best weather on the planet.” Then, why is it that we have so few sidewalk cafes and pedestrian malls?

Mayor Kirk Caldwell is allowing restaurants to temporarily move tables onto sidewalks and perhaps even into city parks to expand seating as restaurants have to operate at half capacity to abide by physical distancing guidelines. But why not go a step further and widen sidewalks to accommodate sidewalk cafes on a permanent basis? Sunshades could be installed to keep out the sun.

Wide, flat, shady sidewalks and pedestrian malls encourage walking. Fix crumbling sidewalks so they look like those on Kalakaua Avenue. Certain areas, such as downtown Kailua, are suitable for a pedestrian mall. Nearby parking areas with shuttles for those who have difficulty walking would be needed. Pedestrian malls, sidewalk cafes and neighborhood green spaces build a sense of community.

Some people will cry that widening sidewalks and adding bike lanes mean taking away a traffic lane or street parking. This cannot be avoided if we want to transition to a pedestrian- and bike-friendly island where we prioritize an active lifestyle.

Let’s hope that not too far down the road, Oahu will have networks of protected bike lanes where keiki ride safely; beautiful sidewalks where people jog or stroll; sidewalk cafes where friends gather; and Open Street Sundays where local families explore neighborhoods and discover new eateries and boutiques. Let’s design an island where kamaaina families and small, local businesses come first.

Shiyana Thenabadu is a photographer, community volunteer and former educator.