Honolulu Cyclists Lament Safety Barriers, Green Paint In Bike Lanes
New asphalt along South King Street meant bike path safety features had to be removed temporarily. They are taking too long to be replaced, cyclists say.
A major repaving of South King Street by the Honolulu Department of Facilities Maintenance road team has provided drivers and riders a significantly smoother journey since it was completed around December last year.
But one side effect of the repaving is the temporary loss of curbing and bike lane delineators — the plastic blades with reflectors that let motorists know there is a two-way bike path running along the busy one-way thoroughfare.
Those features have been absent for nearly six months now, according to several riders who tipped off Civil Beat.
More bikeways are a part of Honolulu’s Complete Streets plan, a 15-year blueprint for pedestrian safety improvements, traffic calming and more bicycle facilities, including 4 miles of new bikeways, the most recent report from December says.
An average of seven cyclists have died on Oʻahu roads every year since 2022, according to the state Department of Transportation, highlighting the need for including additional safety measures.
About 1.6 miles of those bikeways are supposed to be protected by planters, Tuff Curb — low-profile yellow curbing — or the plastic wands that crumple when cars or bikes run over them.
But as of this week, the section of the South King Street Bike Path between McCully and University had a smattering of bright orange traffic cones and no curbing. White arrows marked the direction of the lanes.
At one patch near the busy Savers store opposite Old Stadium Park, a remnant of the green paint, now paved over, was visible under the new road coating.
Travis Counsell of the Hawaiʻi Bycling League said he’d been in contact with the city’s Department of Facilities Maintenance, or DFM, about why it was taking so long to correct the issue. The nonprofit collaborates with the city on developing more infrastructure for cyclists in Honolulu.
“I don’t want to give the impression that DFM aren’t working toward this, but I just think it should be a higher priority,” Counsell said.
One of the reasons for the hold-up is the green paint, or more specifically, a lack of it, facilities maintenance spokeswoman Chassity-Ann Santiago said Thursday.
“The bike lane improvements require a specialized paint for conflict areas at driveways. This material has been approved by the Department of Transportation Services, and the contractor is in the process of ordering it. At this time, there is an estimated lead time of approximately nine weeks for delivery,” she said.
Meanwhile, the facilities maintenance department said it is looking at whether the other safety elements like curbing can be put back sooner.
“Should this approach be feasible, the contractor would return at a later date to complete the green conflict area striping,” Santiago said. “We expect to receive an update from the contractor next week.”
Who To Contact
Tyler Sugihara is the chief of the Road Maintenance Division of the Honolulu Department of Facilities Maintenance. Phone: 808-768-3602.
An Update On Ala Wai Floating Docks
One of Civil Beat’s first Fix It! stories more than a year ago was about the need to repair the floating public boat docks at the Ala Wai Boat Harbor. The tipster was longtime harbor user Chuck Kelley, who emailed last month to say that nothing has changed since our story from March 4, 2025.
He was motivated to reach out because he had just paid his annual $75 users fee and there had been no improvement. A photograph taken last week by Civil Beat was virtually identical to one taken a year ago for the first story.
“It’s such a shame because these minor issues render the boat ramp inoperable to single small boaters like myself,” he said.
But we now have an update for Kelley and other harbor users from Department of Land and Natural Resources spokesman Ryan Aguilar.
“The floating docks are currently being fabricated. We received our United States Army Corps of Engineers permit already, so once the docks are fabricated, we can install,” Aguilar said. “Estimating completion of fabrication/start of installation by beginning of June with completion by August.”
Who To Contact
Meghan Statts is the administrator of the Division of Boating And Ocean Recreation of the Department of Land and Natural Resources. meghan.l.statts@hawaii.gov; Phone: 808-832-3520
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