With Tourists Gone, City Will Open Kalakaua to Bikers and Pedestrians
The temporary program mirrors a global trend to give people more street space so they can exercise at a safe distance.
It took a couple of months, but Honolulu has finally joined the ranks of cities providing at least a little more street space to pedestrians and bike riders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over four consecutive Sunday mornings starting June 14, more than half a mile of Kalakaua Avenue in the heart of Waikiki will be closed to vehicular traffic. The thoroughfare, devoid of its usual tourist crowds, will be reserved for those looking to exercise on foot and by bike instead.
The Kalakaua closures will take place between Seaside Avenue and Kapahulu from 6 a.m. to noon, according to city officials.
鈥淲e really want to 鈥 create a nice, safe, beautiful place for people to be outside,鈥 said , executive director of the Hawaii Bicycling League, which advocated for the move.
It鈥檚 an opportunity for locals to re-familiarize themselves with a neighborhood usually dominated by visitors, and if it鈥檚 popular it could spur similar programs in other parts of Oahu, McCarney said.
The move follows an unprecedented spike in bicycle sales on Oahu, mirroring a global trend as people look for more ways to get out of the house while still observing shutdown orders.
It鈥檚 also Honolulu鈥檚 first foray into the so-called 鈥渟low streets,鈥 or “open streets” trend that鈥檚 taken off in at least 100 cities elsewhere since COVID-19 hit. Generally, the goal is to give residents stuck at home the space they need to safely exercise outdoors, keeping their distance from one another by moving off curbs and sidewalks.
During the pandemic, car traffic has plummeted but speeding .
Many of those cities have used to temporarily close certain residential streets off to most through traffic, limiting access to local vehicles and emergency responders.
Oakland announced a plan on April 10 to of street space for pedestrians and bike riders. So far, the Northern California city has reported installing of those corridors.
We鈥檙e announcing the Oakland Slow Streets Initiative
— Libby Schaaf (@LibbySchaaf)
Meanwhile, under Seattle鈥檚 鈥淪tay Healthy Streets鈥 initiative, the temporary road conversions in some city neighborhoods . Some urban planners think the changes could be adopted as permanent elsewhere as well.
Overall, about 500 miles of streets across numerous U.S. cities have been converted to safer use for those on foot and bike during the pandemic, according to research by the firm .
Honolulu鈥檚 program is somewhat unique, however, in that it will tap one of Waikiki鈥檚 largest and most prominent streets and use it during a much more limited time frame than typically seen elsewhere.
Street closure initiatives across the U.S. started shortly after shutdowns started taking effect.
Asked in April if any such initiatives were in the works locally, Honolulu city officials said they were consulting with their peers in the National Association of City Transportation Officials on best-practices for such initiatives while trying to balance their messaging on Mayor Kirk Caldwell鈥檚 stay-at-home order.
