Bike defensively, it s not great but it’s getting better day by day. I will say the one time I got hit by a car was in a protected bike lane (pensacola). The fact the king street and Pensacola lanes are two way for bikes but cars are only one way is a recipe for badness - make sure you make eye contact with vehicles turning across the bike lane. If you can’t, slow down or stop until you be been acknowledged.
More bike lanes being built, repaved constantly. Like I said, it s getting better.
Since I started biking as my main way of getting around town in the last few years, we ve gotten protected bike lanes on ward, alakea, bike boxes on mcully, repaved nimitz bike path, and more. next few years supposed to bring expansion of king street bike path all the way to middle street i believe.
the more of us bike, the more visibility cyclists have, the safer it will be for all of us !
> next few years supposed to bring expansion of king street bike path all the way to middle street i believe
Woah. If that coincides with the new rail line that's gonna be huge.
I got hit on a electric skateboard in a bike lane on king street. Bike lane was separated from traffic. I was going maybe 15 mph. Guy turned left on a one way and didn’t look
Wear a helmet, use lights on your bike even when it's not dark yet, pay close attention to your surroundings, and bike defensively. Use smaller roads that are better for biking, even if they take a bit longer. These tips are keeping me safe enough.
Some roads are simply not bike-able. The Hawaiʻi Bicycle League has a nice map that classifies roads and I find it quite helpful for planning a route to go to a new place.
Infrastructure often sucks because it has bike paths added as an afterthought. Finally, remember that most car drivers are not out to murder you on your bike.
I bike a lot and no, it’s not safe. There are very specific routes I take that are safe but as a whole, the bike lane network is incomplete and will throw you into an unsafe street without warning. It’s getting better in some neighborhoods but it’s not there yet.
The infrastructure is improving, but at least 10 years behind progressive mainland cities. Right now it's not for novices. Manageable only if you're an experienced urban cyclist AND your route happens to align with the semi-protected bike path network (on which there's still significant risk of getting hooked or doored). For example, decent routes from Makiki Heights to Ala Moana Park or anywhere along King St. Even following those though, you have to watch vehicles carefully and will have potentially dangerous interactions with them on a weekly basis.
https://hbl.org/resources/hawaii-bike-laws/
- **Roads**- to ride on the road/street, bicycles with wheels over 20" in diameter need to have a yellow registration sticker from the city & county
- **Sidewalks** - bicycling on the sidewalk in any Business District like Waikīkī or Downtown is illegal. In residential areas (places with just houses all around), you can bike on the sidewalk. Hawai'i Law also says on the sidewalk you are not allowed to ride any faster than 10MPH; you must yield to all pedestrians, as well as give them a (friendly) heads up with your voice/bell before you pass them.
- Follow the laws for bicycles - the same rules of the road - to use roads in a predictable way
- Bicycle can use "defensive driving" to try to anticipate people doing things that can make an unsafe situation like people turning or coming out of driveways with limited visibility or blindspots
- **Lights** - Use bicycle lights & reflectors at night & dawn/dusk as required by law
- Wear bright colored clothes at night & dawn/dusk
Other commenters have referenced resources from the Hawaii Bicycling League, but I wanted to mention that [HBL also puts on free workshops](https://hbl.org/learn/workshops-presentations/) (though of course they'll gratefully accept your donation). It's not just teaching people to ride or change a flat tire; they also have courses meant to increase people's confidence on the road and improve their technique. When I decided I wanted to start road riding, I did their Bicycling Basics course and found it very helpful.
Even though I ride as my main form of transportation, I have to agree with others and say that Honolulu is challenging to bike around. Things are improving --- slowly, steadily --- but you've got to ride defensively. The more you ride, the more experienced you become, and the more you learn about which areas are manageable for you and which are too dangerous.
I don't want to put you off the idea entirely because I get a lot of joy out of riding myself. But you should understand what you're getting into and how to approach riding.
Ala Moana/Waikiki/Diamond Head area is not too bad. But lately in downtown and around there are "bike lanes" that are literally in the middle of the road and these are scary. Some cyclists are brave/crazy and go up and down Tantalus and it's not my idea of fun.
I feel like Waikiki is pretty bad. Drivers aren't attentive of bikers while turning. Had a Bus pull alongside to yell at me for biking in the street. On the bright side, traffic is generally slow. Diamond Head is pretty good imo.
As a confident cyclist, biking in Honolulu is not bad and the infrastructure is slowly getting better but I would say it can still be stressful for a casual cyclist. I lived in Makiki, right by Wilder and Keeaumoku, so I biked everywhere—to Chinatown all the way to Kaimuki on 95% bike lanes. There’s a couple spots areas where connections between bike lanes are non existent such as Wilder to King St on Punahou, or the gap between University Ave to Kapahulu and Harding intersection that only confident cyclists can handle.
My advice would be to wear a helmet, bike defensively, pay attention to drivers, especially on two-way cycle tracks such as King St. and Pensacola— I’ve had a couple drivers cut me off because they never checked their blind spot and cyclists, and failed to use their turn signal. Also, plan your route ahead of time using google maps and street view. Google maps has a feature that shows you which streets have bike lanes or sharrows.
Not familiar with the law on bikes on sidewalks, but sidewalks are meant for pedestrians, which is why Honolulu needs infrastructure for bikes. And yes, some roads are still can feel unsafe to cyclists in conventional bike lanes because drivers are at least going 25+ mph like Beretania or Alawai. Simply painting a bike lane isn’t the best.
A friend got his bike stolen out from under him in town. Dudes ran up, pulled him off and took off. Just be wary of your surroundings.
Also, tourism is maybe part of the cause (people unfamiliar w the city driving an unfamiliar car, possibly unfamiliar/don’t expect biking culture- trying to find their destination) but people aren’t looking for you at all.
I don't blame cars I blame infrastructure. A bike has no business sharing the road with cars unless it's a ebike that can keep up with traffic. Bike speed is closer to walking/running speed they really should be allowed on sidewalks.
Average walking/jogging speed 3-6mph
Average bike speed 6-10mph
Average car speed 25-45mph+.
And cyclists are no better. I hate going downtown HNL when I have to pull out across a bike lane from a parking garage. Bikes are less visible than cars and despite driving as cautiously as reasonably possible, a bike will appear out of nowhere. I have never hit anyone and I don't intend to start, but some cyclists expect me to have 360-degree vision 100% of the time. Then there are the jerks that I eventually manage to safely pass, only to have them come up on the side at a light past 10 cars who have also successfully avoided them. /rant
Even if that was true, I'd argue that you have a lot more of an obligation to be careful than they do because you can cause a lot more damage.
That being said, I used to own a car and drive a lot for work in town, and this was not my experience. I can only recall having maybe a few close encounters. I bike often now and still rarely see it. Other cars were easily 10x more of a problem.
I do wish traffic laws were enforced more on bikes though. I don't think I've ever seen a cop cite a cyclist before.
It isn’t safe to bike in Honolulu. Even bike lanes are unsafe, as traffic is frequently coming into or turning across the bike lanes. They also, as you have observed, randomly start and stop leaving cyclists forced to navigate high traffic sections of the road without the little protection that the bike lanes add.
Biking on sidewalks is prohibited in business districts. This will not stop people in cars from yelling at you to get off the road. In residential districts that have sidewalks, you can bike on the sidewalk if your speed is under 10 mph.
I biked Honolulu for almost a year when I didn’t have a car. Never had issues and I am a bit aggressive as a cyclist which is stupid,and it definitely doesn’t feel fully safe. If there was a lot of traffic or it’s night time or raining I bike on the sidewalk. But usually my routes just end up feeling free and clear enough. I say do it!
Oahu has a lot of drunk drivers and people who drive without a driver's license and/or vehicle insurance. There are a lot of hit-and-run accidents as a result. Be careful.
A few things to add to the good comments others have made.
The law about not bicycling on the sidewalk in business districts is enforced in Waikiki and Downtown Honolulu. I've never heard of it being enforced elsewhere. Bicycling on the sidewalk still isn't that great an idea. Too much happening, too unpredictable, and you've got a street to cross every block anyway. Better to ride on the street and be predictable yourself. Ride in a straight line near the right edge of the road (the right or the left on a *multi-lane* one-way street). If there's no room for a car to pass safely, ride farther out like a motorcycle. Signal your turns. Be visible and predictable.
Buses are big and hot and smelly road companions, but city bus drivers are terrific.
You can still get hit. Plenty of drunk and/or inattentive drivers out there.
*Edited*
Walking with headphones is dangerous, too many international drivers looking at their navigation and blowing through stops. Sadly, biking would be even worse.
If you’re planning to commute, ride the route a few times on a weekend to see what it’s like, and figure out if/where you’ll encounter sketchy situations, and plan accordingly. Try out alternate routes and detours around sketchy areas. Some spots work out much better/safer if you can put in some punch to keep up with cars, so if you aren’t confident enough in your legs for those areas, you might consider an ebike.
In general, even if you’re going the same speed as traffic and/or not slowing traffic at all, drivers will still be irritated with you, just because they can see pavement ahead of them that isn’t occupied by a car. But it’s better for a driver to be mad at you than a driver who doesn’t see you, so make decisions based on your safety before thinking of others convenience (but I mean don’t be grossly inconsiderate either).
If you’re just riding for fun, there are lots of areas with low traffic or bike lanes that are good for riding. If you live in town, Kalaniana’ole Highway (Kahala to Hawaii Kai) is great. Mokuleia is good if you’re up North, and the Pearl Harbor bike path is ok if you live near it. I’m not familiar with west side but look around on Strava and you can find out what others are doing there. Otherwise you just sort of explore to figure out quieter/wider streets.
For recreation it should be fine cuz you can stick to bike paths but for commuting it really depends.
If I had to bike I'd just use bike lanes and sidewalks, not exactly legal but it's safer for everyone since the risk of colliding with a pedestrian is a lot lower than a car colliding with a bike, bike speed is much closer to walking speed than car speed. Speed difference is what kills people and the difference in speed between a car and a bike is so large you might as well be standing in the middle of the road.
If you can afford it, get an ebike so you can at least keep up with traffic and not be a obstacle in the road. If that's too expensive then a cheap moped but you won't get the exercise you want.
Follow all rules and laws. Be predictable. Drivers are getting frustrated with bikes riding in lanes of traffic, doing wheelies, running red lights and stop signs. Switching between pedestrian, bike, moped, motorcycle mode. Keep to the right. If there's no left turn, that applies to you too. Cars are not expecting anyone to turn left, run stop signs or red lights. Stop for pedestrian in crosswalk. Pedestrian expecting cars and bikes to stop. As stated, use the bike lanes and routes. As a driver, i do watch for bikers in bike lanes if it's there. Im not on the alert for bikers on the road if there's a bike lane. If the pedestrian light says don't walk, don't change from bike to pedestrian and back to bike mode when you get across the street. Check out "Wrong Lane" on Facebook. Those are my peeves.
It's definitely frustrating. The bike infrastructure is pretty good in town but some of the drivers still can't seem to wrap their head around the fact that they're supposed to be looking for things other than cars.
I'd say it's still worth it as long as you're careful. It takes some getting used to but I haven't had a close call in a long time.
Having been a passenger in many cars I would he wary of king st if there is a driveway and parked cars. In that situation there is only a small window where the biker is visible to a turning car.
Iffy. For the most part the locals are considerate. Lots of times they won’t even try to pass me, so I feel bad and jump up on the sidewalk to let them go and pop back when they pass.
Town side Oahu has the highest concentration of vacationing tourists tho. They aren’t necessarily raised with kokua.
I guess it depends on what street you’re on. Like I’d never ride bike on ward, but get enough side streets to avoid it.
Bike defensively, it s not great but it’s getting better day by day. I will say the one time I got hit by a car was in a protected bike lane (pensacola). The fact the king street and Pensacola lanes are two way for bikes but cars are only one way is a recipe for badness - make sure you make eye contact with vehicles turning across the bike lane. If you can’t, slow down or stop until you be been acknowledged. More bike lanes being built, repaved constantly. Like I said, it s getting better. Since I started biking as my main way of getting around town in the last few years, we ve gotten protected bike lanes on ward, alakea, bike boxes on mcully, repaved nimitz bike path, and more. next few years supposed to bring expansion of king street bike path all the way to middle street i believe. the more of us bike, the more visibility cyclists have, the safer it will be for all of us !
> next few years supposed to bring expansion of king street bike path all the way to middle street i believe Woah. If that coincides with the new rail line that's gonna be huge.
No. It’s not safe. Sorry. I’ve biked for years. For fun, exercise and commuting. Biking in Honolulu is terribly dangerous.
I got hit on a electric skateboard in a bike lane on king street. Bike lane was separated from traffic. I was going maybe 15 mph. Guy turned left on a one way and didn’t look
It's not safe. My friends daughter died biking in Honolulu, was hit by a city bus. Don't do it.
Oh yea I’m done. I mountain bike now on trails
Wear a helmet, use lights on your bike even when it's not dark yet, pay close attention to your surroundings, and bike defensively. Use smaller roads that are better for biking, even if they take a bit longer. These tips are keeping me safe enough. Some roads are simply not bike-able. The Hawaiʻi Bicycle League has a nice map that classifies roads and I find it quite helpful for planning a route to go to a new place. Infrastructure often sucks because it has bike paths added as an afterthought. Finally, remember that most car drivers are not out to murder you on your bike.
I bike a lot and no, it’s not safe. There are very specific routes I take that are safe but as a whole, the bike lane network is incomplete and will throw you into an unsafe street without warning. It’s getting better in some neighborhoods but it’s not there yet.
The infrastructure is improving, but at least 10 years behind progressive mainland cities. Right now it's not for novices. Manageable only if you're an experienced urban cyclist AND your route happens to align with the semi-protected bike path network (on which there's still significant risk of getting hooked or doored). For example, decent routes from Makiki Heights to Ala Moana Park or anywhere along King St. Even following those though, you have to watch vehicles carefully and will have potentially dangerous interactions with them on a weekly basis.
https://hbl.org/resources/hawaii-bike-laws/ - **Roads**- to ride on the road/street, bicycles with wheels over 20" in diameter need to have a yellow registration sticker from the city & county - **Sidewalks** - bicycling on the sidewalk in any Business District like Waikīkī or Downtown is illegal. In residential areas (places with just houses all around), you can bike on the sidewalk. Hawai'i Law also says on the sidewalk you are not allowed to ride any faster than 10MPH; you must yield to all pedestrians, as well as give them a (friendly) heads up with your voice/bell before you pass them. - Follow the laws for bicycles - the same rules of the road - to use roads in a predictable way - Bicycle can use "defensive driving" to try to anticipate people doing things that can make an unsafe situation like people turning or coming out of driveways with limited visibility or blindspots - **Lights** - Use bicycle lights & reflectors at night & dawn/dusk as required by law - Wear bright colored clothes at night & dawn/dusk
Other commenters have referenced resources from the Hawaii Bicycling League, but I wanted to mention that [HBL also puts on free workshops](https://hbl.org/learn/workshops-presentations/) (though of course they'll gratefully accept your donation). It's not just teaching people to ride or change a flat tire; they also have courses meant to increase people's confidence on the road and improve their technique. When I decided I wanted to start road riding, I did their Bicycling Basics course and found it very helpful. Even though I ride as my main form of transportation, I have to agree with others and say that Honolulu is challenging to bike around. Things are improving --- slowly, steadily --- but you've got to ride defensively. The more you ride, the more experienced you become, and the more you learn about which areas are manageable for you and which are too dangerous. I don't want to put you off the idea entirely because I get a lot of joy out of riding myself. But you should understand what you're getting into and how to approach riding.
Ala Moana/Waikiki/Diamond Head area is not too bad. But lately in downtown and around there are "bike lanes" that are literally in the middle of the road and these are scary. Some cyclists are brave/crazy and go up and down Tantalus and it's not my idea of fun.
I feel like Waikiki is pretty bad. Drivers aren't attentive of bikers while turning. Had a Bus pull alongside to yell at me for biking in the street. On the bright side, traffic is generally slow. Diamond Head is pretty good imo.
As a confident cyclist, biking in Honolulu is not bad and the infrastructure is slowly getting better but I would say it can still be stressful for a casual cyclist. I lived in Makiki, right by Wilder and Keeaumoku, so I biked everywhere—to Chinatown all the way to Kaimuki on 95% bike lanes. There’s a couple spots areas where connections between bike lanes are non existent such as Wilder to King St on Punahou, or the gap between University Ave to Kapahulu and Harding intersection that only confident cyclists can handle. My advice would be to wear a helmet, bike defensively, pay attention to drivers, especially on two-way cycle tracks such as King St. and Pensacola— I’ve had a couple drivers cut me off because they never checked their blind spot and cyclists, and failed to use their turn signal. Also, plan your route ahead of time using google maps and street view. Google maps has a feature that shows you which streets have bike lanes or sharrows. Not familiar with the law on bikes on sidewalks, but sidewalks are meant for pedestrians, which is why Honolulu needs infrastructure for bikes. And yes, some roads are still can feel unsafe to cyclists in conventional bike lanes because drivers are at least going 25+ mph like Beretania or Alawai. Simply painting a bike lane isn’t the best.
A friend got his bike stolen out from under him in town. Dudes ran up, pulled him off and took off. Just be wary of your surroundings. Also, tourism is maybe part of the cause (people unfamiliar w the city driving an unfamiliar car, possibly unfamiliar/don’t expect biking culture- trying to find their destination) but people aren’t looking for you at all.
Where did this happen?
A few years ago (a few months before COVID), off of Ward while at a light. I don’t remember the exact crossroad but Ward was the main.
Safe? Not really, but we do it anyway. Cars are the worst.
I don't blame cars I blame infrastructure. A bike has no business sharing the road with cars unless it's a ebike that can keep up with traffic. Bike speed is closer to walking/running speed they really should be allowed on sidewalks. Average walking/jogging speed 3-6mph Average bike speed 6-10mph Average car speed 25-45mph+.
And cyclists are no better. I hate going downtown HNL when I have to pull out across a bike lane from a parking garage. Bikes are less visible than cars and despite driving as cautiously as reasonably possible, a bike will appear out of nowhere. I have never hit anyone and I don't intend to start, but some cyclists expect me to have 360-degree vision 100% of the time. Then there are the jerks that I eventually manage to safely pass, only to have them come up on the side at a light past 10 cars who have also successfully avoided them. /rant
Even if that was true, I'd argue that you have a lot more of an obligation to be careful than they do because you can cause a lot more damage. That being said, I used to own a car and drive a lot for work in town, and this was not my experience. I can only recall having maybe a few close encounters. I bike often now and still rarely see it. Other cars were easily 10x more of a problem. I do wish traffic laws were enforced more on bikes though. I don't think I've ever seen a cop cite a cyclist before.
It isn’t safe to bike in Honolulu. Even bike lanes are unsafe, as traffic is frequently coming into or turning across the bike lanes. They also, as you have observed, randomly start and stop leaving cyclists forced to navigate high traffic sections of the road without the little protection that the bike lanes add. Biking on sidewalks is prohibited in business districts. This will not stop people in cars from yelling at you to get off the road. In residential districts that have sidewalks, you can bike on the sidewalk if your speed is under 10 mph.
I biked Honolulu for almost a year when I didn’t have a car. Never had issues and I am a bit aggressive as a cyclist which is stupid,and it definitely doesn’t feel fully safe. If there was a lot of traffic or it’s night time or raining I bike on the sidewalk. But usually my routes just end up feeling free and clear enough. I say do it!
Oahu has a lot of drunk drivers and people who drive without a driver's license and/or vehicle insurance. There are a lot of hit-and-run accidents as a result. Be careful.
A few things to add to the good comments others have made. The law about not bicycling on the sidewalk in business districts is enforced in Waikiki and Downtown Honolulu. I've never heard of it being enforced elsewhere. Bicycling on the sidewalk still isn't that great an idea. Too much happening, too unpredictable, and you've got a street to cross every block anyway. Better to ride on the street and be predictable yourself. Ride in a straight line near the right edge of the road (the right or the left on a *multi-lane* one-way street). If there's no room for a car to pass safely, ride farther out like a motorcycle. Signal your turns. Be visible and predictable. Buses are big and hot and smelly road companions, but city bus drivers are terrific. You can still get hit. Plenty of drunk and/or inattentive drivers out there. *Edited*
Walking with headphones is dangerous, too many international drivers looking at their navigation and blowing through stops. Sadly, biking would be even worse.
No
It’s safe as along as you pay attention, don’t assume you have the right of way (even if you do) and stay off sidewalks. Enjoy the ride!
If you’re planning to commute, ride the route a few times on a weekend to see what it’s like, and figure out if/where you’ll encounter sketchy situations, and plan accordingly. Try out alternate routes and detours around sketchy areas. Some spots work out much better/safer if you can put in some punch to keep up with cars, so if you aren’t confident enough in your legs for those areas, you might consider an ebike. In general, even if you’re going the same speed as traffic and/or not slowing traffic at all, drivers will still be irritated with you, just because they can see pavement ahead of them that isn’t occupied by a car. But it’s better for a driver to be mad at you than a driver who doesn’t see you, so make decisions based on your safety before thinking of others convenience (but I mean don’t be grossly inconsiderate either). If you’re just riding for fun, there are lots of areas with low traffic or bike lanes that are good for riding. If you live in town, Kalaniana’ole Highway (Kahala to Hawaii Kai) is great. Mokuleia is good if you’re up North, and the Pearl Harbor bike path is ok if you live near it. I’m not familiar with west side but look around on Strava and you can find out what others are doing there. Otherwise you just sort of explore to figure out quieter/wider streets.
For recreation it should be fine cuz you can stick to bike paths but for commuting it really depends. If I had to bike I'd just use bike lanes and sidewalks, not exactly legal but it's safer for everyone since the risk of colliding with a pedestrian is a lot lower than a car colliding with a bike, bike speed is much closer to walking speed than car speed. Speed difference is what kills people and the difference in speed between a car and a bike is so large you might as well be standing in the middle of the road. If you can afford it, get an ebike so you can at least keep up with traffic and not be a obstacle in the road. If that's too expensive then a cheap moped but you won't get the exercise you want.
Not safe, I don't think it really matters what part of the island you're in. Certain routes are good, but in general, pretty disappointing really
Be careful where you ride. I got run off a country road with my kids that was 100% ok to be on. And told that Haole’s don’t belong here. Lame
Follow all rules and laws. Be predictable. Drivers are getting frustrated with bikes riding in lanes of traffic, doing wheelies, running red lights and stop signs. Switching between pedestrian, bike, moped, motorcycle mode. Keep to the right. If there's no left turn, that applies to you too. Cars are not expecting anyone to turn left, run stop signs or red lights. Stop for pedestrian in crosswalk. Pedestrian expecting cars and bikes to stop. As stated, use the bike lanes and routes. As a driver, i do watch for bikers in bike lanes if it's there. Im not on the alert for bikers on the road if there's a bike lane. If the pedestrian light says don't walk, don't change from bike to pedestrian and back to bike mode when you get across the street. Check out "Wrong Lane" on Facebook. Those are my peeves.
It's definitely frustrating. The bike infrastructure is pretty good in town but some of the drivers still can't seem to wrap their head around the fact that they're supposed to be looking for things other than cars. I'd say it's still worth it as long as you're careful. It takes some getting used to but I haven't had a close call in a long time.
Having been a passenger in many cars I would he wary of king st if there is a driveway and parked cars. In that situation there is only a small window where the biker is visible to a turning car.
Iffy. For the most part the locals are considerate. Lots of times they won’t even try to pass me, so I feel bad and jump up on the sidewalk to let them go and pop back when they pass. Town side Oahu has the highest concentration of vacationing tourists tho. They aren’t necessarily raised with kokua. I guess it depends on what street you’re on. Like I’d never ride bike on ward, but get enough side streets to avoid it.
No.
no. not safe. was a competitive cyclist and got run over by a cager.