When Oahu voters opted for a “Complete Streets” amendment to the City Charter in 2018, that did not mean voters wanted bike lanes placed in such a way as to increase traffic congestion or increase the risk of harm to bike riders and auto drivers.

Take, for example, the poorly planned bike lane on Alakea Street that goes from Ala Moana Boulevard to Hotel Street. As everyone knows, Alakea Street is the main artery out of downtown for commuters to leave their office parking garages and make their way to the H-1 freeway on-ramp in either direction. Due to the city’s failure to properly synchronize the traffic lights on Alakea Street, the afternoon commute has always been difficult, but the removal of the traffic lane has been the proverbial “last straw.” Thanks to a poorly planned bike lane replacing the first lane on the west side of Alakea Street, it is now extremely difficult to exit from the downtown parking garages serving the Pacific Guardian Center, the Davies Pacific Center, Bishop Square and First Hawaiian Bank Building from 4-6:30 p.m. due to backed up traffic.

It is dangerous to both the environment and the driver to sit in idling cars for more than 30 minutes, first trapped in the parking garages and then sitting on Alakea Street. When the car finally exits the parking garage, the driver must dart into any tight opening in order to make the left turn onto Alakea Street. This is dangerous for both drivers and pedestrians. The useless bike lane must be removed before a serious injury occurs, or an emergency evacuation from downtown is necessary. Like in the Lahaina fire disaster, people can die if they are blocked from exiting the parking garages.

The greater inconvenience for downtown commuters is also a quality of life issue. Taking 30-45 minutes just to get out of the parking garage and off Alakea Street makes it difficult for individuals to pick up their children from school or make it home to have dinner with their families.

What is most frustrating about the placement of this Alakea Street bike lane is that it ends short of Hotel Street. No biker ever uses it because it goes less than 200 yards up Alakea Street. The sad and frustrating fact is that our city traffic planners have made the afternoon commute from downtown nightmarish in order to create a bike lane that nobody uses and goes nowhere. Although there are other bike lanes downtown that are seldom used, such as on South Street and Pensacola Street, none has so inconvenienced downtown commuting as the Alakea Street folly.

Unfortunately, the City and County of Honolulu has other screwball ideas to create traffic jams.

One scheme is to remove a lane from Ala Wai Boulevard to widen the bike lane that already exists there and is seldom used. That will create a traffic nightmare for the morning commuter traveling to downtown or Waikiki. Another foolish plan is to remove a lane from each direction on Kilauea Avenue near Kahala Mall to add bike lanes. That plan would create a traffic nightmare for East Honolulu drivers. Do our city leaders want to equalize traffic misery for office commuters, tourists, shoppers and retirees?

The truth of the matter is that our hot weather, narrow streets and lack of showers and changing rooms downtown make it nearly impossible for Honolulu to become a city of bike commuters. Our safety and quality of life should not be compromised in a futile effort to accomplish an unattainable goal.