Oahu’s year-round balmy weather makes it a perfect place for bicycles — and a network of protected bikeways. The trouble is that our car-clogged streets can make cycling a risky mode of transportation. But that’s slowly changing, thanks to the city’s bike plan and Complete Streets ordinance.

The current Oahu Bike Plan envisions expanding cycling-focused facilities from about 130 miles to nearly 700 miles over a period of three decades through construction of bike paths, lanes and routes. That aligns with the Complete Streets mandate, which stresses safe multimodal travel by balancing the needs of all road users — pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists.

In its ongoing push for a less car-centric city, Honolulu Hale is now seeking public input on proposed bike lane projects slated for Ward Avenue and Pensacola Street, totaling about $900,000. Ward would be fitted with one-way protected lanes on either side, from Ala Moana Boulevard to King Street. And Pensacola would get a two-way protected lane for the Diamond Head side, stretching from Wilder Avenue to Waimanu Street.

While the projects could serve as a winning addition to an emerging pedal-powered urban grid, a loser would be on-street parking. A total of about 70 on-street stalls would be lost.

Given that the bike lanes would be situated near massive residential development in Kakaako, the city should consider pursuing partnerships with developers and businesses that could relocate street parking to nearby parking structures or lots. Public-private partnerships could be a good fit in this neighborhood as it embraces a live-work-play vibe based, in part, on multimodal travel, including plans for a future rail station.

Like it or not, bike lanes are now folding into our urban fabric. The green-painted paths are seeing a steady flow of regular cyclists as well as residents and tourist alike hopping on turquoise bicycles that can be picked up at self-service stations (“Biki Stops”) for quick commutes.

The local sentiment on cycling alongside cars, trucks and buses on busy Honolulu thoroughfares seems to have shifted since South King Street’s 2-mile protected lane was installed in 2015. That project was met with heavy resistance from motorists unhappy about losing a lane and worried about colliding with cyclists zipping in and out of intersections. Over the past few years, though, travelers have adjusted and grousing about making room for bicycles seems to have faded.

Last year, work crews striped new two-way bike lanes on McCully Street, which link to the King Street lane and create a bike route from Waikiki to the University of Hawaii- Manoa. Also, a protected lane opened along the Ewa side of South Street, from King to Pohukaina streets, situated near new residential high-rises and the site of the city’s proposed Civic Center Rail Station. From Pohukaina seaward, 5-foot-wide, less-protected bike lanes connect to Ala Moana Boulevard and the Kakaako makai area.

The grid taking shape is making it possible for more people to ride between home, jobs and entertainment. That’s a laudable switch away from a car-dominated culture. In addition to serving as a relatively inexpensive travel mode, cycling lines up with county and state green-energy goals.

For safety’s sake, the city must continue to put in place a network of dedicated bicycle facilities that remove cyclists from potentially dangerous jostling with vehicular traffic and provide a viable alternative to riding on sidewalks where they could collide with pedestrians.

A community meeting about the Ward Avenue and Pensacola Street projects is set for 6-8 p.m. Thursday at Blaisdell Center’s Pikake Room. More information about Complete Streets and the Oahu Bike Planis available online: www.honolulu.gov/bicycle/bikeplanupdate.html and www.honolulu.gov/completestreets.