Kokua Line June Watanabe

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Bicyclists cross joggers and drivers

Question: Is it legal for joggers to run in marked bicycle lanes? I regularly see joggers running on the road in bike lanes, particularly the ones on Kalakaua Avenue fronting Kapiolani Park. To me they are dangerous as they force bicyclists into the car lanes. Some even jog in the wrong direction. Can these joggers be cited? If so, why isn't this being enforced?

Answer: We answered a similar question 10 years ago -- starbulletin.com/97/08/20/news/kokualine.html -- and the answer remains the same:

If there is an adjacent paved sidewalk, such as on Kalakaua Avenue, on the makai side of Kapiolani Park, pedestrians or runners should use the sidewalks, Chris Sayers, the city's bicycle coordinator, said again recently.

Specifically, under Section 15-6.7 of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu, a bicycle lane "shall be used exclusively for operating bicycles."

The problem, noted in 1997, is the difficulty of enforcement. Police could cite violators, but they would have to catch them in the act, Sayers said.

Meanwhile, if there is no adjacent paved sidewalk, such as along the Paki Avenue side of Kapiolani Park, a pedestrian/runner may use the bike lane. In that case, a biker is required to yield the right of way to the pedestrian.

Other requirements set by law: When using a bike lane, a pedestrian should walk as near the outside edge as possible, and when two or more pedestrians use a bike lane, they are required to walk in single file as near the outside edge as possible.

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Q: What is the deal with bicyclists on sidewalks? I was pulling out of a driveway on Ala Wai Boulevard; I looked both ways, because even though the Ala Wai is one way, there are a lot of pedestrians. All was clear, but as I pulled out further, a guy on a bike approached me from the left, and I nearly hit him! Bad enough, he was not on the road as I thought bikes were supposed to be, but he's Diamond Head-bound, going against the flow of traffic. Are bikes allowed to ride on the sidewalks?

A: Not in Waikiki, which means not along the Ala Wai, and not in any business district.

Section 15-4.6 of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu specifically prohibits bike riding on Waikiki sidewalks, while Section 15-18.7 prohibits it in a business district.

The city director of transportation services also may prohibit bike-riding on sidewalks in other districts or neighborhoods, but would have to post official signs stating so.

If bikers are on a sidewalk, they are required to yield the right of way to pedestrians and to give an audible signal before passing.

Bicyclists on authorized sidewalks are not required to travel in any one direction. However, bicyclists traveling in a bike lane are supposed to go in the same direction as the vehicular traffic traveling on the same side of the road, unless there are arrows designating two-way traffic.