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Entries tagged: Path

Hawaii residents had already been deprived of a long-awaited multi-use path along the Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway once. Peoples Advocacy for Trails Hawaii wasn’t going to let it happen again.

Earlier this month, the advocates took action for the long-promised trail on the Big Island — and won.

The project in question was the Queen’s Lei Pathway — a proposed 17-mile multi-use trail that wraps around North Kona, connecting homes, schools and shopping areas with “a place for keiki [children], kupuna [elders] and everyone in between to walk, ride a bike, run, and get around safely.”

The Lei started with just one strand: a path along the Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway. After years of advocacy, in 2003, that pathway became a First Priority Project in the Hawaii Bike Plan. But the priority status didn’t stick: During the Phase I widening of the highway the pathway fell to the wayside.

But PATH continued to push forward. According to the advocates: “When we lost the path in Phase I, we reorganized and developed the Queens’ Lei pathway concept to show the tremendous opportunity this facility will provide to North Kona.” The 17-mile loop includes the path along the Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway but adds a trail along the Queen Liliuokalani Highway to complete the “lei.” Earlier this month, the state started on Phase II of the Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway project — and, again, the pathway was left out.

The advocates immediately mobilized to get the trail back on the map, asking their members to join them in emailing and calling state officials. In short order, the advocates got the trail back on track.

“107 signatures were gathered in only 12 short hours, along with over 100 e-mailed letters to our elected and appointed officials in support of the Queens’ Lei pathway,” PATH reported last week. “With all that attention you helped bring to this issue, PATH has successfully secured a commitment from the Hawai’i Department of Transportation to move forward with the Queens’ Lei pathway planning. PATH and the HDOT also discussed optimal design for getting bicycles, mopeds and pedestrians through and across major intersections safely.”

Talk about a royal effort! Keep up with PATH’s progress on their website here.

Twenty-six new citizen evaluators joined Peoples Advocacy for Trails Hawai’s (PATH) HOALA project as trained Safe Routes to School evaluators on Thursday, Feb. 4th. HOALA – Hawaii’s Opportunity for Active Living Advancement – aims to help 12 Hawaii Island schools reduce childhood obesity by improving the ability for children to get to and from school by walking or bicycling.

According to PATH, the new evaluators, “will help to assess the walkability and bikeability of school zones in 12 elementary schools across the island of Hawaii.  Evaluators were trained in the PEDS assessment tool and on how to conduct traffic counts and safety observations.

The HOALA project is made possible by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Active Living Research Program. Elementary schools across the island with at least 35% of students on free or reduced-cost lunch are eligible to apply.  To find out more, visit the HOALA page on the PATH Web site or contact PATH at laura@pathhawaii.org.”

People’s Advocacy for Trails Hawaii (PATH) is launching an exciting initiative called HO’ALA - Hawaii’s Opportunity for Active Living Advancement.

According to PATH, “Ho’ala means “to waken” and the powerful word has inspired an exciting school-community-government partnership focused on improving the health of our keiki and our communities.  The HO’ALA project aims to reduce childhood obesity by making it easy, fun and safe to get daily exercise by walking or bicycling to school.  The project will work with 12 schools across the island to help address their traffic safety issues and improve conditions for walking and bicycling to and from school.

PATH is looking for schools to join the HOALA project. Schools must have at least 35% of students on free or reduced lunch. Schools will receive a comprehensive transportation evaluation, at no cost to the school. They will also be eligible for up to $1,000 in funding to complete their own Safe Routes to School plan with PATH’s support and guidance.

For more information, or to apply, visit the HOALA page on the PATH Web site.”

According to PATH (Peoples Advocacy for Trails Hawaii), “Hawaii Complete Streets bill, SB718 was signed into law (May 7th) by Governor Linda Lingle.  The law requires that all new roads and roads slated for maintenance be designed to accommodate all users, including bicyclists, pedestrians, and motorists.  This is a major landmark victory in our effort to create a safe, connected network for walking and bicycling.” Congratulations to Alliance members PATH and the Hawaii Bicycle League for this exciting victory for biking and walking in the Aloha state.

For more information about PATH, click here…

On April 23, 2009, Peoples Advocacy for Trails Hawaii (PATH) and the Kealakehe community celebrated a 10-year goal of building a complete street for Kona. The new Keanalehu and Manawalea streets includes sidewalks, bike lanes, and a median that connects the Kealakehe house lots, La’I Opua Villages, and the local high school. PATH will be providing pedestrian safety education, awareness building, and support for the community to help make this transition a safe one. Congratulations PATH! 

For more information, click here…