As a bicycle rider, I have a different point of view regarding bike riders who are over the white line instead of in the bike lane. There are hazards in the bike lanes that drivers in cars can't see. I have to watch for culverts, bad pavement, broken glass, metal shards, gravel and branches with thorns.
In my experience biking through the Honokowai area, the sides of the lower road and the upper highway are not maintained at all. Street sweepers clean the driving lanes and never touch the shoulders. My chances of getting a flat tire are greatly increased if I ride in the bike lane.
There is a stretch on Honoapiilani Highway in Honokowai, across from the car rental agencies and along a stalled construction site, which has not had the shoulder cleaned for years - literally. Only about half of the bike lane is usable and the rest is covered in a mound of gravel and debris. The divider in the center of the highway at that spot is almost as bad. If anyone tried to stop quickly in that gravel, they would slide out of control. If a vehicle strays into the center divider, it would kick up rocks that would smash the windows of following vehicles. Every time I ride through that area, I get something in my eyes.
The next time you see a bicycle riding outside the bike lane, please keep in mind that there is probably a reason, and pass carefully.
Mary Lynne Boland
Kahana
