Community Symposium and Complete Streets Expo on Wednesday

News Release from City and County of Honolulu, March 10, 2017

Honolulu — The City and County of Honolulu Department of Transportation Services will host a Community Symposium and Complete Streets expo this Wednesday, March 15, 2017 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend the free event, which will be held at the Laniakea YWCA at 1040 Richards Street (see flyer here).

The symposium and expo marks the culmination of extensive community outreach last month for the Downtown/Chinatown Complete Streets Implementation project.

The Symposium portion of the event takes place inside Fuller Hall, and will focus on the Downtown/Chinatown project area. A presentation will recap the community outreach effort and summarize the input that was received. There will also be an open house with interactive displays and opportunities to provide input. Refreshments will be provided.

A Complete Streets Expo will be held in the Café Julia Courtyard. The expo will be filled with family-friendly activities, demonstrations, and giveaways from partners such as Bikeshare Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Public Health Initiative, AARP, Transit Oriented Development Honolulu, Blue Zones, Department of Transportation Services Bicycle Program, State Department of Health, and Age Friendly Cities. The event highlights the many partners that are invested in making Complete Streets happen and promoting a healthy urban environment.

A free bike valet service will be provided to attendees by the Hawai‘i Bicycling League. Attendees are encouraged to walk, bike, or ride TheBus to the event, but non-validated parking is available in the area as well. If you require special assistance to participate in these events (i.e., interpreter, wheelchair accessibility), please contact Melissa White at mwhite@ssfm.com or (808) 628-5861 at least three business days prior to the event.

Background on the Downtown/Chinatown Complete Streets implementation project

A number of road repaving projects are planned for Downtown and Chinatown over the next two to four years, bringing a unique opportunity to improve streets and the pedestrian environment as part of needed road reconstruction. In addition to addressing community requests, these proposed improvements will meet the increased multimodal transportation needs from the coming rail stations and Bikeshare Hawai‘i program.

Improvements range from pavement markings that delineate bike lanes and routes, to bulbouts that extend the sidewalk and improve visibility of pedestrians. Also included are raised medians and protected intersections that separate bicyclists from sidewalks and moving traffic. The plans reflect a range of solutions on key streets within the area from River Street to Punchbowl Street, makai of Vineyard Boulevard.

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