STCH is working to change how people move around in Hawaii. When we talk about alternative modes or ‘mode shift’, we are really talking about reducing overall vehicle miles traveled (VMT) across the state. By switching to less energy-intensive modes of transportation and creating efficiencies in our transportation sector, we can reduce consumption of imported petroleum, and the creation of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
To encourage mode shift, STCH supports infrastructure, policies, and land-use patterns that will help create a system in which it is easier to get out of your car and travel in other, less impactful ways.
Hawaii Bike Challenge
The Hawaii Bike Challenge was a State-wide challenge hosted by Blue Planet Foundation through the LovetoRide platform, aimed at encouraging new and experience riders alike to get out and get more comfortable riding a bike. We had an amazing time biking up a storm with you all in May. Congratulations to all of the 546 people that logged a ride, cheered on a teammate or helped a coworker learn to ride a bike. We collectively logged 5,571 bike trips that took us 63,689 miles. This represents a whopping 5,337 lbs of CO2 from car trips replaced!
There are so many things to celebrate from this National Bike Month, but here are some of our Challenge favorites:
- 147 new riders logged at least one trip
- Tiana Spencer encouraged the most people to join the challenge: 13
- Ivan Lui was our Top Commuter
- Bob H. biked the most total miles: 2,127!
Top Teams from the Challenge:
Hawaii Island: Hawaii County Research & Development (3497 points)
Kauai: The Young and the Rest of Us (3837 points)
Maui: Maui Holy Rollerz (9696 points)
Oahu: Unified (7522 points)
Click Here to read the full report from the Hawaii Bike Challenge.
2020 Oahu Commute Challenge
The 2020 Oahu Commute Challenge encouraged Oahu-based commuters to ditch the car and travel to work by more sustainable modes throughout the month of February. Through special weekly challenges and daily commute points, participants were exposed to more sustainable transportation options and could win prizes along the way. In turn, through participants’ experiences we can help to identify key leverage points to improve Oahu’s mobility infrastructure and policies.
The challenge included 140 commuters from G70 Design, Hawaiian Electric, Hawaii Medical Services Association, Hawaii Pacific Health, Hawaii State Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaiian Telcom, and PBR Hawaii. Participants reduced 7,989 single-occupancy vehicle miles throughout the month, converting them to other modes, and 107 participants tried at least one new mode for the first time.
Alternative Modes
By shifting the modes of transportation away from single occupancy vehicles, we reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Because of this, STCH promotes mobility options, including the following, which will reduce our petroleum consumption:
Infrastructure Improvements
STCH supports collaborative efforts to increase walking, bicycling, and public transit infrastructure to make it easier for Hawaii residents to utilize these options.
South Shore Bike Path
The Lei of Parks (or South Shore Bike Path) is a decades-long community vision of interconnected walking and biking paths along Oahu’s south shore, ultimately connecting Diamond Head to West Oahu, enhancing public access to our shorelines and parks, creating non-carbon emitting transportation alternatives, and providing opportunities for people to recreate, exercise, and reconnect with land/water and each other. Some parts of the Lei of Parks exist (e.g., Honolulu Zoo to Ala Wai Golf Course, Pearl Harbor Historic Trail). Other parts are planned – e.g, the Leeward Bike Path Phases I and II. Over 500,000 people on Oahu live within 2 miles of the Lei of Parks, which could provide a scenic “last mile” transportation option that complements mass transit.
STCH, through Blue Planet Foundation, works with a group of non-profit community organizations and landowners including The Trust for Public Land, Bikeshare Hawaii, the Hawaii Bicycling League, the Department of Health, and the National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program to bring the South Shore Bike path, a connected path from Diamond Head to Keana Point State Park.
The information gleaned from commute mode share data can inform decisions about Complete Streets policies and infrastructure investments for street connectivity, bicycle lanes, and sidewalks. Commit mode share can be a useful way for transportation decision makers to measure the success of such investments or policies over time. Changes in commute mode choice, for example, have occurred in areas where bicycling facilities have been added, suggesting that changes to the built environment might lead to changes in travel behavior.
—US Department of Transportation, 2016