To recap, the 2025 Hawai‘i legislative session ended with some key wins for people who walk, bike, and roll on Hawai‘i roadways. However, one of Hawai‘i Bicycling League’s (HBL) biggest priorities was to update statewide traffic code with essential definitions for e-bikes, bicycle safety, and micromobility devices. HB 958, an omnibus E-bike bill, garnered wide public support. However, it was vetoed with little public discourse on the eve of the July 4th holiday weekend, just as we passed 70 traffic fatalities statewide.
Despite this setback, HBL is already mobilizing to move forward. We have recently met with finance chairs in the Senate and House and have upcoming meetings scheduled with both transportation chairs.
For 2026 our priorities include:
- Champion bicycle safety and revive and expand an e-bike rebate program
- Address the hypothetical Constitutional questions raised by the Attorney General that resulted in veto of HB 958
- Work to pilot Open Streets, a measure that died in conference committee on the final day of the 2025 session.
- Seek investment and leverage for building out the South Shore Trail on O‘ahu as well as other key routes including Ke Ala Hele Pūpūkea on the North Shore, the North-South Collector road in Kihei, a planned multi-use trail between Kekaha and Waimea, as well as the award-winning Ke Ala Hele Makalae on Kaua‘i and Hilo Bayfront Trails on Hawai‘i Island.
- Support HDOT’s legislative package, with particular emphasis on the walk, bike, roll initiatives described in their Energy Security & Waste Reduction Plan as well as a soon to be published multi-modal plan.
Our efforts are more effective when we have the active support of our members and allies. Please consider signing up for our advocacy alerts to get late-breaking news, updates about public meetings and access to resources and information shared by advocates from neighborhoods and communities statewide.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please email Advocacy Director Eduardo Hernandez