Share the road.

What does this mean to the average person? For many, it is more than just a slogan on a bumper sticker. When you look at recent news coverage about the death of a Maui cyclist ("Vehicle kills Maui anti-gasoline bicyclist," Sept. 8), the ultimate failure of the pedestrian safety bill, the high-capacity transit and funding spats, and dangers faced by O'ahu children walking along certain roadways to and from school, one thing becomes clear: Hawai'i's drivers, cyclists and pedestrians must work together to make safe mobility for everyone a priority.

It seems that Hawai'i's political, environmental and transportation planning climates refuse to consistently provide for any alternative solutions that do not put vehicles first. Yes, people need cars for many reasons. Yet those who choose alternatives to driving — walking, cycling, taking the bus — are usually dismissed as a fringe element. How "fringe" is it to want to save money on gas, insurance and parking, or invest in Hawai'i's environmental health and one's personal health? These increasingly mainstream choices must be factored into current and future transportation planning.

To this end, the state is not without resources, despite Gov. Linda Lingle's refusal to release the $3 million in funding outlined in the pedestrian safety bill. A federally funded program called "Safe Routes to School" is in place and is designed to encourage walking and cycling for recreational and commuting purposes. Yet for the past three years, the state has basically ignored this funding stream, and only recently hired an interim coordinator. At last, the state Department of Transportation is moving quickly to implement this program. Organizations like the Hawai'i Bicycling League are committed to partnering with government agencies to implement these much-needed programs. We also want to ensure that elected and appointed leaders do not walk away from federal support because they can't muster the political will to start making multi-modal transportation the centerpiece of their long-range planning.

On Sunday, the Hawai'i Bicycling League will host the 26th Annual Honolulu Century Ride. HBL expects about 4,000 riders of all ages from Hawai'i and throughout the world, who will cycle along our beautiful east and Windward shores. Their participation celebrates the importance of health, recreation and the reality that cars and bicycles can share the road.

And over the next few months, the number of runners and cyclists on the road will increase as other organized events take place — events that contribute millions of dollars to our economy via participants from the Mainland and Asia.

In Hawai'i, we are blessed with year-round weather that is ideal for pedestrians and cyclists who choose "alternative" forms of transportation. As many other major cities in North America and other island destinations have successfully realized, the most meaningful long-term plan that will ensure the health, welfare and safety of our residents, visitors and our environment is to find alternatives to vehicles. We simply cannot move forward — literally or figuratively — unless we base our thinking on planning alternative transportation. We can start by remembering to share the road.

Kristi Schulenberg is executive director of the Hawai'i Bicycling League. She wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.