To the recreational rider, bicycle improvements might mean scenic bike paths and routes that don't take children into traffic.

But those who want to swap their cars for bikes on a regular basis just want safer ways to share the road with other vehicles.

A law that took effect July 1 allows biking initiatives that go beyond bike path improvements to be funded with federal dollars and requires the state Department of Transportation to involve bicycling organizations in planning decisions.

Those changes at the state level complement a city charter amendment adopted during the 2006 election that requires the Honolulu Department of Transportation Services to make bikeways and pedestrian-friendly improvements a priority. About 77 percent of voters approved the amendment.

Kristi Schulenberg, executive director of the Hawai'i Bicycling League, said the law passed by the Legislature during the past session could make the state eligible for $2 million to $4 million in federal money to establish bike lanes, bike paths and multi-use paths.

"From a financial perspective, it's great because it provides consistent funding each year," she said.

However, the new law does not require the state to change the way it already spends money on bicycle facilities, said DOT Deputy Director Brennon Morioka.

"We already use state highway funds to do bicycle facility projects or just building new bike paths," he said.

Although the Hawai'i Bicycling League is concerned that there is no bike coordinator within the DOT focused specifically on bike improvements, Morioka said the state is committed.

"We would like to encourage people to use alternative modes of transportation, not just jumping in their cars and getting on the highways," he said.

Morioka does object, however, to a section of the law that requires convenient ways for bicyclists to connect to mass transit stations because it could lead to jurisdictional problems, since mass transit is a city undertaking.

But Schulenberg said her league is also working with the city to make sure proposed transit stops will be easy to get to by bicycle or on foot.

"Who wants to encourage people to drive their car three miles, park and get on a train?" she said.

The initial vision is a safe place to store bicycles before commuters board the trains. But eventually, the bicycle league would like to find a way for commuters to bring their bikes with them, as is done in other cities.

Other parts of the law call for safety improvements like signs or safety devices along the highways so motorists know that they're expected to share the road.

"That's a safety enhancement we're looking for statewide," she said.

To those who already commute, these changes could make a tremendous difference.

"It's not just a bike path issue," said Janice Marsters, who commutes from Manoa to 'Aiea by bike a couple of times a week.

In fact, Marsters said she bypasses some sections of bike paths because they aren't fast enough.

While she said that some improvements have been made along Nimitz and Kamehameha highways — including narrowing the vehicle lanes to make more room on the shoulders for bicyclists — in some places the path ends abruptly, sending bicyclists into highway traffic.

One example is where Nimitz Highway goes under the H-1 freeway and bicyclists suddenly find themselves in the third lane of traffic with cars traveling at highway speeds.

"That's pretty typical," she said. "There's a lot of places where the bike paths just end. You have to go over a highway off-ramp, which is pretty scary because people are just flying over there."

But Marsters isn't focused on bike paths and wants to see other measures that make for safer road-sharing.

"I think attention on bike paths takes away from the real issue. The ideal situation would be that cyclists are able to ride with traffic and be safe because then you're not limited to bike paths," she said.

She likes the idea of having "safety zones" around bicyclists.

In Colorado, for example, a law requires cars to stay at least three feet away from bicyclists, whereas in Hawai'i Marsters often has to deal with cars trying to squeeze between her and the car on the left.

She says she's been buzzed a few times and other bicyclists have been hit by mirrors.

Nevertheless, she said she has not had a road rage incident. "People are actually pretty kind to me on the road and it's a high traffic zone," she said.

James Burke rides his bike two or three times a week from Waikele into town and said he encounters few problems as he travels Kamehameha Highway and the Nimitz bike path.

"I don't really have a problem. I guess if you've been doing it for a while, you're not really looking at anything," he said. "If you ride defensively, it's pretty safe."

Topping his wish list is nice, wide shoulders, at least five feet across. "As a commuter, that's all we want."

But for recreational riders, he thinks that wide shoulders or painted in bike lanes probably aren't enough.

"Recreational cyclists want something to get away from the cars," he said. "The bike path (in 'Aiea) is great. I use that in the afternoon all the time.

"I don't know if a stripe in the road is good enough for a recreational cyclist," he said. "With young children, I'm not sure I'd want them to be that close to traffic."

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.