As an owner and founder of Haleakala Bike Company, it comes as no surprise to hear I oppose this proposed ordinance. It is wrong in so many ways. It is anti small business, and anti tourist. Downhill biking today on Maui is less than a third of it was, it is not proliferating. In these months of trying to survive Covid 19, we have lost two bike companies. This ordinance was published to owners just last week by Council Molina's office just last Monday, the eighth of November with absolutely no input from the industry. Input from other stakeholders such as Kula Community Association was ignored. GREAT-44 is not about regulating a forty year old industry (Read it), it is about banning and eliminating. Nobody business can survive under this ordinance. I understand the traffic problem we have when multiple user try to use a public thoroughfare at the same time. Eliminating one user because they are a nuisance and not addressing problems created by other user, such as impatient speeding law breakers with no enforcement of speeding laws. 2010 Maui Bike study revealed that drivers coming down 377 average 8-15 miles an hour over speed limit. Mr Kimura whom conducted study stated that downhill bikers were not unsafe, if they follow the rules. Study also revealed a BLOS evaluation of bike routes 378, 377, Kealoha, Hanamu road, and Olinda were safe roads for bikers. I have spent half my life on Maui, I am now approaching my 80th birthday. One might argue this is not about me, its about the forty plus families that are employed by our company and the many other employed by friendly competitors.
hello my name is Marlon and I work for one of the bike company I have been working in this industry for the bike since 2006 and I have provided for my family for years because of this industry. in my opinion this is safest bike ride in maui. we follow all the safety measures to make sure our rider are safe and the community too. this bike ride down haleakala is been here for 30 years. I don't understand why is the need take it away now after 30 years we have been following the rules for year. so please as a family that I have to take care and provide. do not take my job away. by limiting the amount of riders. is less work for many employees that work with the bike company . so again I'm begging all all you that will be making this decision. this of all the family that will not have work to provide for their families. Mahalo for the opportunity to express my self.
I support this Agenda Item.GREAT-44 CC 21-453 BICYCLE-TOUR PUBLIC SAFETY AND RELATED LITIGATION CONCERNS (GREAT-44). Driving from Makawao to Paia the cyclists ride in the middle of the road causing traffic jams which could also result in road rage. The back road to Kula (past Kula Lodge) is the same. These roads are nor designed to handle the volume of cyclists here now, they should stick to the main designated bike routes.
I oppose the Great 44. Haleakala Bike Company was one of the first local businesses to take a chance on my small Maui marketing company (when they could have used a mainland company). If it weren't for them, I would have had great difficulty growing my business and surviving. Currently, Hawaii Web Group serves over 60 Maui clients and has helped hundreds of local businesses over the last 14+ years. My family largely depends on income from services to their bike company in order to survive.
Mahalo!
Chris Norberg
Project Manager
(808) 283-3446
Hawaii Web Group
The most popular tour is biking down the volcano on sunrise. We are reaching out to support our Bike companies on the island. As a concierge at the Four Seasons, I believe this is one of the most sought after activities on the island. We really hope you consider and continue to support our bike companies.
Aloha Government Relations, Ethics and Transparency Committee,
My name is Rici Guild and have lived on Crater Rd. in Kula for over 20 years. I am in full support of Committee Chair Michael Molina’s proposal for the proposed changes to the bicycle tours.
I am not completely against the guided tours as much as I am against the unguided ones, but as it is now, living with the bike tours are a nightmare. They pose a threat to the safety of everyone who has to drive on our roads. We have had countless accidents occur in front of house and have had to call the first responders on many occasions. One example is when a 14 yr. old girl who was with her family, (unguided) hit our mail box at 6:30 in the morning. Our mail box post is made of Keawe and so it did not budge (although the mailbox did). The girl and our mailbox flew 15’ forward into the middle of the road. Fortunately there were no cars coming in the opposite direction but we did have to call the ambulance and she was taken to the hospital. Another example which has occurred many times to me is a biker falling from the bike lane into the road in front of me while I was driving, causing me to swerve into on coming traffic. These are just two of many incidents that have happened to me and my family, but anyone who lives Upcountry will say things like these have also happened to them.
I would also like to suggest that it be mandatory that all rental bikes be equipped with rear view mirrors. Many of the accidents are caused because of the biker turning around to look behind them for cars or other bikers and then losing control of the bike and crashing, resulting in injuries.
Again, I can not stress enough how frustrating it is to live with the down hill bikers. There are too many groups, too many in a group, too many people who are unfamiliar with bicycle and road safety, and not enough road for everyone to be safe. There has to be more regulation for the well being of the Upcountry residents and the bikers.
Mahalo for the opportunity to submit my testimony,
Hello! I would like to oppose this ordinance. I am a store owner in Makawao and have witnessed the great benefit these tours have for our local businesses. I also worked for Maui Sunriders 36 years ago and know what a wonderful fun activity this is for our visitors! Please don’t take this away!!! Thank- you, Jennie Spenser, owner of Collections in Makawao.
in makes it hard enough to drive on the road with 2 vehicles in oncoming traffic. So adding in the bikers does cause possible dangers and the already narrow roads with no guard rails or steep cliffs and near edges of the mountain. There is also no areas for safe passing for cars to pass these bikers. The very windy roads also causes the bikers to ride close to the median of the road because of the way they ride around these turns can cause a life threatening situation. How are you supposed to even see these bikers if they are right around a limited sited turn and you are driving around and could collide. There has been a fatality on the Kahekili Hwy once it was foggy from the clouds and a woman completely missed the turn and she rode off the cliff and died. This was mainly caused because of speed and no road markings.
I hope that there can be warning signs out or some kind of biking permit and info about the dangers of riding bike on these types of roads.
Bikers and car drivers should both share the road bikers should ride on the side and be conscious of the drivers and let them pass so it is more safe on the roads.
--
Jimmsie Stisher
I am writing to oppose the proposed restrictions of the downhill bike industry on Maui. The Haleakala bike experience is unlike any other in the Hawaiian Islands, and perhaps the entire world. I have talked to many visitors in my previous work experience as an activity salesman and as a former employee of one of the local bike companies. Some of the the comments have been about how one of the reasons for coming to Maui, as opposed to the other islands, is the one activity that the others cannot match: the Haleakala downhill bike experience. I have been on some of the other islands bike tours and there is just no comparison with ours. Maui is blessed to have such a powerful visitor draw.
Having some knowledge of the costs of running these businesses I am positive that the proposed restrictions will price the cost of a tour right out of the visitor market. Insurance, fuel costs, employee costs, National Park fees, activity broker commissions…all of these have been rising and are expected to escalate in the coming months.
Having previously worked in the industry I know the the bike industry has made a good-faith effort to improve their relationship with the local communities. Please reconsider these onerous restrictions.
Dean Whitney
5 Huina Place
Kula, HI 96790
1-808-283-0742
deanwhitney7@icloud.com
I hope this email finds you well. By way of introduction, my name is Brie Shimada and I’m the Regional Sales Manager with PRA Hawaii. We partner with amazing companies like Bike Maui who create unforgettable guests experiences for our corporate clients. They’ve been a huge draw for tourism for decades and it would be heartbreaking and detrimental for our community to have their operations affected by the ordinance Great-44.
I’m emailing you to oppose this ordinance and share with you why they are such incredible partners. The experience they offer brings visitors and locals adventure and their company shares the best that Maui has to offer.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration!
Warmest aloha,
Brie
Brie Shimada
Regional Sales Manager
Brie.Shimada@pra.com
D +1 808.909.2596
I have been in business over 38 years in Kihei as a concierge service issuing tickets for bikes, luaus snorkel trips etc.
One of the main attractions that we have sold all these many years has been our bike trips down from Haleakala. Its one of the 1st questions we get ask about when speaking to guest about their activities on the Island of Maui.
I would say its at least 35% of our sales . We work on commission and The bike companies pay us 25% . So with that money I employ 5 concierges and pay my rent at Sugar Beach resort where we rent commercial space.
So without the bikes we will lose money and would not be able afford to continue to pay all our employees . I would have to lay off at least one or two employees.
Not to mention the bike companies employ a lot of people and outside vendors.
This is one of Maui’s biggest attractions not to have this available is not sharing a very special family fun activity
Please allow the bike companies to run they are good stewards of the land and provide a great Maui Experience.
Dear Members:
I am avid cyclist here on Maui for decades. I would suggest limiting the downhill tours to fit between the rush hours and school bus times. This may help with the frustrations of all. I support Mr Molina's recommendations regarding the proposed changes to the Maui County Code.
Separately I would not want limits on non-commercial recreational and commuter Bicycling. In fact, encouraging these and working to make the roads safer would be desirable.
Sincerely,
Gerald P Durkan MD
My family and I lived on Crater Rd. for many years. Everyone would pass by our house daily going up and down the mountain. We would hear the people coming down the mountain on their bikes, enjoying themselves. We hear the big construction trucks squeaking their way up the mountain, the road mowers, buses, or the lifted vehicles whose engine sounds spill over our sound barriers. Upcountry is full of sounds and activities that give life to the area. People who testify that noise pollution is impacting Kula's way of life do not live near the road. Noise is part of life.
The road itself is interesting and is always full of activities that you need to be aware of. Are we going to start banning those things too? Depending on the season there are photographers out shooting Jacaradana, the road mowing crews, and the ranch hands going back and forth from properties on their ranch equipment. There are visitors pulling over to enjoy the views and of course, bikers going up and down the mountain. With all this activity already we need to take care at all times. There are always going to be bikes on the road and we need to make it safer for them which includes a lot of residents. I have biked down (and partly up). I have seen the recommendations from the bike study plan from years ago. The community and the county did nothing to help support that activity, make the road safer, and yet show little work towards a solution on the ground. Very little action was taken by the county but the companies themselves have been doing more to help keep their people safe and reduce impacts on the communities. They have done a great job in the last number of years. That should be recognized for doing better, yet this ordinance punishes that effort. Let's foster innovation instead of fostering an ill-conceived "ban". (Make no mistake, that is what this essentially is.)
We need to make biking on Maui safer for everyone, not limit what any one group is allowed to do on our public roads. They have a right to it as much as we do.
We talk about injuries and other issues from these activities. There are calculated risks to everything and the tour companies do a really good job in making sure they don't deal with unnecessary risks either. Forcing more insurance coverage on them does nothing. Any claims that are coming up, are covered by the amount of insurance they are required to hold already. This extra burden ensures that no new, small company can start this or any sort of similar activity. They simply won't be able to get that level of insurance without operating history. That alone will create a pseudo-ban and I believe the writers of this ordinance knew it. That is wrong.
Some of these things are a definite inconvenience but there are rarely any real delays or impacts to anyone's day. If you have to wait a minute coming down the hill or pulling out of your driveway to allow someone to get out of your way, then you need to be ok with that. This lack of patience is felt throughout the island and banning an activity does not solve the issue.
What this ordinance will do is create a bike rental industry with bike racks that will be put on rental cars. Residents, seeing the opportunity will set up a service that does just that outside of the regulation proposed. (Exactly like we see with Turo for rental cars, loopholes in short-term rentals, people renting tenting gear or RVs for camping). We already see it happening with residents who supply visitors with equipment with no instructions, no safety gear, no proper maintenance checks, and no nearby support. This is not what we want. We need professionals to run things and be able to do it at the scale needed to service the demand. Companies always care about their guests but this ordinance is trying to do its best to force guests to go out on their own. The exact opposite of what is intended.
Make no mistake, this ordinance as written is a virtual ban. The targeting of insurance amounts, group sizes, and timing, will make sure our "bike down the volcano" experience is stopped. Whoever designed and wrote this knew exactly how to hurt a company and push their profitability to almost nothing so that they could not offer the experience at all. Residents must remember that tour guides and tour operations are the solutions, not the problem. These locally-owned and managed companies are spending more money in the local economy than most others. They care about our communities.
We need to have multiple ways to experience Haleakala National Park and educate our visitors through controlled settings. Removing one of those options (sightseeing-bike combo) that put people on buses and into controlled groups for at least part of their experience on Maui is not helpful overall. What this ordinance will do is it will force visitors to do more things on their own, making the impacts worse, not better.
This ordinance needs to be rejected or re-written properly with input from the industry at large. The participation numbers, operating times, and restrictions stated here are targeted so specifically and directly that it's obvious this is about grudge and not about making our lives better or making the roads or communities safer.
I am writing to oppose the proposed restrictions of the downhill bike industry on Maui. The Haleakala bike experience is unlike any other in the Hawaiian Islands, and perhaps the entire world. I have talked to many visitors in my previous work experience as an activity salesman and as a former employee of one of the local bike companies. Some of the the comments have been about how one of the reasons for coming to Maui, as opposed to the other islands, is the one activity that the others cannot match: the Haleakala downhill bike experience. I have been on some of the other islands bike tours and there is just no comparison with ours. Maui is blessed to have such a powerful visitor draw.
Having some knowledge of the costs of running these businesses I am positive that the proposed restrictions will price the cost of a tour right out of the visitor market. Insurance, fuel costs, employee costs, National Park fees, activity broker commissions…all of these have been rising and are expected to escalate in the coming months.
Having previously worked in the industry I know the the bike industry has made a good-faith effort to improve their relationship with the local communities. Please reconsider these onerous restrictions.
Dean Whitney
5 Huina Place
Kula, HI 96790
1-808-283-0742
deanwhitney7@icloud.com
As an owner and founder of Haleakala Bike Company, it comes as no surprise to hear I oppose this proposed ordinance. It is wrong in so many ways. It is anti small business, and anti tourist. Downhill biking today on Maui is less than a third of it was, it is not proliferating. In these months of trying to survive Covid 19, we have lost two bike companies. This ordinance was published to owners just last week by Council Molina's office just last Monday, the eighth of November with absolutely no input from the industry. Input from other stakeholders such as Kula Community Association was ignored. GREAT-44 is not about regulating a forty year old industry (Read it), it is about banning and eliminating. Nobody business can survive under this ordinance. I understand the traffic problem we have when multiple user try to use a public thoroughfare at the same time. Eliminating one user because they are a nuisance and not addressing problems created by other user, such as impatient speeding law breakers with no enforcement of speeding laws. 2010 Maui Bike study revealed that drivers coming down 377 average 8-15 miles an hour over speed limit. Mr Kimura whom conducted study stated that downhill bikers were not unsafe, if they follow the rules. Study also revealed a BLOS evaluation of bike routes 378, 377, Kealoha, Hanamu road, and Olinda were safe roads for bikers. I have spent half my life on Maui, I am now approaching my 80th birthday. One might argue this is not about me, its about the forty plus families that are employed by our company and the many other employed by friendly competitors.
hello my name is Marlon and I work for one of the bike company I have been working in this industry for the bike since 2006 and I have provided for my family for years because of this industry. in my opinion this is safest bike ride in maui. we follow all the safety measures to make sure our rider are safe and the community too. this bike ride down haleakala is been here for 30 years. I don't understand why is the need take it away now after 30 years we have been following the rules for year. so please as a family that I have to take care and provide. do not take my job away. by limiting the amount of riders. is less work for many employees that work with the bike company . so again I'm begging all all you that will be making this decision. this of all the family that will not have work to provide for their families. Mahalo for the opportunity to express my self.
I support this Agenda Item.GREAT-44 CC 21-453 BICYCLE-TOUR PUBLIC SAFETY AND RELATED LITIGATION CONCERNS (GREAT-44). Driving from Makawao to Paia the cyclists ride in the middle of the road causing traffic jams which could also result in road rage. The back road to Kula (past Kula Lodge) is the same. These roads are nor designed to handle the volume of cyclists here now, they should stick to the main designated bike routes.
Oppose the Great 44
I oppose the Great 44. Haleakala Bike Company was one of the first local businesses to take a chance on my small Maui marketing company (when they could have used a mainland company). If it weren't for them, I would have had great difficulty growing my business and surviving. Currently, Hawaii Web Group serves over 60 Maui clients and has helped hundreds of local businesses over the last 14+ years. My family largely depends on income from services to their bike company in order to survive.
Mahalo!
Chris Norberg
Project Manager
(808) 283-3446
Hawaii Web Group
Hawaii Influencers
Help out our Bike Companies
Aloha,
The most popular tour is biking down the volcano on sunrise. We are reaching out to support our Bike companies on the island. As a concierge at the Four Seasons, I believe this is one of the most sought after activities on the island. We really hope you consider and continue to support our bike companies.
Mahalo Nui Loa,
Ella
Aloha Government Relations, Ethics and Transparency Committee,
My name is Rici Guild and have lived on Crater Rd. in Kula for over 20 years. I am in full support of Committee Chair Michael Molina’s proposal for the proposed changes to the bicycle tours.
I am not completely against the guided tours as much as I am against the unguided ones, but as it is now, living with the bike tours are a nightmare. They pose a threat to the safety of everyone who has to drive on our roads. We have had countless accidents occur in front of house and have had to call the first responders on many occasions. One example is when a 14 yr. old girl who was with her family, (unguided) hit our mail box at 6:30 in the morning. Our mail box post is made of Keawe and so it did not budge (although the mailbox did). The girl and our mailbox flew 15’ forward into the middle of the road. Fortunately there were no cars coming in the opposite direction but we did have to call the ambulance and she was taken to the hospital. Another example which has occurred many times to me is a biker falling from the bike lane into the road in front of me while I was driving, causing me to swerve into on coming traffic. These are just two of many incidents that have happened to me and my family, but anyone who lives Upcountry will say things like these have also happened to them.
I would also like to suggest that it be mandatory that all rental bikes be equipped with rear view mirrors. Many of the accidents are caused because of the biker turning around to look behind them for cars or other bikers and then losing control of the bike and crashing, resulting in injuries.
Again, I can not stress enough how frustrating it is to live with the down hill bikers. There are too many groups, too many in a group, too many people who are unfamiliar with bicycle and road safety, and not enough road for everyone to be safe. There has to be more regulation for the well being of the Upcountry residents and the bikers.
Mahalo for the opportunity to submit my testimony,
Sincerely,
Rici Guild
Crater Rd.
PH: 808-280-5789
Bike Tours
I'm writing in support of bike tours on Maui. I've worked for the bike industry for over 10 years.
I have been on the Mountain as a driver, we have always dropped traffic to the local people and school students as soon as we get them behind us.
It is to my best interest that the traffic & safety is very important to me in doing my job.
I do understand that we need to utilize the bike lane as much as possible, which to my best interest we do.
I also enjoy taking guest down Haleakala, they always say "It's once in a life time!"
We should be able to continue to bring guest down the mountain, "Turning their dreams into lifelong memories."
Mahalo,
Nanette Mendoza
GREAT-44
Hello! I would like to oppose this ordinance. I am a store owner in Makawao and have witnessed the great benefit these tours have for our local businesses. I also worked for Maui Sunriders 36 years ago and know what a wonderful fun activity this is for our visitors! Please don’t take this away!!! Thank- you, Jennie Spenser, owner of Collections in Makawao.
Jennie Spenser
Bike riding dangers in Kahakuloa
in makes it hard enough to drive on the road with 2 vehicles in oncoming traffic. So adding in the bikers does cause possible dangers and the already narrow roads with no guard rails or steep cliffs and near edges of the mountain. There is also no areas for safe passing for cars to pass these bikers. The very windy roads also causes the bikers to ride close to the median of the road because of the way they ride around these turns can cause a life threatening situation. How are you supposed to even see these bikers if they are right around a limited sited turn and you are driving around and could collide. There has been a fatality on the Kahekili Hwy once it was foggy from the clouds and a woman completely missed the turn and she rode off the cliff and died. This was mainly caused because of speed and no road markings.
I hope that there can be warning signs out or some kind of biking permit and info about the dangers of riding bike on these types of roads.
Bikers and car drivers should both share the road bikers should ride on the side and be conscious of the drivers and let them pass so it is more safe on the roads.
--
Jimmsie Stisher
Great-44
Aloha Great Committee,
I am writing to oppose the proposed restrictions of the downhill bike industry on Maui. The Haleakala bike experience is unlike any other in the Hawaiian Islands, and perhaps the entire world. I have talked to many visitors in my previous work experience as an activity salesman and as a former employee of one of the local bike companies. Some of the the comments have been about how one of the reasons for coming to Maui, as opposed to the other islands, is the one activity that the others cannot match: the Haleakala downhill bike experience. I have been on some of the other islands bike tours and there is just no comparison with ours. Maui is blessed to have such a powerful visitor draw.
Having some knowledge of the costs of running these businesses I am positive that the proposed restrictions will price the cost of a tour right out of the visitor market. Insurance, fuel costs, employee costs, National Park fees, activity broker commissions…all of these have been rising and are expected to escalate in the coming months.
Having previously worked in the industry I know the the bike industry has made a good-faith effort to improve their relationship with the local communities. Please reconsider these onerous restrictions.
Dean Whitney
5 Huina Place
Kula, HI 96790
1-808-283-0742
deanwhitney7@icloud.com
Opposition to Great-44
Aloha Great-44 Committee,
I hope this email finds you well. By way of introduction, my name is Brie Shimada and I’m the Regional Sales Manager with PRA Hawaii. We partner with amazing companies like Bike Maui who create unforgettable guests experiences for our corporate clients. They’ve been a huge draw for tourism for decades and it would be heartbreaking and detrimental for our community to have their operations affected by the ordinance Great-44.
I’m emailing you to oppose this ordinance and share with you why they are such incredible partners. The experience they offer brings visitors and locals adventure and their company shares the best that Maui has to offer.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration!
Warmest aloha,
Brie
Brie Shimada
Regional Sales Manager
Brie.Shimada@pra.com
D +1 808.909.2596
Testimony re bike companies
Aloha,
I am writing on the proposed Great-44 .
I have been in business over 38 years in Kihei as a concierge service issuing tickets for bikes, luaus snorkel trips etc.
One of the main attractions that we have sold all these many years has been our bike trips down from Haleakala. Its one of the 1st questions we get ask about when speaking to guest about their activities on the Island of Maui.
I would say its at least 35% of our sales . We work on commission and The bike companies pay us 25% . So with that money I employ 5 concierges and pay my rent at Sugar Beach resort where we rent commercial space.
So without the bikes we will lose money and would not be able afford to continue to pay all our employees . I would have to lay off at least one or two employees.
Not to mention the bike companies employ a lot of people and outside vendors.
This is one of Maui’s biggest attractions not to have this available is not sharing a very special family fun activity
Please allow the bike companies to run they are good stewards of the land and provide a great Maui Experience.
Mahalo for your time
Aloha & Mahalo
Elaine Cuaresma
Owner/Maui Sights & Treasures
www.mauivalue.com
879-6260
Bicycle tours
Dear Members:
I am avid cyclist here on Maui for decades. I would suggest limiting the downhill tours to fit between the rush hours and school bus times. This may help with the frustrations of all. I support Mr Molina's recommendations regarding the proposed changes to the Maui County Code.
Separately I would not want limits on non-commercial recreational and commuter Bicycling. In fact, encouraging these and working to make the roads safer would be desirable.
Sincerely,
Gerald P Durkan MD
Aloha Committee Members,
My family and I lived on Crater Rd. for many years. Everyone would pass by our house daily going up and down the mountain. We would hear the people coming down the mountain on their bikes, enjoying themselves. We hear the big construction trucks squeaking their way up the mountain, the road mowers, buses, or the lifted vehicles whose engine sounds spill over our sound barriers. Upcountry is full of sounds and activities that give life to the area. People who testify that noise pollution is impacting Kula's way of life do not live near the road. Noise is part of life.
The road itself is interesting and is always full of activities that you need to be aware of. Are we going to start banning those things too? Depending on the season there are photographers out shooting Jacaradana, the road mowing crews, and the ranch hands going back and forth from properties on their ranch equipment. There are visitors pulling over to enjoy the views and of course, bikers going up and down the mountain. With all this activity already we need to take care at all times. There are always going to be bikes on the road and we need to make it safer for them which includes a lot of residents. I have biked down (and partly up). I have seen the recommendations from the bike study plan from years ago. The community and the county did nothing to help support that activity, make the road safer, and yet show little work towards a solution on the ground. Very little action was taken by the county but the companies themselves have been doing more to help keep their people safe and reduce impacts on the communities. They have done a great job in the last number of years. That should be recognized for doing better, yet this ordinance punishes that effort. Let's foster innovation instead of fostering an ill-conceived "ban". (Make no mistake, that is what this essentially is.)
We need to make biking on Maui safer for everyone, not limit what any one group is allowed to do on our public roads. They have a right to it as much as we do.
We talk about injuries and other issues from these activities. There are calculated risks to everything and the tour companies do a really good job in making sure they don't deal with unnecessary risks either. Forcing more insurance coverage on them does nothing. Any claims that are coming up, are covered by the amount of insurance they are required to hold already. This extra burden ensures that no new, small company can start this or any sort of similar activity. They simply won't be able to get that level of insurance without operating history. That alone will create a pseudo-ban and I believe the writers of this ordinance knew it. That is wrong.
Some of these things are a definite inconvenience but there are rarely any real delays or impacts to anyone's day. If you have to wait a minute coming down the hill or pulling out of your driveway to allow someone to get out of your way, then you need to be ok with that. This lack of patience is felt throughout the island and banning an activity does not solve the issue.
What this ordinance will do is create a bike rental industry with bike racks that will be put on rental cars. Residents, seeing the opportunity will set up a service that does just that outside of the regulation proposed. (Exactly like we see with Turo for rental cars, loopholes in short-term rentals, people renting tenting gear or RVs for camping). We already see it happening with residents who supply visitors with equipment with no instructions, no safety gear, no proper maintenance checks, and no nearby support. This is not what we want. We need professionals to run things and be able to do it at the scale needed to service the demand. Companies always care about their guests but this ordinance is trying to do its best to force guests to go out on their own. The exact opposite of what is intended.
Make no mistake, this ordinance as written is a virtual ban. The targeting of insurance amounts, group sizes, and timing, will make sure our "bike down the volcano" experience is stopped. Whoever designed and wrote this knew exactly how to hurt a company and push their profitability to almost nothing so that they could not offer the experience at all. Residents must remember that tour guides and tour operations are the solutions, not the problem. These locally-owned and managed companies are spending more money in the local economy than most others. They care about our communities.
We need to have multiple ways to experience Haleakala National Park and educate our visitors through controlled settings. Removing one of those options (sightseeing-bike combo) that put people on buses and into controlled groups for at least part of their experience on Maui is not helpful overall. What this ordinance will do is it will force visitors to do more things on their own, making the impacts worse, not better.
This ordinance needs to be rejected or re-written properly with input from the industry at large. The participation numbers, operating times, and restrictions stated here are targeted so specifically and directly that it's obvious this is about grudge and not about making our lives better or making the roads or communities safer.
Daniel Logtenberg
17375 Haleakala Hwy
Kula, HI 96790
Aloha Great Committee,
I am writing to oppose the proposed restrictions of the downhill bike industry on Maui. The Haleakala bike experience is unlike any other in the Hawaiian Islands, and perhaps the entire world. I have talked to many visitors in my previous work experience as an activity salesman and as a former employee of one of the local bike companies. Some of the the comments have been about how one of the reasons for coming to Maui, as opposed to the other islands, is the one activity that the others cannot match: the Haleakala downhill bike experience. I have been on some of the other islands bike tours and there is just no comparison with ours. Maui is blessed to have such a powerful visitor draw.
Having some knowledge of the costs of running these businesses I am positive that the proposed restrictions will price the cost of a tour right out of the visitor market. Insurance, fuel costs, employee costs, National Park fees, activity broker commissions…all of these have been rising and are expected to escalate in the coming months.
Having previously worked in the industry I know the the bike industry has made a good-faith effort to improve their relationship with the local communities. Please reconsider these onerous restrictions.
Dean Whitney
5 Huina Place
Kula, HI 96790
1-808-283-0742
deanwhitney7@icloud.com