The fact the the county council has yet to appropriately evaluate the operations of the bike companies is enough to delay this bill. The extreme measures proposed do not reflect compromise, and do not take any account of how these businesses operate. It should be the committees obligations to learn and understand the industry and their operations, visit them, witness the activity in action, meet the staff, and only then make suggestions on how they can improve the situation. Both Unguided and guided tour operations go a great deal in providing a safe and enjoyable experience. But maybe there is just that one thing missing that an outside source can suggest. Complete ban is not the answer.
They have taken what should be an opportunity to regulate specific aspects of the tours, to see if they work or not, but instead have decided to do a nearly complete ban on the tours. This will affect too many, and the lack of communication from the council to the affected businesses is concerning. An ordinance that addresses the concerns with less stringent restrictions should be considered to see if that's all that's needed before this hyper extreme ordinance.
Aloha, please take a moment to read and consider the following.
I have added attachments in PDF formats.
A Bill for an Ordinance Amending Chapter 5.22, Maui Code related to Bicycle
Tour Businesses (GREAT-44)
Petition to Regulate Bike Tours on Maui:
My name is William Campbell, I am the owner of Maui Easy Riders. I started my
business in 2010 after working for three other guided bike tour companies. I have been
safely conducting guided bike tours on Haleakala for 15 years, I have guided thousands
of trips from the summit and the 6500 ft level all the way to Paia Town, and I have
never once had to call an ambulance because of an accident. I am pleading my case,
and point of view with you to amend the Great 44 so that it offers a solution to the
current problem, instead of ending what can be fixed without trying to regulate it in a
safe manner.
Bike tour safety, attempts at regulating bike tours, and the effect bike tours have on
traffic have all been largely ignored until now. A better way to put it, is that less than the
bare minimum has been done to implement change from those that are ultimately
responsible for doing so, literally for decades. I believe that I am the leading expert in
this field because of my track record, my daily involvement on bike tours, my many
years of experience, and my willingness to compromise on how I conduct my bike
tours through my permitted business.
With all due respect, I have to add that I have attempted, on multiple occasions, to
contact Mike Molina with my thoughts and suggestions on this topic. None of my phone
calls, nor the email I sent to him have been returned. I am including the email that I
sent to his office on Monday, March 7th. As you can clearly see from that email, and
from these proposed amendments/regulations, that I am sincerely trying to offer my
expertise, and compromise in a way that is beneficial to the valid concerns at hand.
I am clearly offering a way to make guided bike tour companies operate in a safe and
responsible manner for many years to come.
The Solutions and Why they Will Work:
• Do not allow any unguided bike tours to operate. This type of tour is obviously what
is garnering the vast majority of complaints from local residents concerning traffic. I
know this because I have been listening to testimonies on the Great 44 and I have
been on the road seeing it with my own eyes for the past 15 years.
Allowing unguided tours to operate along with guided bike tours as a part of any bill is continuing to turn a blind eye to those that have created the problems we’re dealing with right now. The vast majority of bike accidents occur on unguided tours in the Haleakala Downhill
Industry. I know this because I witness these accidents on a regular basis.
• Regulate all guided bike tours to a ratio of 1 guide per 2 guests on all guided tours.
This will make all guided tours easy to manage for the guide. This will also make all
guided tours a non-issue for traffic concerns because traffic will not have to contend
with large groups of up to 14 bike riders (including the guide) which is what we are
currently dealing with.
• Regulate all guided bike tours to operate “without” a van following behind the group,
having the van ahead of the group at all times, parked, and not blocking traffic in any
way. Van Drivers and Bike Tour Guides can still communicate safely and always know
where each other are on the roadways with 2 way radios. This will create an
environment where traffic is never waiting behind a bike tour, or a bike van that is
blocking traffic for the participants.
• Regulate all guided bike tours to operate in a manner that the group (one guide and 2
participants) never be larger than a total of 3 riders. Bike Tour Companies can hire
more guides, create more jobs and show the community that they are willing to
operate safely, and operate with respect to local traffic concerns. Bike Tours can be spaced
out, staggered so that they never bunch up together.
• Regulate all guided bike tours to only operate during the hours of 9am - 1pm, 6 days
per week, with no bike tours operating on Wednesdays. School lets out early on
Wednesdays, this eliminates any time issues associated with that day. As a guide and
business owner I can say with 100% certainty that the days with the least amount of
traffic are Saturdays and Sundays.
• Regulate all guided bike tours to require that all participants be at least 16 years of
age. This is the age in which most teens learn to drive, learn the rules of the road,
learn how to become aware of traffic and traffic laws.
• Regulate all guided bike tours to require that all participants consider themselves to
be experienced bike riders, and 100% confident they can complete the ride safely
after knowing everything they need to know. This will create an environment that is
void of inexperienced riders.
• Regulate all guided bike tours to have detailed information on their websites
concerning all aspects of the ride in which they will be taking part. This will eliminate
those participants who do not realize what they have signed up for.
Page 3 of 3
• Regulate all guided bike tours to use the shoulder space when it is safe to do so. This
will eliminate the current problem of bikers being in the road when cars are behind
them.
-What will happen if the county votes to ban all guided bike tours conductin
tours on the path they have been taking since 1983:
• Visitors to Maui will still find a way to bike down Haleakala on the current route that
is on the chopping block, and they will do it without a guide, or with a guide that is
operating an illegal business. There are already going to be bikers on the roadways, if
they are in a group of 3 or less (including the guide) and obviously with a guide, this
will be a direct result of the county taking action to regulate the industry in a safe and
responsible manner. The majority of visitors will buy and use the services that they
know are permitted and legal, we should not create a pathway to a rogue and illegal
industry when there is a solution that will work.
• The void will be filled by illegal tour operators if the county votes to ban the current
route. If guided bike tours are permitted to conduct tours in a safe manner they will
be able to report illegal tours on a daily basis because it will be in their best interests
to do so. This will force illegal tour operators to get permits and conduct safe tours as
regulated by the county. If there are no regulations it will create a different type of
chaos on the roadways, possibly much worse than what the current climate offers.
• The companies that have shown they are unwilling to compromise, and unwilling to
be truthful about their operations will hire lawyers and bring lawsuits against the
county. This will cost the county money to defend their decision to shut down the
current route. Instead of banning the tour routes altogether the county has an
opportunity to regulate them in a way that will make them safer and let traffic flow
unimpeded. The goal should be to create a set of regulations for all guided bike tours
to follow if they wish to continue to use the same bike routes they have always used.
I ask and plead that you amend the ordinance so that it is a solution based alternative for everyone involved. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns.
Aloha Chair Molina, and the Maui County GREAT Committee,
Thank you for again addressing this important roadway safety dilemma that negatively affects hundreds of Maui commuting citizens, and tourist visitors daily.
Please adopt the recommendations of:
Ending self guided tours
Limit the tours to no lower than 4500’ on Haleakala Crater Road
Limit hours and days of operation
Limit tour group size
These logical recommendations are not anti business, anti tourist, NIMBY requests. There are many communities requesting for reasons of safety for our many families, friends, and visitors.
A quick sampling of over 1000 citizens signed a petition in just a week asking for real action, real regulation, and an attempt at gaining safer roadways. Thousands more in our Upcountry Communities are watching, and waiting for this obvious needed regulation to finally happen.
Yes we need bike lanes, separate from the roads would be best. But this is not going to happen for years. We have control over preventing many injuries, and possible deaths by regulating this dangerous visitor attraction now.
Upcountry highways and roads are a step up from “country roads”, but many are narrow, winding, negative banked, technically challenging, dirty roads. It’s hard enough for us that have been driving them for over 50 years, dealing with unskilled, uncivilized drivers, and thousands of lost tourists. Allowing trains of bikes down these roads is crazy dangerous for everyone.
Yes, their business model will have to change. Hopefully some will be able to make it work. I suggest we all start working with private landowners to develop a separated bikeway up and down the mountain, for bikes, walkers, and horses. We are only going to have more and more auto traffic on the same roads for years to come.
Have a Pono vision, then work on it.
Thank you for your important work.
Steve Sutrov, Kula
Thanks for your time, as a long time upcountry resident I can't stress enough how dangerous the bike activity is for our roads and our communities. Over the years I have witnessed to many accidents and near accidents to count. Back in the 80s when this activity started there was one group, now there are well over half a dozen. This is not an inconvenience to people this is a dangerous hazard, these single lane roads were not built for this type of activity. Please, help make our roads safer for drivers and riders alike. At certain times of the day it is a downhill bike path as you finally get past one group there is another one right in front of it. I am not anti business or anti bikes, I am pro safety. Mahalo Kathleen Warman
The fact the the county council has yet to appropriately evaluate the operations of the bike companies is enough to delay this bill. The extreme measures proposed do not reflect compromise, and do not take any account of how these businesses operate. It should be the committees obligations to learn and understand the industry and their operations, visit them, witness the activity in action, meet the staff, and only then make suggestions on how they can improve the situation. Both Unguided and guided tour operations go a great deal in providing a safe and enjoyable experience. But maybe there is just that one thing missing that an outside source can suggest. Complete ban is not the answer.
They have taken what should be an opportunity to regulate specific aspects of the tours, to see if they work or not, but instead have decided to do a nearly complete ban on the tours. This will affect too many, and the lack of communication from the council to the affected businesses is concerning. An ordinance that addresses the concerns with less stringent restrictions should be considered to see if that's all that's needed before this hyper extreme ordinance.
Aloha, please take a moment to read and consider the following.
I have added attachments in PDF formats.
A Bill for an Ordinance Amending Chapter 5.22, Maui Code related to Bicycle
Tour Businesses (GREAT-44)
Petition to Regulate Bike Tours on Maui:
My name is William Campbell, I am the owner of Maui Easy Riders. I started my
business in 2010 after working for three other guided bike tour companies. I have been
safely conducting guided bike tours on Haleakala for 15 years, I have guided thousands
of trips from the summit and the 6500 ft level all the way to Paia Town, and I have
never once had to call an ambulance because of an accident. I am pleading my case,
and point of view with you to amend the Great 44 so that it offers a solution to the
current problem, instead of ending what can be fixed without trying to regulate it in a
safe manner.
Bike tour safety, attempts at regulating bike tours, and the effect bike tours have on
traffic have all been largely ignored until now. A better way to put it, is that less than the
bare minimum has been done to implement change from those that are ultimately
responsible for doing so, literally for decades. I believe that I am the leading expert in
this field because of my track record, my daily involvement on bike tours, my many
years of experience, and my willingness to compromise on how I conduct my bike
tours through my permitted business.
With all due respect, I have to add that I have attempted, on multiple occasions, to
contact Mike Molina with my thoughts and suggestions on this topic. None of my phone
calls, nor the email I sent to him have been returned. I am including the email that I
sent to his office on Monday, March 7th. As you can clearly see from that email, and
from these proposed amendments/regulations, that I am sincerely trying to offer my
expertise, and compromise in a way that is beneficial to the valid concerns at hand.
I am clearly offering a way to make guided bike tour companies operate in a safe and
responsible manner for many years to come.
The Solutions and Why they Will Work:
• Do not allow any unguided bike tours to operate. This type of tour is obviously what
is garnering the vast majority of complaints from local residents concerning traffic. I
know this because I have been listening to testimonies on the Great 44 and I have
been on the road seeing it with my own eyes for the past 15 years.
Allowing unguided tours to operate along with guided bike tours as a part of any bill is continuing to turn a blind eye to those that have created the problems we’re dealing with right now. The vast majority of bike accidents occur on unguided tours in the Haleakala Downhill
Industry. I know this because I witness these accidents on a regular basis.
• Regulate all guided bike tours to a ratio of 1 guide per 2 guests on all guided tours.
This will make all guided tours easy to manage for the guide. This will also make all
guided tours a non-issue for traffic concerns because traffic will not have to contend
with large groups of up to 14 bike riders (including the guide) which is what we are
currently dealing with.
• Regulate all guided bike tours to operate “without” a van following behind the group,
having the van ahead of the group at all times, parked, and not blocking traffic in any
way. Van Drivers and Bike Tour Guides can still communicate safely and always know
where each other are on the roadways with 2 way radios. This will create an
environment where traffic is never waiting behind a bike tour, or a bike van that is
blocking traffic for the participants.
• Regulate all guided bike tours to operate in a manner that the group (one guide and 2
participants) never be larger than a total of 3 riders. Bike Tour Companies can hire
more guides, create more jobs and show the community that they are willing to
operate safely, and operate with respect to local traffic concerns. Bike Tours can be spaced
out, staggered so that they never bunch up together.
• Regulate all guided bike tours to only operate during the hours of 9am - 1pm, 6 days
per week, with no bike tours operating on Wednesdays. School lets out early on
Wednesdays, this eliminates any time issues associated with that day. As a guide and
business owner I can say with 100% certainty that the days with the least amount of
traffic are Saturdays and Sundays.
• Regulate all guided bike tours to require that all participants be at least 16 years of
age. This is the age in which most teens learn to drive, learn the rules of the road,
learn how to become aware of traffic and traffic laws.
• Regulate all guided bike tours to require that all participants consider themselves to
be experienced bike riders, and 100% confident they can complete the ride safely
after knowing everything they need to know. This will create an environment that is
void of inexperienced riders.
• Regulate all guided bike tours to have detailed information on their websites
concerning all aspects of the ride in which they will be taking part. This will eliminate
those participants who do not realize what they have signed up for.
Page 3 of 3
• Regulate all guided bike tours to use the shoulder space when it is safe to do so. This
will eliminate the current problem of bikers being in the road when cars are behind
them.
-What will happen if the county votes to ban all guided bike tours conductin
tours on the path they have been taking since 1983:
• Visitors to Maui will still find a way to bike down Haleakala on the current route that
is on the chopping block, and they will do it without a guide, or with a guide that is
operating an illegal business. There are already going to be bikers on the roadways, if
they are in a group of 3 or less (including the guide) and obviously with a guide, this
will be a direct result of the county taking action to regulate the industry in a safe and
responsible manner. The majority of visitors will buy and use the services that they
know are permitted and legal, we should not create a pathway to a rogue and illegal
industry when there is a solution that will work.
• The void will be filled by illegal tour operators if the county votes to ban the current
route. If guided bike tours are permitted to conduct tours in a safe manner they will
be able to report illegal tours on a daily basis because it will be in their best interests
to do so. This will force illegal tour operators to get permits and conduct safe tours as
regulated by the county. If there are no regulations it will create a different type of
chaos on the roadways, possibly much worse than what the current climate offers.
• The companies that have shown they are unwilling to compromise, and unwilling to
be truthful about their operations will hire lawyers and bring lawsuits against the
county. This will cost the county money to defend their decision to shut down the
current route. Instead of banning the tour routes altogether the county has an
opportunity to regulate them in a way that will make them safer and let traffic flow
unimpeded. The goal should be to create a set of regulations for all guided bike tours
to follow if they wish to continue to use the same bike routes they have always used.
I ask and plead that you amend the ordinance so that it is a solution based alternative for everyone involved. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns.
With Aloha,
William Campbell
Maui Easy Riders
Re: GREAT-44 Bicycle Tour Regulation
Aloha Chair Molina, and the Maui County GREAT Committee,
Thank you for again addressing this important roadway safety dilemma that negatively affects hundreds of Maui commuting citizens, and tourist visitors daily.
Please adopt the recommendations of:
Ending self guided tours
Limit the tours to no lower than 4500’ on Haleakala Crater Road
Limit hours and days of operation
Limit tour group size
These logical recommendations are not anti business, anti tourist, NIMBY requests. There are many communities requesting for reasons of safety for our many families, friends, and visitors.
A quick sampling of over 1000 citizens signed a petition in just a week asking for real action, real regulation, and an attempt at gaining safer roadways. Thousands more in our Upcountry Communities are watching, and waiting for this obvious needed regulation to finally happen.
Yes we need bike lanes, separate from the roads would be best. But this is not going to happen for years. We have control over preventing many injuries, and possible deaths by regulating this dangerous visitor attraction now.
Upcountry highways and roads are a step up from “country roads”, but many are narrow, winding, negative banked, technically challenging, dirty roads. It’s hard enough for us that have been driving them for over 50 years, dealing with unskilled, uncivilized drivers, and thousands of lost tourists. Allowing trains of bikes down these roads is crazy dangerous for everyone.
Yes, their business model will have to change. Hopefully some will be able to make it work. I suggest we all start working with private landowners to develop a separated bikeway up and down the mountain, for bikes, walkers, and horses. We are only going to have more and more auto traffic on the same roads for years to come.
Have a Pono vision, then work on it.
Thank you for your important work.
Steve Sutrov, Kula
Thanks for your time, as a long time upcountry resident I can't stress enough how dangerous the bike activity is for our roads and our communities. Over the years I have witnessed to many accidents and near accidents to count. Back in the 80s when this activity started there was one group, now there are well over half a dozen. This is not an inconvenience to people this is a dangerous hazard, these single lane roads were not built for this type of activity. Please, help make our roads safer for drivers and riders alike. At certain times of the day it is a downhill bike path as you finally get past one group there is another one right in front of it. I am not anti business or anti bikes, I am pro safety. Mahalo Kathleen Warman