Committee sends Bill 28 to council after residents warn commercial bike tours are unsafe on Old Mauna Loa Highway

A Hawaii County committee voted to move Bill 28 to the full council with a favorable recommendation after multiple Ahualoa residents urged the county to prohibit commercial bicycle tours on a narrow stretch of Old Mauna Loa Highway.

The measure, introduced by Councilmember Susan Kimball, would amend the county code to designate a routed highway restriction for commercial bicycle tours along Old Mauna Loa Highway from its intersection with Mauna Loa Street in Honokaa to the Department of Water Supply tank at 4064 Old Mauna Loa Highway. Councilmember Kimball moved to refer the bill to the State Department of Transportation, the county Department of Public Works and the Hawaii Police Department for recommendations; that referral passed 8-0 with one member absent. Later the committee voted 9-0 to forward the bill to council with a favorable recommendation.

Why it matters: Residents and the association representing Ahualoa said the roughly 10-mile route through their community is narrow, includes multiple blind curves, lacks shoulders and functions as an agricultural corridor with large trucks and trailers. They told the committee they fear collisions, serious injuries or fatalities if commercial tours continue to operate there.

Public testimony focused on safety and local traffic patterns. John Andrade, identifying himself as a resident of Ahualoa and a member of the community association, said he had a near miss with a cyclist and asked the committee to “please consider to ban the tour.” Nalani Hans, president of the Ahualoa Community Association, said the association voted at its Nov. 21, 2024 general meeting to support restricting commercial bike tours, arguing the stretch becomes a detour route for Highway 19 during incidents and therefore amplifies risk. Tony Valenzano, a landowner and community association member, told the committee riders — often on e-bikes and traveling downhill at speed — are unfamiliar with local hazards and sometimes film their rides, increasing risk. Susan Collins, who lives on Old Mauna Loa Highway in Ahualoa, said the road is “way too narrow to have additional, large groups of people on our road.”

Councilmember Kimball said the bill as drafted covers the Ahualoa portion of the route and does not extend to Lakeland because she has not consulted that community. She asked the referred departments to advise whether the prohibition should cover the entire corridor or remain limited to the segment named in the bill. Committee members and staff noted the county’s jurisdictional limits: some nearby roads (for example, Kohala Mountain Road, discussed separately) are state roads, affecting whether the county can install signage.

The committee recorded two administrative steps: a referral to state DOT, DPW and HPD for recommendations on implementation and signage (motion by Kimball; second by Inaba; referral passed 8-0, one member absent), and a separate motion to forward Bill 28 to the full council with a favorable recommendation (moved by Kimball; recorded as 9 ayes). Clerk commentary during the meeting cited section 6-11 of the Hawaii County Code, which requires requested recommendations to be submitted within 45 days and to be received before final action on an ordinance (second and final reading).

The committee did not adopt specific enforcement or signage language; members asked the referred departments to provide recommendations on practical enforcement, signage placement and whether the prohibition should cover additional miles of the route. Councilmembers also noted potential unintended consequences for local recreational cyclists, distinguishing paid commercial tours from residents who use the road for training or recreation.

The committee adjourned after completing the agenda.