[Sept. 27, 2009 update: The moratorium continues into 2009. Downhill bicycle tours are not permitted within the boundaries of
Haleakala National Park. Some companies listed here provide a road-based
vehicle tour within the park and start bike tours outside the park.]
The National Park Service is suspending commercial downhill bicycle tours of the Haleakala volcano on Maui for 60 days as it studies ways to make them more safe.
A series of fatalities and injuries on the tours prompted the park service action. Cyclists coasting downhill have crossed the centerline and run into oncoming traffic, as well as missed one of the many switchbacks on the 38-mile winding route to the bottom.
Typically, tourists pay $100 to $150 for a van ride to the parking lot at about the 10,000-foot elevation of the dormant volcano. There they mount their rented bicycles and coast down the road.
Layoffs
Seven commercial bike tour companies are affected by the order. People can still take the ride on their own.
The suspension went into effect on Wednesday. At least one company has laid off its employees, while others are ferrying tourists by van to an area just outside the park entrance and starting the tours there.
We took a trip to Haleakala National Park for hiking and sight-seeing about 20 years ago. The dormant volcano features a bare landscape at the summit, in strong contrast to the rest of the island.
Do it yourself
I remember there were a couple of outfits offering the downhill rides at the time, and we passed a tight formation of cyclists wearing slickers on the way down the volcano. I commented how much better it would be to make a day of it by pedalling to the top before making the downhill run; my wife rolled her eyes and said that would be a trip I'd have to make on my own.
USA Today reports that about 90,000 cyclists coast down the volcano every year now. That's nearly 250 people a day.
The so-called “safety stand-down” was ordered by National Park Superintendent Marilyn H. Parris. Commercial license holders and the public has 30 days to make suggestions on how to improve safety. Parris has not ruled out a permanent ban.
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