The County of Hawai’i’s County Council is considering a bill that would authorize the Council to ban commercial bicycle tours on select roadways on Hawai’i Island that present safety concerns.
HBL opposes Bill 125 for multiple reasons. Primarily the lack of data showing a need for this bill, and the precedent it sets to reduce access to people riding bicycles. We are also concerned that this bill originated from a community complaint rather than data-based safety need.
On June 12, 2024, Councilmember Kagiwada proposed a new amendment to change the purpose of the bill. HBL has updated testimony for the Council meeting of June 19 at 9:00am. We are in support of this proposed amendment.
Click here to see our official testimony in opposition.
The Council’s most recent discussion from May 15th can be found at the link below. Video discussion can be found at the 3 hour, 42 minute mark. Click Here
The latest draft of the bill can be found here.
A news article from earlier this year citing earlier drafts of the bill can be viewed by clicking here.
If you would like to submit testimony to the County Council, it must be submitted by noon on Tuesday, June 18th to be considered at the June 19th hearing.
Submit an email to counciltestimony@hawaiicounty.gov with subject: Testimony in Opposition of Bill 125
Sample Testimony based on suggested testimony from Jon Luft of Hawai’i Cycling Club: