Below find some of the highlights, milestones and relevant news stories since our organization’s inception in 2016. We have not listed the smaller educational outreach efforts in detail which includes presentations made to hospitality industry staff, schools and various community associations across the island.
June 2016: Out of concern that unlicensed motor carrier for hire services were not being properly regulated, a group of activity providers establish Hana Highway Regulation to investigate the issue and its volunteers begin collecting relevant data. Points collected have included car counts at various locations along the highway and intricacies include type of car [local, commercial, rental, government, etc], approximate passengers per vehicle, in addition to a log of illegal tour operators and their specifics including vehicle make and model, license plate, location of infraction and other details.
August 2016: www.HanaHighwayRegulation.com is launched as a platform to provide awareness.
September 2016: Maui News article: Senator J. Kalani English commends the efforts of Hana Highway Regulation and suggests the PUC monitor how many permits are given out for road tours to Hana. English notes the Road to Hana as the No. 2 tourist activity - behind Haleakala Crater. Bob Carroll, then County Council member says he noticed an increase in traffic along the highway. http://www.mauinews.com/news/local-news/2016/09/group-seeks-to-address-traffic-issues-on-hana-highway/
September 2016: Paia Community Center 9am-11am Meeting minutes available and include testimonies from residents, business owners, a large majority of those present being legal commercial operators with concerns of the rampant unlicensed commercial activity spread throughout the Road to Hana industry. A community input meeting hosted by Hana Highway Regulation.
October 17, 2016: Hana Community Center 4pm. Meeting minutes available and include testimonies from residents, business owners, a large majority of those present being residents expressing concern about impacts of the increase of traffic and visitors. A community input meeting hosted by Hana Highway Regulation.
December 1, 2016: National Park implements Sunrise Reservation Protocol, Maui Now Article.
June 10, 2017: Hana Community Association adopts the Hana Highway Regulation as an initiative and publishes the Road to Hana Code of Conduct as its first objective, followed by education and outreach efforts. www.HanaCommunityAssociation.com
June 24, 2017: Road to Hana Code of Conduct presented as a “community soundbite” audio piece by Hawaii Public Radio. Promoting visitor awareness, scheduled steps for the initiative. https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/post/hana-highway-code-conduct
September 27, 2017: The Conversation with Chris Vandercook; Regulating the Hana Highway. Road to Hana Code of Conduct presented as audio piece by Hawaii Public Radio.https://www.hpr2.org/post/conversation-wednesday-september-27th-2017
November 29, 2017: Maui Visitors Bureau Visitor Safety Conference; Grand Wailea Resort - South Maui Presentation; Visitor industry staff education and awareness effort. Road to Hana Code of Conduct presented as the subject matter presented by Hana Highway Regulation Committee. At this meeting, representatives from the National Park at Haleakala outline a 75% decrease in emergency services in light of newly established Sunrise Reservation protocol.
December 6, 2017: Maui Visitors Bureau Visitor Safety Conference; Sheraton Resort - West Maui Presentation; Visitor industry staff education and awareness effort. Road to Hana Code of Conduct presented as the subject matter presented by Hana Highway Regulation Committee. At this meeting, representatives from the National Park at Haleakala outline a 75% decrease in emergency services in light of newly established Sunrise Reservation protocol.
February 25, 2018: Maui Now article: Ocean-related fatality, Puka Maui. Hana Hwy.
March 25, 2018: Hana Highway Regulation volunteers begin using notice slips on local vehicles suspected to be illegally parked, trespassing on private property, conducting unlicensed commercial activity and or commercial activity within a sacred site. Notices include contact information for outreach follow-up and have proven an effective means to educating the public on specifics of property ownership and deterring continued infractions.
May 29, 2018: Hana Highway Regulation begins visitor management exercises, collecting intricate data at the 15 locations identified as impacted by tourism along the Road to Hana. Specifics relating to the various infractions of the four culprit activities creating chaos along the Road to Hana are elaborated through this data collection effort; illegal parking, trespassing on private property, conducting unlicensed commercial activity and commercial activity within a sacred site. Through this process the volunteers also record and compile cultural, environmental and social impact statements from residents in each area, with regard to how tourism has affected their lifestyle.
July 26th 2018: Hana Community Association annual Public Meeting Hana East Maui Candidate Forum and Hana Highway Regulation Presentation Summary report on data collected thus far including car and people counts. Question and Answer portion for the candidates and Hana Highway Regulation Committee Chair Napua Hueu. Potential solutions to the issue of over tourism are discussed including presentation of a preliminary draft of the Road to Hana Visitor Safety System which has been curated by the Hana Highway Regulation Committee.
August 14, 2018: Summer 2018 Summary Report; Hana Highway Regulation’s post data collection perspective on the Road to Hana industry and the fragile Hana highway whcih is considered to be four times over capacity. The report identifies the four culprit activities creating chaos along the Road to Hana; illegal parking, trespassing on private property, conducting unlicensed commercial activity and commercial activity within a sacred site. The report also summarizes roadside data to provide an update count on illegal tour operators and other highway activity specifics. The report details the role that social media influencers and the internet plays in exploitation of sacred sites and private properties.
September 9, 2018: Star Advertiser article: Visitors overwhelm Highway and Residents < click to read.
January 19, 2019: Hana Highway Regulation announces the first seven Registered Commercial Partners, part of a voluntary oversight program. This Registered Commercial Partners Program is aimed to educate commercial operators on community perspective and encourage better business operating behaviors. The current seven RCPs are; Valley Isle Excursions, Polynesian Adventure Tours, Open Eye Tours, Holoholo Tours, Makoa Quest, Platinum Tours and Aloha Eco Adventures. These companies have made the commitment to respect community policy through in-person meetings with Hana Community Association and by signed agreement and exchange of certificate of insurance. The Hana Highway Regulation has provided these companies with individual training opportunities to enhance their staff’s comprehension of Road to Hana protocols in the commercial capacity.
January 22, 2019: Hana Community Association Annual Public Meeting Old Hana School Cafeteria 5pm-8pm General community updates and a data report by the Hana Highway Regulation Committee, led by Napua Hueu reporting that the summary of Summer exercises concluded that field-advisors providing visitor education on location was most effective and provided an enriched visitor experience. The Committee of Hana Highway Regulation provides a presentation of their visitor safety system in draft.
January 27, 2019: News Highlight; Hana Highway group looks to make road safer while raising cultural awareness. KHON2 News; Community piece by Nikiki Schenfeld
February 10, 2019: The volunteer committee of Hana Highway Regulation provides emergency visitor safety services at Hookipa Beach Park amidst a County Park shutdown due to expected large surf.
February 20, 2019: Five rescued in the course of two days at Kaihalulu Beach in Hana, News Article
February 2019: Beachgoers swept out to Sea, Maui News Article
June 6, 2019: Fire crews responded to a report of a child that was injured while on a hike in Kailua in the area often referred to as the “Bamboo Forest.”The incident was reported at around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 5, 2019 at a waterfall where the 11-year-old boy reportedly slipped and suffered a 1″ laceration to his head.https://mauinow.com/2019/06/06/child-injured-at-bamboo-forest-in-kailua/
June 7, 2019: Hana Highway Regulation separates from Hana Community Association. The organization is no longer an initiative of the organization but now its own; active unincorporated non-profit organization. July 2019Maui County expresses intention to provide grant assistance for a Hana Highway Visitor Education initiative and allocates $200,000.00 for Hana Highway Regulation’s Visitor Information Personnel Project.
March 2020: With no enforcement, local groups set up road blocks https://www.mauinews.com/news/local-news/2020/03/closed-tourists-stuck-on-road-to-hana/
July 2020: Hana Highway Regulation coordinates training and works to implement an Aloha Check Point to screen visitor traffic, provide place-specific education and covid-19 health safety outreach. https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2020/07/21/keep-hana-residents-safe-locals-set-up-their-own-highway-checkpoint/
East Maui residents overwhelmed by influx of visitors, traffic. https://www.khon2.com/local-news/east-maui-residents-overwhelmed-by-influx-of-visitors-traffic/
It would be a simple solution to help reduce neighbor-island traffic — and make life better for the locals there, a UH economist says.. https://www.civilbeat.org/2021/06/tourists-are-back-in-force-on-hana-highway-why-not-charge-them/
June 2021: Hana Highway Regulation is invited to serve as a resource panelist at the County of Maui County Council’s Infrastructure and Transportation Meeting.
July 2021: Hawaii Tourism Authority addresses visitor impact on Road to Hana.. https://www.khon2.com/local-news/hawaii-tourism-authority-addresses-visitor-impact-on-road-to-hana/
To alleviate congestion on Hana Highway, HTA asks visitors to travel with tour companies.. https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2021/07/09/alleviate-congestion-hana-highway-hta-asks-visitors-travel-with-tour-companies/
August 2021: Hana Highway Regulation is asked to participate as a panelist on the PBS tourism special Kakou; Hawaii’s Town Hall to represent the concerns of East Maui as it relates to Hawaii Toursim.
April 2022: State of Hawaii Legislature passes HCR29: ENCOURAGING THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO WORK WITH STAKEHOLDERS TO DEVELOP A HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT PLAN THAT WILL ENSURE HANA HIGHWAY IS PROPERLY MAINTAINED AND IS SAFE FOR RESIDENTS AND VISITORS.