"It's clear that as a result of this decision, a lot more people are going to be renting bicycles and going out without being part of a group," attorney James Fosbinder said.

Fosbinder estimated that up to half of the 400 people a day who now take downhill bicycle tours from the top of Haleakala to sea level could bike down the mountain independently.

"That is going to be a huge increase in unguided" tours, he said.

Family members and friends of the unguided riders may accompany them, which could add more traffic and create traffic hazards on the roads, he said.

Fosbinder has been retained by five of seven downhill bicycle tour companies that hold permits to conduct bicycle tours in the park.

The companies of the Maui Bicycle Tours Association hired Fosbinder following Wednesday's announcement by Haleakala National Park Superintendent Marilyn Parris that the park will suspend permits for bike tour companies for at least 60 days while park officials study the safety of the bike tours.

The park's "safety stand-down," which takes effect on Wednesday, comes after the death of a 65-year-old Ohio woman in a bicycle crash in the park, near the park Headquarters Visitor Center on Sept. 26.

Parris said the suspension was the "next prudent" step following last week's death and other bicycle-related accidents at the park. The fatality was the third within a year.

The suspension does not prohibit bicyclists riding into the park on their own.

Fosbinder said he was hired to analyze what has been happening at the park and will be speaking with tour operators and with riders.

Parris has given bike tour operators 30 days to provide information on the safety of tour operations within the park. She said that the park service will conduct reviews at the local, regional and national levels.

Fosbinder said that the companies will continue with their businesses, although they will not be allowed to operate within the park — the stretch of road from the 10,023-foot summit to Puu Niauniau at 6,800 feet — and presumed that the tours would start somewhere outside the park.

Most of the highways outside the park are state roads. State Transportation Department spokesman Scott Ishikawa said that the state cannot bar anyone from using public highways but recognizes the safety issue that the national park is seeking to address.

"We would like to be in the loop with the bike companies . . . to learn what changes they plan in their routes," he said. "We would like a chance to hear from them how they will be using the highways."

Fosbinder said that the tour operators had asked parks officials during a meeting held Wednesday if their permits could be modified to allow van tours of the park before the operators start their bicycle rides outside the park. That request was turned down, he said.

Two of the seven downhill bicycle companies who have permit for tours in the park also have permits for vehicle tours in the park. Fosbinder represents the other five who would be barred from taking their vans into the park.

Fosbinder said changes could be made on how the tours operate and "we are going to work together and put together a safety plan."

But he said that deaths occur with other activities on the island, such as with dive tours and with vehicle tours but those activities are not banned.

While he and the owners "mourn the tragedy of any death," there really isn't a basis for such a drastic measure such as suspending the bicycle tours at the park, he said.

"We are going to definitely do as much as we can do to make things better," he said.

Fosbinder said he was president of a bicycle co-op in Madison, Wis., still rides and is a bicycle advocate. He is representing Maui Mountain Cruisers, Maui Downhill Bicycle Tours, Cruiser Phil's Volcano Riders, Mountain Riders and Bike It Maui No Ka Oi.