If Caye Caulker starts becoming any noisier and smellier we won't be coming back either. As a family, what appeals to us about the island is the peace and quiet, smell of flowers and ocean air and letting our kids run around freely without worrying about them. We rarely visit San Pedro because constantly dodging traffic and trying to make sure our kids don't get run over is not appealing.

So how do we express our disgust? Do the powers to be read this
website? I don't want to be a pain in the A** but I want to make
sure that they understand the disapointment we feel. Should we
communicate with our friends and Inn keepers to express our
disgust (I am trying to be PC, stronger words do apply) and
try to wield our economic sword over CC? Better places exist
if we have to smell the stink and hear the putt putt putt.

Bah Humbug :-)

Yes,write to the hotels and to Traffic Committee care of Caye Caulker Village Council, Caye Caulker ,Belize.
If they have a letter and have the hotel owners after them a bulb may light up. These are smarter and more honest folks on this particular committee who actually believe we LOVE those gas carts.Wise them up and we are saved.

News from the Traffic Committee. Many carts are brought to Caye Caulker without permits.The Committee has solved that problem by giving all the illegal carts permits.
They heard that someone used an old electric cart battery to hold down a fishing shade so now they suggest we bring in ONLY gas carts.Fisherman have used lead for fishing lines here more than a hundred years.
I plan to send the comments posted here to the Committee on Monday so if anyone has anything to say speak up.

Problem with Batteries would be Acid contamination rather than
worrying about the lead. Leave the lead alone and it is fine.
Acid contamination can be neutralized with baking soda. Gasoline
is a solvent and travels everywhere underground. Lead from
batteries normally would have some value in salvage. Solution
to battery problem is to collect them and dispose/recycle of
them properly. You ought to see the problems we have with wells
and such here in the US cities from gasoline contamination from
gasoline stations. We have one waste site in town that after
pumping the contamination out for five years when they opened
the site the smell of gasoline was so bad that they had to
route traffic away from the site as it was a potential explotion
hazard. I do not deny hazards from cart batteries but it can be
controlled much easier than gasoline. Don't forget people have
to change oil in four stroke carts so here is another potential
source of pollution. With all due respect please stay all
electric please.

Modest amount of acid is dispersed immediately in seawater and releases as the same kind of gas as you would get by dumping vinegar in a hundred cubic miles of seawater.I researched this when I arranged for a place in the dump to hold batteries until the Mennonites came to pick them up.Some thought it was a trick to get their valuable batteries for free. The people here got the message and now sell almost all of them to the same Mennonites for cash.

"They heard that someone used an old electric cart battery to hold down a fishing shade so now they suggest we bring in ONLY gas carts"

Read that over and over again, trying to make sense of it. So they made this major decision that will affect Caye Caulker negatively forever based upon a rumor about 1 battery. Public policy from a non sequitor. Great. Gotta be the stupidest thing I've ever read. And I'm not doubting you, Dane, I'm sure that's their official line. So, now everyone knows the basis for the decision, and can either accept the "wisdom" therein or fight it.

As I mentioned before, it is sad to think that gas carts need to be used on an island that you can get to everything by walking. If I remember the island is 1/2 mile wide by 3 miles, correct? It is a shame to ruin the lovelyness and uniqueness by making it like every other tourist trap. Please don't increase the carbon footprint of CC. We loved the fact there was no traffic except foot traffic.

If one person walks the walk, not the talk, and gets rid of THE cart completely, it could lead to another walker, walking the walk, and yet another.
I took the plunge in San Pedro this year, eliminating the golf cart completely...walking and biking all the time. Lost 30 lbs in the process.
It takes a culture of one to make a difference in a small community. I urge you all to get rid of YOUR cart if the situation bothers you. I did, it is liberating.

I let Ketchi run errands in his cart for me for BZ$5 when my bike basket won't work. A lot cheaper than owning and actually my favorite way since he feeds his family... One phone call and a five gets-er-done.