It would be more than interesting IMHO why you would want to own one of these vehicles while you are living on Ambergriscaye, and also why that some of you are so hard on others, such as the taxi's who are mnaking a living by driving the monstositities around an island for all said and told is only six miles long, if you are wondering why I have posted this question I have been reading this board for quite awhile now, and some of the most vehement critics are just simple offenders.

Hey, I owned a '98 Dodge Ram 4x4 which I drove 50K+ miles a year before I moved here, my reaction when I saw the same vehicle on the island was WTF????????

I now own an '01 gas cart which probably runs 75 to 100 miles per week and an '08 motorcyle that runs about 50 to 60 miles per week. Can I cut back? No.

My deal with the taxis is the total lack of consideration for others on the road and the fact that since they managed to get the beach opened up I and my neighbours can no longer leave our windows open due to the dust (which covers everything even with the windows closed.) Add to that I now have a worse cough from dust than I did when I was smoking 2 packs a day. There are some good taxi drivers out there and they know who they are, the rest could give a...

I had the good fortune of moving to Belize in July 1989, it doesn't seem that long ago, but let me assure you it was a long time away and a far distant land. We used to joke to one another that this paradise cannot last, that eventually there would be so many tourists here that you could not even get some beach space. I remember a very good friend of mine John Greif SR used to say When I moved here I found paradise, happy people, no agendas, no problems........Everyone has thier prioritys, it does" little" to say "do as I say
not as I do"! we are all guilty of it, nothing personal here.. I am just a little saddened by what we all seem to preach but not do.. But do not say you cannot live without a certain luxury.. we all can do without, I guess it all boils down to how serious we all are as individuals... guess what! our children's children will decide on the wiseness of all our decisions, and from my point of view we have screwed it up... from Detroit all the way to Sanpedro, people only get one chance at doing it right and we have ignored the perverbial writing on the wall and gone ahead with absolute destruction of one of the most pristine, not to mention beautiful parts of the world. Now I know people will be on my case about things like.. what makes you such an expert.. who are you to say this kind of thing...but you know I'm right, I just hope there is something left of the place in 20 years where my kids can say Hey I'm from Sanpedro, ya Belize, we made a difference, somehow though, I think it has gone to far. So people enjoy those motorcycles, high powered boats, and the latest and greatest four wheeled contraptions, and don't give a damn, after all we are only here for a short time........This is my opinion only, damn the torpedos..full speed ahead...

DITTO to all of te above.
So, what can be done now?

my two cents worth...what will be done? Nothing, until the novelty of combustion engine vehicles fades away, if it ever does. The overabundance of cars and trucks is the ONLY downside I see to living there year-round these days. SP was a mainly a fishing village just over 2 decades ago, and as with any culture of people, the newness and 'modernity' of trucks and cars is appealing in part due to SP's recent household access to madison avenue's television commercials (cars=sexy, successful, power) - apparently these commercials have created this same mindset on the rest of us folks in Mexico and the US and worldwide, etc. Granted some municipal vehicles are warranted and necessary, but the rest? There are an excess of taxis as it is. People won't just turn in their cars and trucks and gas carts - the logistics of any type of phase-out program probably would not work in a town where the rules are often overlooked for relatives, friends, etc., just like in any small town anywhere else in the world. I would like to believe there is the possibility of a solution to the air/noise/dust fallout - here's hoping.

Damn the torpedo's, pass the ammunition.