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PostPosted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 7:57 am 
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DiegoC wrote:
The real revenue generators are the Transitos who issue citations for no marchamo / no Reteve and driving in the circunvalación -- the no driving-ring.


My undestanding is that the restricted driving rule was ruled unconstitutional by the Sala IV.

ID: Your math sounds good.. but I see Transito's *EVERYWHERE* all the time.. i can't drive 10km without seeing half a dozen of them...


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PostPosted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 9:46 am 
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TheMadGerman wrote:

ID: Your math sounds good.. but I see Transito's *EVERYWHERE* all the time.. i can't drive 10km without seeing half a dozen of them...


Guess we do not drive the same roads. Yesterday I went from Sabana to Escazu centro then to office depot using the road to Paco and multiplaza then the pista and circumvalacion to another stop and then back to Sabana. Never saw a transito. But more to your point of seeing them EVERYWHERE.

Other then parked under a tree looking for marchamo and ritevie stickers where else do you see them? Certainly not out patrolling on the road looking for traffic violators :shock: where traffic police should be.

If the transitos operated as a highway patrol force should CR would be swimming in revenue. They would not have to stop anyone for spurious claims. Just watch the antics of drivers here. You could write tickets all day for legitimate violations.

TheMadGerman wrote:
My undestanding is that the restricted driving rule was ruled unconstitutional by the Sala IV.


That lasted about two weeks before the administration issued a new decree reinstating them.

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PostPosted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 9:31 pm 
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I see them all the time (at least once a day) on the east side of the Los Anonos bridge stopping people. I see them frequently at the Trejos exit from the pista (slightly west of the main escazu exit). Oddly, I never see them around Multiplaza or along those frontage roads by Plaza Itzcazu/Hosptital Cima.

I've seen them on the old road to santa ana, but that's more rare.. and i've seen them parked on the onramp from Santana/Lindora going east stopping people. I almost always see them on the circunvalacion at the roundabouts... My last trip from Escazu to Terramall I spotted no less than 10 different sets of transitos. They were out eagle eyeing the traffic and waving people over. And this was a 8pm, not during peak traffic times..

I also frequently see them down in the gulch. I've frequently seen them camped out (complete with towtrucks) on Calle... 11? 13? the road that goes past idem. It's gotten so bad, I've stopped going that route and now turn just past the Teatro nacional and drive up to Avenida 7 and come around through the park.

Another favorite spot seems to be up by La Uruca where the circunvalacion ends.


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PostPosted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 10:28 pm 
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TheMadGerman wrote:
I see them all the time (at least once a day) on the east side of the Los Anonos bridge stopping people. I see them frequently at the Trejos exit from the pista (slightly west of the main escazu exit).


With all due respect I think you are seeing things. I live in Sabana Oeste and cross the Anonos bridge a minimum of 4 times a day for the last 5 years. At the very most there are transitos at the bridge 3 times a week which is being generous as the actual count is more like once every 8 or 9 days. But assuming you do see them there as often as you say you reinforce what I posted previously. When they are there they are parked under the tree looking for marchamo and retive stickers rather then out on the road being proactive and enforcing traffic violations.

I have never seen them at the Trejos exit which I also pass 4 or 5 times a week.

But all is cool amigo. You keep seeing them as it seems to take the heat off the rest of us.

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PostPosted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 12:54 pm 
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Damn.... busted again last night/early this morning. !!

Left the DR about midnight after playing Tute with Don Gordo & his brother... Ave 1 to Calle 5, north on C5 and as passing Parque Morazan a motorcycle cop pulls along side and motions for me to stop.. look in mirror and note white police car with lights flashing behind me...

Motorcycle cop asks for license then passport... two others from patrol car walk up, one on each side... shine light in car thru windows... one askes me in English...How much alcohol you have tonight..?? Nada.. you have any drugs, armas..?? No.. Motor cop has been looking at my license and passport and finds the " Report a Cop" card I keep with the visa attached to my passport copy.. shows to one of the other cops and hey examine the card... #3 cop asks me to open the rear door of my SUV so they can have a look see... other two come back to rear of car and show #3 the card.... he stoppes what he is doing and reads the card...

asks me where I got the card and tell him "My abagado gave it to me..'

#3 has a conversation with the other 2 and they leave, moto cop back to cycle in front of my car and #2 to the white car behind...

#3, in English, hands me back my license, passport copy, visa and Cop card and say to me ..in English... Mr ( uses my first name off license) you may leave".. I say Gracias... get back into car, put my license back in wallet and passport copy in carrier... cops have gone.. I drive to Ave 7 to make a right hand turn and guess who I find...

Yep... all three of my friends now have a White SUV pulled over on Ave 7
and giving "the Dialog" to the older Gringo driving the SUV...

sure hope he wasn't drinking!!

This is great... last two times I stay out after 11:30 PM get the Gringo treatment... I'm NOT going to push my luck... Since tonight with Gordos's & ciaociao's parties and tomorrows Pirate Club party will be late nights, I think I'll leave the car home and cab it back to San Pedro... :shock:

To those who have a few and drive at night... BE CAREFUL OUT THERE !!

Peace
Pidd


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PostPosted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 2:42 pm 
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Pidd,
Watch out cuz bad luck usually comes in groups of 3.

ID,
I appreciate your analysis and agree with your conclusion that transitos are probably stretched incredibly thinly. However, there are a couple of flaws in your reasoning that may account for other expats encountering more transitos than your analysis would lead them to expect. First of all your analysis implies that these transitos are all evenly distributed over an area roughly the size of West Virginia. In reality, most of them are probably assigned to the more thickly settled and heavily trafficked Central Valley area and particularly the San Jose Metro area. Secondly your analysis implies that these transitos' shifts are similarly evenly distributed. In reality, there are probably more on duty during rush hour and daylight hours when more people are out on the roads and relatively few working the graveyard shift when the roads are mostly empty. That all means that there are probably many more transitos out at times and in areas when you guys are likely to be out on the roads where you can see them. But I still agree with your basic conclusion. Even if half the transitos were working just the SJ area and half of them were working the peak rush hour time slots, that is still not a lot of officers for an area that size.


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PostPosted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 4:45 pm 
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Last week I spent they entire day at my friends's house in Coronado. We were going to go to a bar to watch the Saprissa vs Cruz Azul game in TV and my friend's wife commented "We like to drink and drive but don't do it anymore because the police have become very strict about enforcement. There's a game tonight so they'll be watching all of the bars."


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PostPosted: Sat Aug 29, 2009 4:26 pm 
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Pidd, this sounds like it could be the cops who first stopped you:

--
http://www.amcostarica.com/monday.htm Monday, Aug. 24, 2009

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Two policemen detained Friday for shaking down motorists may not be linked to similar crimes in the central part of the city.

For months, bar patrons and pedestrian tourists in the vicinity of Parque Morazán have been confronted by Fuerza Pública officers who search them and frequently keep any money they find. They also threaten and take money from tourists who might have overstayed their visa.
Friday morning two officers were detained as suspects, but the arrests happened in the southern part of the city near the Cementerio Obrero on Avenida 10. The allegation is that they would stake out bars and when a patron left and got in a car they would stop the individual and demand money for not turning the drinker over to the Policía de Tránsito.

The officers were assigned to the Metropolitana Sur and probably did not risk coming to north San José. They were identified by the last name of Sandi, a 10-year veteran of the force, and Espinoza, who had worked for 15 years.


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PostPosted: Sat Aug 29, 2009 6:12 pm 
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Now are we also talking ¨ driving gringo with no Spanish¨ ? Because, usually, I spèak basic and polite Spanish and have no problem.


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 11:59 am 
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I got pulled over on Wednesday by a transito in a DUI stop... very polite, asked for papers, asked if I had any alcohol, and when I replied "no" he said goodnight.

I was expecting him to start shit about having only a passport copy (not the passport) like in the past, but nothing. Very smooth and professional.


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 12:05 pm 
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="Thirdworld"]Now are we also talking ¨ driving gringo with no Spanish¨ ? Because, usually, I spèak basic and polite Spanish and have no problem.


Shouldn’t make a difference but unfortunately it does….. :cry:

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PostPosted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 1:02 pm 
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Yeah, but communication always helps in any situation with the cops. Coming back from an airport run last saturday, i got stopped by real cops. Don't know what they were looking for. he looked all around the car but never in. i smiled and was polite and even chuckled a bit when he asked me if I had guns or drugs. I said no, senor, and that was that. i have always had pleasant exchanges with all the cops I have run into. Disclaimer is that I am not out late at night around the gulch in SJ or driving at prime time hours for DUI. I could see getting hassled then. I think I could talk my way out though. i'm pretty good bser even with my so so spanish.


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 1:23 pm 
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Yet another Transito has been charged with soliciting a bribe. The cop asked for c20,000 from a Tico driving a motorcycle on a provisional license. The guy didn't have any cash with him, so the cop took him to a nearby ATM; but, unfortunately, the guy only had c8,000 in his bank account. Naturally, the Transito generously offered to accept payments on the installment plan, meanwhile holding the guy's license as collateral. :roll: :roll: :roll:

The next day, the motorcyclist filed a denuncia with OIJ. The cop is facing a potential 2 to 8 years jail time. Way to go...but we'll see what happens in the end. :?: :?: :?:

http://www.diarioextra.com/2009/agosto/29/sucesos11.php

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PostPosted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 1:33 pm 
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Well we all know that DUI is not that smart ( learned the hard way :shock: )
Do you locals think you are bing singled out for being Gringos ? Are the road blockes nabbing Ticos as well?
:shock:
I know it sucks to be picked out I lived in the Virgin Islands for three years and was suject to DWW Driving while white.. But the cops loved DWT
Driving while tourist


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