www.CostaRicaTicas.com

it can all change so quickly.
sitting in SL having a few beers with a guy who has lived here for 12 years enjoying my afternoon.
take off for the apartment in barrio don bosco
i was quickly stuck in traffic in san jose while a large truck was trying to get out of a small space.
after sitting there for five minutes or so i asked my gf if she wanted to walk since we needed to buy a few things anyway.
she says sure why not and since we are on the sidewalk side of the street with about two feet between the cab and the curb i start to open the door and WHAM! a moped glances off the door and now the guy is down. all the people staring at me is bad enough but the gf is screaming my name in a scolding manner. i cant open the door all the way since the moped is blocking it but i know i need to get out so i squeeze through.
i help the guy up and he says he is ok but the driver keeps asking him are you sure and we are just standing with this crowd around us.i was feeling suddenly very alone in that moment.
all sorts of thoughts are going through my head because i know i am the gringo and i am thinking i am about to be extorted or maybe even jailed if they smell beer on me. maybe i should run, but i hang in there believing it will all work out, apologizing, checking the taxi and his moped, brushing the guy off.
and it does.
i hand the taxi guy the mil colones i owe him and we move quickly into the crowd.
was kind of shaky for a few hours after that.

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im way deep into nothing special
riding the crest of a wave breaking just west of hollywood

Wow, glad it ended ok for you. I've always thought about the scenario of being involved in an accident and being the guilty party for being gringo. Luckily things didn't turn bad.

Understand your concern and had a situation similar happen to me on my last trip. Was riding in a taxi under the bridge next to Morazon Parque. The street under the bridge where you have to go right (like your heading to SL) or left (heading towards the DR). Anyway the taxi driver turns left and blows off the stop sign, get's about halfway into the intersection and is nailed by an oncoming truck. My novia and I are in the backseat, she is screaming because the truck bumper has pinned her door shut (passenger side). I grab her arm, open my door (drivers side) get out and start walking away. Some idiot grabs my arm and says in Spanish...something to the effect....."you can't leave, you must stay and talk to the police"....... I was scared and was only a passenger.....We walked about 20 meters, jumped in another taxi and proceeded to our hotel.

I almost couldn't calm down my girlfriend....but I took a viagra and we were both happy and relaxed...LOL...

Glad you got out of there without further incident.

I see two mistakes on your part:
1. A taxi will take you wherever you ask him. But if you get in traffic and now want to walk, you should give him the amount of money it will cost him on the meter to get out of the traffic you instructed him to go drive into. An extra 500 or a red would have been good.
2. In many areas, it is legal for a motorcycle to ride between the lanes. The state of California is one and Costa Rica is another. You have to look before opening a door.

I'm glad no one was hurt and you did not have to pay anything.

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* These are the "Good Ole Days". Enjoy Them.

* RENT but, "Don't Buy a Home in Costa Rica" until you have lived here for THREE years.

are you really suggesting that if i wanted to get out of the taxi i should pay for the destination i was trying to get to? thats absurd. if the truck in the street was an act of god then we are both subject to the fallout.
your insinuation seems to be that it was my fault to first not pay full tilt for my destination and second that i should be looking behind me and to my right that some fool is not hauling ass on the right of all traffic.
you are correct that for him to be doing this is against the law.
my mistakes? idts

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im way deep into nothing special
riding the crest of a wave breaking just west of hollywood

You may want to re read my post. I did not suggest you should pay to your "destination", simply I suggested, "you should give him the amount of money it will cost him on the meter to get out of the traffic". That may be just to the next turn. Your calling me an idiot and you are having a difficult time learning a simple value.

It is not "against the law" for motorcycles to ride between lanes in Costa Rica, and yes you do need to look behind you before you open a door in traffic. Why wouldn't you? Do you ever wonder why taxis drop off passengers on sidewalks ? This is why.


People have always told me that I am smarter than the average bear, post like the ones you post illustrate how correct they were.

_________________
* These are the "Good Ole Days". Enjoy Them.

* RENT but, "Don't Buy a Home in Costa Rica" until you have lived here for THREE years.

I would pay...exactly what's on the meter....and depending on the courtesy of the driver a propina...... I really wouldn't give the driver being stuck in traffic a second thought. Drivers are obviously very accustomed to being stuck in traffic. Not saying they handle it well, hence the constant horn blowing.....but....it's a cost of being a taxi driver in SJ. Legal or not....riding between lanes is "VERY VERY DANGEROUS" and in my opinion, should be illegal everywhere. It's just plain dangerous.... Interesting that California and CR this practice is legal. hummmmm......

This dumbass tried to squeeze between the cab and the sidewalk in two feet of space? So he wasn't riding between lanes, seems like he was riding along the sidewalk. Serves him right!

Traffic for a taxi driver = CODB (cost of doing business)

IDTS

I don't think so

It is NOT legal in Costa Rica for a moto of any type to ride between lanes. It is unenforced but is illegal. It was a big addition to the new 'ley de transito'. In California it is not legal also to pass on the right between the sidewalk and the car, although 'splitting lanes' between 2 cars for the time being is legal due to heavy motorcycle lobby groups.

Stupid moped driver, but not much you can do other than help him up and move along. I would never give him a penny as it is his fault. I wouldn't tolerate my GF yelling at me for something that was not my fault. Time to lay down the pimp hand.

I will reiterate. Taxis avoid traffic if they can. If you 'contract' a taxi in a non traffic area and direct him to go into an area that is moving very slow (traffic), who is responsible? You put the taxi in that traffic so If you now want to get out and walk, you should give him what it will cost him to get out of that traffic, not to your destination, usually just 500 colon will accomplish this.

I will make an example to help you understand. If you get in a taxi and instruct him to cross a bridge and then the bridge turns out to be moving slower than it will take to walk and you decide to in fact walk, then you should pay him to get across that bridge before you exit the taxi.

The lanes are very small here, so all taxis are always, "about two feet between the cab and the curb". If the moped was passing in this area, then it was most likely a little more than "two feet". If you choose to exit a taxi, The proper course of action it to ask him to pull to the curb. This indicates to all other vehicles on the road that you are exiting the taxi. It is incorrect to, suddenly just jump out of a taxi. Suddenly opening a door in traffic and jumping out is very similar to slamming on your brakes for no foreseen reason to the other drivers on the road.

But after seeing your obstinateness, I sincerely regret that your timing was not just a hair sooner and you'd stepped out of the taxi so you could have experienced
first hand the danger of your actions since you seem to have no concern for the safety of others. Maybe next time

_________________
* These are the "Good Ole Days". Enjoy Them.

* RENT but, "Don't Buy a Home in Costa Rica" until you have lived here for THREE years.

Whether riding between lanes in Costa Rica is legal or illegal is a moot point. The moto driver was riding between a traffic lane and the sidewalk. The sidewalk does constitute an additional traffic lane.

What he was doing was passing on the right which was clearly spelled out as being illegal in the new Ley de Transito that raised the fines and established the point system. Unfortunately like most traffic laws in Costa Rica it is rarely enforced. It is hard to enforce moving violations when 90% of your traffic police are standing under a shade tree either aiming their radar gun at potential speeders or scanning your windshield for a current marchamo and rietve sticker. Then there are the 8% spending their day on downtown corners looking for vehicles violating the placa restriction. That leaves dam few to enforce moving violations.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Let me see if I've got it right: a long-term Brother and local bizman relates a story about himself, sharing some psychic pain AND as a cautionary tale, and other Brothers go into attack mode on some humbug inconsequential issues about legality and morality. Anybody read this Thread differently?

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

i don´t know who´s telling you this but either you have a lot of money or something they want because you are definitely being lied to.
i know you can´t stay away but it would be nice if you kept your distance from me. what a clown.

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im way deep into nothing special
riding the crest of a wave breaking just west of hollywood

Gents, Suggest we abandon this thread. Icantstayaway points make no sense....and to continue would be useless. I don't think he will acknowledge he made a bad post.

NEXT.