Motoconcho Emissions

[Keith R]

Both Larry and Scott have already raised the same issue:

Originally posted by Larry (ILoveDR)
Maybe as the forum develops we can figure out a way to keep people from throwing their garbage all over the streets and the motos from choking me to death with their smoke emissions? Haha. then again, maybe not.

Originally posted by Escott
My pet peeves are exhaust from Motoconchos along with the noise from the Conchos and the Fruit and Vegatable vendors.

So, how to deal with this? Don't say inspection of all moto-conchos, because we know this is not a viable option, at least not in the current state of things in the DR. How could you possibly verify emissions compliance without stopping them all? And wouldn't an inspections regime simply be a source for new graft? And is this issue more important than say, making sure the motores have proper lights & brakes, an operators' license and perhaps proper mufflers to cut the noise?

Should the DR consider imposing the same sort of import restrictions on motorcycles as they now do with cars, i.e., recent models with proper emissions controls?

For those of you out there with better understanding of motorcycles & their tech, would Dominicans gain any significant gas mileage benefit by disconnecting existing emission controls on cycles? Is this hard to do?

I have not seen figures (will look them up), but I seem to recall from studies in other countries that motorcycles are less a source of air pollution overall than buses, heavy trucks and autos without proper emission controls. But here again, I bet most such studies were not conducted where motorcycles constituted such a huge portion of the transport sector as they do in the DR.

I'll be interested to see what people have to say on this one.

Best Regards,
Keith

[lhtown]

Motorcycles here are often "maintained" in a very poor state of repair. Perhaps we could start a public awareness campaign on how to adjust carburetors and tune engines....

Seriously, if people really knew how much they were wasting by not keeping things tuned up, they might just change their tune. (pun intended) After all, a lot of that smoke is nothing more than unburned or partially burned fuel.

[Bolt]

I think you are decades away before Dominicans see sense in this. A motorbike or scooter is a mode of transport and thats it. It either goes or it doesnt, there is nothing in the middle. Why would they be concerned about emmisions when most bikes I have seen here have completly bald tires, no lights and rarely have brakes that work?

The working mans' scooter often uses an old shampoo bottle as a fuel tank and the ignition switch is a twist of 2 wires on the handle bars. It does have a very large comfy seat though and 10 sets of foots rests so the entire family can take a ride out.

[kingofdice]

I took a ride to La Romana in early August 03. My taxi driver drove through the center of San Pedro de Macoris. Even he and my S.D. girlfriend commented that they were aghast at the number of motor bikes. It was a shocking experience, to not see hundreds, but literally thousands of motor bikes spewing carbon monoxide on an unprecendented scale. And per my Dominican friends, this is an everyday occurrence. The thought that went through my mind, was how in the world the local townspeople could breathe.

Yes, the D.R is noted for graft and corruption, but something has to be done to curtail the stifling output of carbon monoxide and other fumes. To differ Keith, I would make it mandatory that all motor bikes pass an emissions test. At least for all bikes beyond a certain date and perhaps exempt bikes that are 15 - 20 yrs. old. Then again, probably 90% of the bikes are 20 yrs. old.

But something has to be done. I would imagine that breathing in those exhaust clouds on a daily basis, has to wreak havoc on the heart and lungs of San Pedro's citizenry.

I'm willing to bet that San Pedro holds the world's record for the most number of dirt bikes in a 10 mile square area. At least 10,000 in that small town.

[Conchman]

Have you been in Puerto Plata? Should be around 10,000 also.

[kingofdice]

No, I haven't been to Puerto Plata.. But, if they have thousands of bikes too, then definitely the country needs to have some sort of mechanism in place to lower the carbon monoxide emissions. I thought Boca Chica was bad, until I experienced the clouds of exhaust fumes in San Pedro. Is Santiago as bad as the other towns? I haven't noticed that many bikes in Santo Domingo for some reason. The whole country is going to be affixiated.

[lhtown]

There are fewer bikes in Santo Domingo due to "selective harvesting" -sort of like many states hunt deer. Seriously, it is quite dangerous to drive a motorcycle in Santo Domingo. Many people use the public cars and busses wich are also horrible polluters.