Stressed motorists look to two-wheel solutions

If you drive a car you are no doubt hurting tonight, suffering from acute depression over the cost of fuel. But while some of us are moaning, others are taking action.

Janelle Chanona, Reporting
With gasoline prices at an all time high and only expected to increase, tonight many Belizeans are at a crossroads as they consider creative alternatives to the crippling costs of transportation.

Investing some sweat equity of our own, we hit the streets, searching for ways to save some cash.

Andrew Ordoñez, Proprietor, Ordoñez Bike Shop
“Bicycles are very, it’s inexpensive, it’s healthy.”

According to Andrew Ordoñez, proprietor of Ordoñez Bike Shop on Pelican Street, two wheels are definitely the way to go.

Andrew Ordoñez
“I’ve been riding bicycles from since I knew myself, I’ll be forty-three this year and I feel like I’m sixteen years old. So whenever I see anyone riding a bicycle, I say, welcome to the world, you know… it’s good.”

The display rack features the popular beach cruisers, but Ordoñez says his top sellers are road and mountain bikes. And if you think you have to sacrifice style for efficiency… meet the Rat Fink.

But as any motorist in Belize City can tell you, bike riding on our streets is an extreme sport, which is why Ordoñez stresses the importance of safety.

Andrew Ordoñez
“You have to pay attention to traffic rules, remember you are a part of the traffic, so you’re just like a motor vehicle, so obey traffic signs, obey traffic rules, make signals and what is important you must wear a helmet. If you ride you want to hydrate, drink fluids you know, to keep you energetic.”

Bicycles will make you sweat off the pounds, but if you’re in the need for speed, you might want to rev up one of these babies.

There are a number of scooter dealers in the city, but most recently high volume furniture and appliance retailer Courts has taken the plunge.

Geovanni Guerra
“People understand and people know that they need to pay less gas coming in… And we have been selling a lot, put it that way.”

Scooter salesman Geovanni Guerra says their complete motorcycle package, including helmet and insurance, will cost less than the fuel being pumped into your car.

Geovanni Guerra, Scooter Salesman
“People using cars are using like say, fifty to sixty dollars a week, these can go to ten dollars, twelve dollars a week. You have the smaller ones, which are the ninety CC’s, which carry you ten dollars for the week. The hundred and twenty-five CC’s, the much bigger ones, they carry you like twelve dollars for the week, so you see the difference in gas.”

But if scooters and bikes ain’t you’re thing, in Belize, you can bling with butane.

Barney Brown
“I just go buy every time I filled the tank which is thirty-six gallons and I drove like three hundred miles per tank.”

At half the cost of gasoline, lower butane prices have made some local businessmen, like Barney Brown, convert their tanks to accept the popular cooking fuel.

Janelle Chanona
“Would you recommend this system to other people who never even heard of this conversion to butane?”

Barney Brown
“I think if they want to save money, they can do that. It carry a gauge on the tank, and it can tell you if you getting empty, but it carry a gauge on the tank.”

Janelle Chanona
“And the smell?”

Barney Brown
“Only when the guys come and full up the tank it gets a little smelly, but otherwise, nothing.”

The alternate transportation tactics smell like a good idea to Belize City’s Traffic Manager Michael Godoy.

Michael Godoy, Belize City Traffic Manager
“Obviously if a country like Venezuela, who produces fuel will have taxi operators using these eight cylinder vehicles burning butane, why can’t we do the same in Belize?”

Godoy maintains that driven safely, the different wheels would greatly alleviate Belize City’s traffic congestion.

Michael Godoy, Belize City Traffic Manager
“In terms of the ordinary man who is using a car, he will probably park that car and use the motorcycle. And so what we have in effect is more bicycles, more motorcycles and more space on the streets instead of these lots of vehicles that we have on the street at this point in time.”

“Two wheelers obviously are not like the four wheelers that you have some sort of protection from the body of the vehicle, your body is going to take the lick there and you can’t go and buy parts at the market. (Chuckles)