tricycle rant

[hk blues]

3 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

Scott, you did not mention "money." I think oft times they put that above everything except self?

I disagree.  I have lived in places where money was worshipped far and away more then here - Hong Kong for one.  The poverty we see day in and day out here leads to a need for money, not a love of it IMO.  

[Tommy T.]

57 minutes ago, hk blues said:

I disagree.  I have lived in places where money was worshipped far and away more then here - Hong Kong for one.  The poverty we see day in and day out here leads to a need for money, not a love of it IMO.  

I don't totally agree nor disagree with you there, except that you say other places may worship it more. I am totally ignorant about that. I don't think that changes the situation here, but maybe gives comparison?

But I do see your point too. I also know there is abject poverty here in PI. Can't help but notice a bit of it along the Davao and Pasig Rivers, along the Davao waterfront north of the ferry terminal to cite a few.

However I have encountered lots of greedy locals here and L has been the one to point many of them out to me. It exhibits often - as has been discussed in previous threads - as showing off possessions or what money they have. She has had numerous incidents with friends or acquaintances bragging and displaying expensive new cars, condos, cell phones, clothing. Of course, not everyone is like that.

But there is a lot of it, I believe - try counting the Fortuners, HiLux's, Ranger Raptors (like the one that side-swiped us on Friday afternoon), other expensive cars. Look at the prices of real estate. Look at the nice homes on display. Witness the family feuds about money such as what Steve has described and others have mentioned. Marcos family and - as I watched on a documentary just last night - apparently most Presidents of the P.I. - have had legal problems associated with greed.(I thought the narrator said that all did, but I was getting sleepy and don't remember now).  I know I am not totally correct at all, but I am trying to make the point that money and greed have a big place here.

Sorry I am digressing... Bringing us back on topic, that is why the taxi, jeepney, van, bus and tricycle drivers hustle hustle hustle. They are paid by how much they can collect by how fast they drive and how many paying customers they can move.  I know - I drove a taxi before... It was always hustle. But I at least obeyed the law and was careful and never got a ticket doing that.

 

Edited February 24, 2020 by Tommy T.

[hk blues]

37 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

I don't totally agree with you there, except that other places may worship it more. But I do see your point too. I also know there is abject poverty. Can't help but notice a bit of it along the Davao and Pasig Rivers, along the Davao waterfront north of the ferry terminal to cite a few.

However I have encountered lots of greedy locals here and L has been the one to point many of them out to me. It exhibits often - as has been discussed in previous threads - as showing off possessions or what money they have. She has had numerous incidents with friends or acquaintances bragging and displaying expensive new cars, condos, cell phones, clothing. Of course, not everyone is like that.

But there is a lot of it, I believe - try counting the Fortuners, HiLux's, Ranger Raptors (like the one that side-swiped us on Friday afternoon), other expensive cars. Look at the prices of real estate. Look at the nice homes on display. Witness the family feuds about money such as what Steve has described and others have mentioned. Marcos family and - as I watched on a documentary just last night - apparently most Presidents of the P.I. - have had legal problems associated with greed.(I thought the narrator said that all did, but I was getting sleepy and don't remember now).  I know I am not totally correct at all, but I am trying to make the point that money and greed have a big place here.

Sorry I am digressing... Bringing us back on topic, that is why the taxi, jeepney, van, bus and tricycle drivers hustle hustle hustle. They are paid by how much they can collect by how fast they drive and how many paying customers they can move.  I know - I drove a taxi before... It was always hustle. But I at least obeyed the law and was careful and never got a ticket doing that.

 

I guess we could be getting into semantics - you mention the fancy cars as evidence of the love of money.  I argue that it is nothing to do with showing they have money - it is more about prestige and status and having a big car is a great way to display that.  Semantics perhaps. 

[Tommy T.]

20 minutes ago, hk blues said:

I guess we could be getting into semantics - you mention the fancy cars as evidence of the love of money.  I argue that it is nothing to do with showing they have money - it is more about prestige and status and having a big car is a great way to display that.  Semantics perhaps. 

You could be right. We should have a beer and discuss this in intricate detail...

And I cannot always express myself properly no matter how wordy I can be! If I could more accurately describe the situations I allude to, you might....just might agree...at least a little?

Meanwhile... I think we agree that trike drivers can be a dangerous, if necessary evil?

I'm trying to stay on topic...

Edited February 24, 2020 by Tommy T.

[Marvin Boggs]

1 hour ago, Tommy T. said:

You could be right. We should have a beer and discuss this in intricate detail...

And I cannot always express myself properly no matter how wordy I can be! If I could more accurately describe the situations I allude to, you might....just might agree...at least a little?

Meanwhile... I think we agree that trike drivers can be a dangerous, if necessary evil?

I'm trying to stay on topic...

There is, I believe, ultimately a better solution to tricycles.  I'm speaking of the little tuk-tuks that are starting to appear, you may know them as the "Bajaj RE".  Being pricier than a tricycle, I can't imagine they would ever take hold without some incentive from the municipality.  But the drivers and passengers love them.  They are narrower than a tricycle too, as an added bonus, and are more....'vehicular'... in traffic.  Not sure why, but I have not seen the same kind of bad manners with them as I do with the tricycles. 

[Tommy T.]

1 hour ago, Marvin Boggs said:

Not sure why, but I have not seen the same kind of bad manners with them as I do with the tricycles. 

Maybe because they ARE pricier so more to lose if they break them? If they are what I think you are describing, they have a lot of them over in Davao Oriental.

Edited February 24, 2020 by Tommy T.

[hk blues]

1 hour ago, Tommy T. said:

You could be right. We should have a beer and discuss this in intricate detail...

And I cannot always express myself properly no matter how wordy I can be! If I could more accurately describe the situations I allude to, you might....just might agree...at least a little?

Meanwhile... I think we agree that trike drivers can be a dangerous, if necessary evil?

I'm trying to stay on topic...

I don't disagree that people here love money...but I'd say less so than in our respective countries so if we're going to point fingers we should point them in our own direction first.  For me, it's a difference between need and want.  

Trike drivers are no more or less dangerous than most other road users here - so I kinda agree with you but...

[Marvin Boggs]

9 minutes ago, hk blues said:

 

Trike drivers are no more or less dangerous than most other road users here - so I kinda agree with you but...

That's where I disagree, because they have so much more to lose.  A trike and its occupants simply won't survive an altercation with a Fortuner.  I do agree that their antics are no different than other drivers, just that the costs are potentially much higher.  

To my original point, I would think they would give way for sake of their own survival, but are apparently too hard headed. 

[hk blues]

16 minutes ago, Marvin Boggs said:

 I do agree that their antics are no different than other drivers...

 

That's my only point.

[GeoffH]

57 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

Maybe because they ARE pricier so more to lose if they break them? If they are what I think you are describing, they have a lot of them over in Davao Oriental.

 

There are a lot of them used as private family vehicles around CDO  and some of them are for hire but there are a lot more tricycles for hire (and only a few of those are private use signed).