Dear Tico Times:
There is a new monster loose in Costa Rica. This monster kills people, animals, children’s education, tourism, business, roads and peace and quiet. The monster’s name is “tractor trailer.”
On the new Pacific coastal highway (costanera), these monsters are traveling at great speeds, endangering everything in their path. You will know them by their very loud sound, known as frenos de motor, or Jake brakes. This very annoying sound keeps children awake at night and convinces tourists to check out of hotels after a one-night stay, never to return. Businesses are closing down, and animals are leaving or have been killed.
Some 300 of these monsters use the costanera every day and all night, 24/7. They have no respect for anyone or anything. They buy nothing in Costa Rica because they come from Panama, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala. They leave nothing in their path but destruction, death and very tired and upset people.
The laws in Costa Rica prohibit these monsters from using the costanera, but despite all our efforts at contacting the authorities, we have received no response to the problem. There are laws against speeding and excessive noise, so where are the authorities when we need them?
Let’s all get together and kill this monster before it’s too late, before the Costa Rica we have known is forever gone. If anyone has any ideas or would like to help us kill, tame or silence this monster, please contact any of the following authorities:
Costa Rican Tourism Board: 2299-5800; Health Ministry: 2255-2148; Education Ministry: 2256-7011; Public Works and Transport Ministry: 2253-2000; Casa Presidencial: 2207-9100; Environment Ministry: 2233-4533.