Why We'll be Sucking Smoke for a Long Time

Belch on! An aged truck coughs out smoke in central Bogotá.

Yesterday's El Tiempo carried two tragic articles for those of us who care about breathing clean air.

Our lungs suffer from the poisons spewed out by those smog-belching, decades-old trucks which afflict our avenues and highways. And the government had passed a decree ordering the elimination of those old, often-decrepit machines. However, one of the truckers' demands during their recent strike was the elimination of this rule, which cost them income.

And, the truckers won, preserving their right to continue contaminating us for the duration.

'All policies of limiting the useful life in cargo transport are discarded.'

'School transport in suspense over decree to junk old cars.'

The next time you see one of those white school vans drive past, observe whether it's trailing a stream of smoke and you might be surprised to see how old and dirty many of those vehicles are. But, like the truckers, the school van owners are protesting laws requiring them to retire those old, but profitable, smog belchers.

And expect the government to backpedal on this one, too.

Why do the polluters win these battles? It's simple: Their pocketbooks depend on polluting, and so they make noise. Meanwhile, the other 99% of us who would prefer to breathe clean air, keep quiet.

School vans rest between runs in La Candelaria.

An old truck streams smoke near the Universidad Nacional.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours