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+--- Thread: Hitchhikers and "Da Thumb" (/showthread.php?tid=1715)
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Hitchhikers and "Da Thumb" - Guest - 12-29-2007
Every time I go home I see more and more hitch hikers.
What is the deal with so many "Thumbers"?
So I'll just throw this out for discussion.
I thought it was illegal. Yet I see people doing it all the time.
According to Hawaii law, a hitchhiker (or pedestrian) must be completely off highway property. Read the exact wording of the law below...
Pedestrians soliciting rides, business or attention of motorist.
(a) Except as otherwise provided by county ordinance, no person shall stand in, walk along, or otherwise occupy a portion of a highway for the purpose of soliciting a ride, employment, business, or contributions from the occupant of any vehicle.
According to this site
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Coming home soon!
RE: Hitchhikers and "Da Thumb" - Hotzcatz - 12-29-2007
Price of gas goes up, you'll see more and more hitch hikers. It did used to be much more common for them not to thumb a ride but just sort of stand by the road. Now with the bus, eventually they will all get a ride.
Tourists hitch hike, too! I've seen them although they tend to be on the Belt highway and not on the Puna highway. (Sorry, I don't keep track of highway numbers although we met some Canadian tourists today who were looking for "the nineteen".)
RE: Hitchhikers and "Da Thumb" - Beachboy - 12-30-2007
quote:
Originally posted by Damon
What is the deal with so many "Thumbers
So I'll just throw this out for discussion.
I thought it was illegal. Yet I see people doing it all the time.
According to Hawaii law, a hitchhiker (or pedestrian) must be completely off highway property. Read the exact wording of the law below...
Pedestrians soliciting rides, business or attention of motorist.
(a) Except as otherwise provided by county ordinance, no person shall stand in, walk along, or otherwise occupy a portion of a highway for the purpose of soliciting a ride, employment, business, or contributions from the occupant of any vehicle.
According to this site
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Coming home soon!
Damon, have you ever given a ride to any of these individuals on the side of the road? I'm guessing the influx of hitchers is directly related to the price of gas & economy.
Hawaii's finest is not gonna write up these down and out individuals. There is no money in that for them. They'd much rather put the squeeze on drug sellers, etc,etc..
Handle every situation like a dog,If you can't eat it or hump it,piss on it and walk away...
RE: Hitchhikers and "Da Thumb" - Kelena - 12-30-2007
On a previous trip, the rental car company gave me a big old car. On that trip, against all reason, I picked up three hitchhikers, all in the Kapoho area. One was a very thin man with very long hair who was a stranger to the bathtub[^], another was a cute surfer who managed to stick his surfboard in the car[8D], and the last was girl who just needed to get from one place to another[:I]. All of them were quiet and polite.
At the time, I was trying to find and buy a place of my own over there and was highly superstitious. I kept thinking about the story of Pele, and how she may appear in many forms, including the form of someone who comes asking for help.
I'm pretty sure the surfer was Pele. I could feel the heat.
RE: Hitchhikers and "Da Thumb" - gtill - 12-30-2007
Yep the hitching was common previously, but the no thumb thing started on maui because of an anti hippie ordinance. We routinely picked people up, but bypassed the obviously unbathed unless we had a pickup. Between that and robbers, hitching got a bad name. I hope people who hitch can be respectful of their rides and drivers use some caution picking them up. Evert hitcher could be another car on the road. It's common in most european countries, canada nz and probably aust.
RE: Hitchhikers and "Da Thumb" - Big_Island - 12-30-2007
I think the number of Hitchers has gone down a lot since the bus service started up a few years back. Used to be a couple at the entrance to any given subdivision.
RE: Hitchhikers and "Da Thumb" - Kapohocat - 12-30-2007
Wow! What an immediately relevant topic. My nephew and his friend who are both 19 (and start UHH in 2 weeks) just hitched back from the market this morning. SB gave them a ride there on his way to HPP. They had such an adventure and were just telling me of the 3 different rides and wonderful people they just met. They have only been here since thursday and just think it is so cool to be able to hitch hike (their car arrives in 2 weeks). Kids! Don't they just have a great energy!
RE: Hitchhikers and "Da Thumb" - maud gonne - 01-01-2008
Hitchhiking which is still relatively safe in Puna is one of the very special things about the area. The very first time we arrived on the BI we rented a car and picked up the first HH we saw. After that, we continued to pick up. Every one, no matter the age or background, was an enriching experience. And when our rental car's battery flaked out (two different times) people stopped to help us - bigtime. It feels like a very good give and take. Now, as a resident, I too hitchhike when possible, to save gas and not add to the traffic and when I've had car trouble. I hope this ride sharing can continue safely as Puna's population expands.
RE: Hitchhikers and "Da Thumb" - Guest - 01-02-2008
quote:
...
Damon, have you ever given a ride to any of these individuals on the side of the road? ...
Beachboy,
After the Dana Ireland Case I do not pick up strangers.
I understand that this case had nothing to do with Hitchhikers, however, this gave me a very long lasting ill feeling towards some of the roads of PUNA and the way that people without transportation are often treated.
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Coming home soon!
RE: Hitchhikers and "Da Thumb" - gtill - 01-12-2008
Damon, Dana Ireland was riding a bike and was savaged by thugs. Not a pedestrian incident. But yea, hitchers have gotten a bad rap.