What are the gas prices where you are?

An insider's viewpoint:

I am now retired from teaching at THE university here in Atlanta. My specialties included urban and regional planning, real estate development courses, environmental studies and urban economics. In the days before Katrina, a memorable discussion ensued about the price of gas and conservation.

We, the class and I, researched and concluded that gas at $3-$4/gal in the U.S. was going to be the norm for awhile. Conservation would not really become a major issue for Americans unless gas doubled in cost overnight. And even then, only a minor decrease in gas usage would be expected because of several unique factors, including attitude in general, infrastructure, demographics, local laws and policies concerning land use, and geographical locations of current housing and employment centers.

7 years later, I stick to the same conclusion with a modification.

Yesterday, after weeks of being stuck at home while taking care of medical issues, my wife and I ventured to Warm Springs, Ga., and the Little White House made famous by former president FDR. The amount of traffic travelling at speeds of 80-95 mph was astounding. HUGE SUVs, pickup trucks and all getting upwards of 10mpg. Foolish Americans. Caravans of recreational vehicles and million dollar RV buses. Extravagant Americans.

The modification is this:
1. Americans will not significantly change their driving habits until gas reaches $8.00/gal or more. (IMO, we Americans think it is our god-given right to drive whatever, whenever, as much and as fast as we want as long as we have a credit card in our pocket that has not been maxed out. Quite arrogant, actually, in my opinion, and please note that I stated "we" as I am part of the problem.)
2. Introducing cars that get double the present-day gas mileage will only allow drivers to "justify" in their foolish minds that they can drive like they do now and even more because the car now gets 35mpg.
3. Any savings in gas conservation (by any means) will disappear with the increasing amount of new drivers added to the roads everyday.
4. Peak oil production will occur soon if not already. Then prices will rise.
5. Average speeds being driven will increase gradually until a significant disaster occurs either nationally or to a national figure at which time, the safety police will suddenly appear with new laws and regulations aimed at protecting drivers, not cutting gasoline consumption.
6. The politicians today are using the "high gas prices" as a tool because as they say, "the high gas prices are hurting Americans, they are suffering". Pure BS in my opinion.

This is 2012. As in any forecast/prediction, etc. it will be wrong. Which way will be determined in the coming future. I await the outcome.:rolleyes:
 
In the St. Louis area it's around $3.79 for regular, right at $4+ for premium. And I agree with Dave Lackey's assessment. I'd love to get back to riding a motorcycle - BMW, perhaps - but knee surgery from a few years back still makes my shifting leg cranky, so I've resisted getting one for now. But gas prices definitely impact how I approach photography now - a lot fewer road trips to out-of-the-way places, which used to be a daily occurrence.
 
Mark A. Fisher said:
In the St. Louis area it's around $3.79 for regular, right at $4+ for premium. And I agree with Dave Lackey's assessment. I'd love to get back to riding a motorcycle - BMW, perhaps - but knee surgery from a few years back still makes my shifting leg cranky, so I've resisted getting one for now. But gas prices definitely impact how I approach photography now - a lot fewer road trips to out-of-the-way places, which used to be a daily occurrence.
Click to expand...

Oh, do I miss my K1200LT!:eek:

Sorry about the knee...maybe it will eventually get good enough to ride again?
 
Ah, yes... ;) In our part of the world, we call it the Pogo viewpoint..."We have met the enemy and he is us".

From Wikipedia:
240px-Pogo_-_Earth_Day_1971_poster.jpg

The scary thing about it is that there is a good chance that it is too late for this country to do much about infrastructure (mass transit, alternatives) and growth patterns. It is a supremely complex problem yet so few people understand that if we all drove 50mpg vehicles in this country, we would have really achieved very little. We would just drive twice as much!

Fewer still, understand the complexity of solutions and the time and commitment it will take for a real energy policy.

So, bring on the $5/gal gas, it isn't so bad. Just adds $32 to my overall transportation cost to Pensacola to meet with RFF friends! See? I really am part of the problem.:p

Thanks for the link, Jon! :)
 
Spanik said:
diesel €1.55/l
super €1.76/l
debt €32400/inhabitant
governmental debt rising at €507/second
Click to expand...


Which confirms my statement. Your petrol prices are all too low. € 1,55/litre is all too low compared to those nations with tidy economy. Belgian petrol prices are even lower than Finland and Sweden.

That's why you have a governmental debt slightly less than 100% of GDP (Which is hefty!). It is that simple. Increase petrol prices by € 0,20/litre and the Belgian governmental budget would go in balance, you Belgians would have to use the bicycle more often (get healthier) - and use the cars less (poor Germans...). This will lead to less wear and tear on your road system and even less pollution, - just as a bonus. After all: We are talking of or Belgium. Not the wast plains of the Mid West. How long time will it take to bicycle from one end of Belgium to the other..?
 
After all: We are talking of or Belgium. Not the wast plains of the Mid West. How long time will it take to bicycle from one end of Belgium to the other..?
Click to expand...

Me? A couple of days. There is a slight peculiarity about Belgium and its workforce. While in (AFAIK) every other country people move closer to their work when it get a bit too much, here we stay where we have build our home and go to work whatever the price to get there. So even while it is a small country you do have a lot of people that have a 1h commute or worse. There are people that travel half the country to get to work, not just for a short period but for years on end.

That's why you have a governmental debt slightly less than 100% of GDP (Which is hefty!).
Click to expand...

I fear that has far more to do with incompetent politicians than the price of gas.
 
Here, on our remote little island, a one hour ferry ride off the northeast coast of Newfoundland, we are paying a whopping $1.50 per litre, ($6.83 per Canadian gallon!) which must make our fuel about the most expensive in all of Canada. We do, however, make up for it by having some of the lowest income taxes, insurance premiums, home prices and electricity rates in the country.

One does not worry too much about the price of fuel here, when an oceanfront home can still be purchased for less than $50,000.

Glen
 
The classical recipe for high public debt is 'low taxes'. Researchers have also found a relation between 'low alcohol prices' and 'huge public debt'.

The moral is: There is no free lunch.
 
The pile-o-crap Con-Dem government we have in the UK has recently advised drivers to fill up and stockpile petrol at home in "Jerry cans". Aside from the fact that stockpiling petrol at home is illegal and very dangerous, the government also caused a wave of panic buying which saw petrol stations across the country run dry inside a day. I was working 200 miles from home and spent a few very anxious hours trying to find somewhere in Dorset / Hampshire that was open and had petrol. Eventually, I found one but they had taken the "opportunity" of raising the price of standard unleaded to £1.47 per litre.

It's comforting to know that our government encourages us to act recklessly first and then seeks discussions with those with a genuine greivance second. Somewhat ironically, te government also had to relax tanker driver working hours regulations to no more than 11 hours per day to enable enough of them to replenish stocks at the "dry" petrol stations.

Still, you get the government you vote for. So, to anyone who voted Tory or Liberal - thank you. NOT.
 
In fact, since I sold my old car last autumn, I'm not in rush buying another. So far I've been fine with a bus, taxi and car sharing (paying car owner for fuel and extra for wear/maintenance). I believe three families of 3-5 members can be good with just two cars. Just lower a bit your level of comfort :)
 
Could there be a corelation between national debt and how good a nation is in football? Then a nation with low petrol prices will also be good in football. Or?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom