Off Topic - Price of Gasoline

[ACG]

I live in the San Gabriel Valley, Pasadena area, gas is $2.25 a gallon. I've seen some places post gas as high as $2.43. I blame many people about the pricing of gas ...

I do not have a SUV, don't really see the need for one for me. Used to have a mini van, when my kids got older, actually one can drive, I got a plain sedan (and a bike rack).

I have to have a car, need to take a child to school, then me tow work, would have to leave home at 6:30 a.m. to get child to school and me towork on a buses, etc.

I ride not for transportation, but for psychological therapy. I run small errands on my bike.

[ACG]

Venting ok. I just found one of those, don't buy gas on May 24, to protest things on the fridge here at work. As I am the facilities manager, I had to take it down and moved it to the employee board.

Why don't these bozos figure out ways to not use thier cars at all, maybe cut down the auto usage a couple of days a week and yikes, bike or carpool, etc. I worked in Downtown L.A. for years and I took the bus, the entire time. I loved it, my gas costs were so low, I filled up only every 2 weeks. I have to cart a kid to school, however I only drive around 11 miles a day total now. During my downtown days I could have been up to 30 miles a day, but I did took the bus.

There are million reasons why the gas is high, I think supply and demand, etc. people here like big cars, we are just spoiled, you name it.

[bounceswoosh]

Okay, I just filled up today. $2.16 for premium in Longmont, CO.

[kpc]

I just got my 4th email trying to get me to participate in the don't buy gas on the 19th to protest the gas companies raising prices. Makes me so annoyed! How about if everyone just turned off their cars when parked instead of running the motors to have A/C when waitng for 15 minutes? Or how about if EVERYONE drove 10 miles less each week? Part of me wants to see gas prices rise so that people might try a little conservation.

[Biking Kitsune]

This might be a little inflamatory, but although I agree totally with your desire to see prices rise to encourage conservation, I have a sinking feeling that the rich or at least high upper-class will still run their SUVs, their air conditioning, their hummers, etc. They'll take them for 'round the block trips, just because they can and will continue to afford it. It'd only be the middle and lower classes that would suffer. True we'd all be getting a bit more exercise, but... I like to afford gas for my car, too. =/ Maybe if there were a tax on vehicles that got less than 20 mpg...

[Kpicha]

Originally posted by RdDezert
To answer the topic Q too...in Dallas area, Premium seems to range $1.89-1.90, I buy low grade so it's running $1.79-ish.
Alternative communting and cars, always a hot topic.

Yeah, that's what it was on Friday when I arrived and by the time I left on Sunday, it had inched up to $1.97 in Plano.

Here in the Northern VA area, it just scooted past $2.00 for regular gas.

[Veronica]

I had to do the groceries today and actually bought gad for like the second time this year $2.56/gal for premium.

V.

[Karen London]

Hi girls, just to upset you all, the price of gas in UK is around 85 pence per litre. that's about £3.80 per gallon which is around $7.....

[bounceswoosh]

My husband recently pointed out to me that I'm paying about $2.50 in gas for every day's commute.

Ugh! ... Doing the math, though, it makes perfect sense. I'm sure the new bike rack won't help matters, either.

Part of me wants gas prices to go up, though, so that we'll all feel the need to change our lifestyles.

[jobob]

I'll be in Denmark again in a couple of weeks, tooling around part of the time in a rental car. I'm sure gas is going to cost waaaay more than the $2.35/gal I paid the other day for the 87 octane.

Oh, and not only is the gas expensive, when you buy a car in DK you pay tax amounting to about 2x the purchase price of the vehicle.

It's no wonder bikes are such an integral part of life there!

[Kpicha]

Yeah, that's crazy! I remember when I was travelling through Denmark in 1989 and we were talking to an older gentleman about why no one drove cars. He said the taxes were outrageous and you'd basically be paying about $56k for a Volkswagon Rabbit and that was back in 1989!

[fultzie]

I drove to Chicago and back this weekend-- $2.19 in A2, $2.09 in IL and $1.99 in Niles, MI for Unleaded.

[bikergirl62]

I didn't have time to read all the replies, but here is my thought sorry if I'm repeating: Hey bike gear manufacturers!!! Come out with some stuff so that we can ride our bikes in all weather and take our kids around safely!!! I've been ready to stop driving for 20 years! I used to bike to work before I had children. I would love to buy gear to make that possible - some kind of cover so that you can ride in the rain - some kind of car level trailer for younger children to ride in.

I live in a small town, we just started a bike club, our first ride was Saturday, we laughed that people probably thought we were trying to make a statement ie, bike vs car.

[jobob]

I'd like a way to bike to work w/o getting killed

The annoying thing is, I can make it to within about 2 miles on excellent bike-friendly roads and bike paths. The last 2 mile stretch has absolutely no shoulder on one side (it's right up against a soundwall), is full of parked cars and trucks and driveways for light industry & trailer parks on the other, and serves as a shortcut for when the freeway immediately parallel to it backs up (30 mph speed zone, um, notsomuch). Not very safe for cycling.

There is suposedly a bike path in the works for that area, it would be part of the trail that circles the SF Bay, but I haven't heard anything about it lately - it's probably gone the way of everything else in the latest round of CA budget cuts

Jo <grumble grumble grouse grouse>

[pkq]

Started commuting to work last week via bike and love it. The best part is making money without spending money for gas and wear and tear on the car. It seems gas prices are high because of the War on Terror, which makes it more costly for freighters to dock "over there." It is also higher because we've lost some refining capacity in Houston.......this came from a friend in Louisiana whose employer makes jet fuel. I also heard on the news this week that Europe's high prices are 75% tax. U.S. citizens are taxed enough and we have enough red tape to strangle our economy. Plus over 60% of the world's economy is oil based so I doubt it's going away soon. We all have personal choices to make for health and life, I personally don't want to return to the old days. I kinda' like modern conveniences in their proper place. Lots of forces at work that I don't understand and probably even more we never hear of.