This is gettin' serious guys

[Anton P. Nym]

I too rely on public transit for travel mostly, the few exceptions being car-pooling (in someone else's car, I don't own a dino-burner) with me chipping in or picking up the tab for lunch or something. So no impact on my lifestyle yet, though there's rumblings that transit fares here will be going up in the Fall if the gas prices stay high.

-- Steve

 

[TheThanatos]

I have never been happier to ride a motorcycle. I get 60mpg, so every two weeks it costs me $16 bucks to refill my tank. I'm glad it's only a 4-gallon tank, since I have to use premium gas at $4.50 a gallon. I feel bad for all the folks who had to move out to the boonies because housing in my city was too expensive, and now they are being bled dry just to make it to work.

On the other hand, I glory in the suffering of every single Hummer, Navigator, and Big Fuckin' Ego Monster Truck on the road. I hate those things. "I love it! I'm so safe!" No, you are not safe, you are protected which is not the same thing at all. You think you can see everything? Well then why didn't you see me? Oh yeah, that's right, because I was riding along the enormous blind spot on the passenger side that comes from having the top edge of the door panel 5 feet above the ground. And the roar of your Cummings Turbo Diesel engine drowned out my horn and the pounding of my fist on your door as you blithely rolled right into my lane. I hope you die in a caribou stampede.

...

What were we talking about again?

Ahhhh yes stuff like that makes me want to shove a metal pole on the inside of my bike fairings to smash the crap out of there window's. I'm glad my bike gets about 60 miles to a gallon to. My brother on the other hand drives a celica gt4 turbo and it's costing him more. And yes come to the UK and pay our prices for petrol and see how bad it is, grumble grumble damn government tax.

 

[HSIAMetalKing]

I ride a bike to work, luckily-- since it's just down the street from where I live. But I agree-- the area I live in is extremely... what's the word I'm looking for... separated? Basically we've got three towns, all connected by highways. Lots of driving is involved to get to where different people live-- sometimes we just don't bother because of the price of gas. This leaves me playing SSBB all alone, since online play is hellishly laggy.

 

[xenxander]

some have to drive 25miles to work and back and public transportation doesn't travel out to urban areas in the U.S. It's actually a private curse (one I saw when I was 7yrs old actually) about people wanting to move "Out" instead of "Up". I personally have nothing against a good spacious apartment in a city but so many people want a "lawn" and a large dog (good god people... *sigh* it's just grass and a yapping mouth to feed!...)

Anyway, as the U.S. didn't really evolve around public transportation (I'm referring to post W.W. II era when the industries really took off in the "POV" (privately owned vehicle) sector and "Urban Sprawl" became the plague of the land).

My Toyota truck gets 23mpg if I'm careful and that's still not a lot, but it's more than any sports car (ever seen how "Fuel efficient" Lamborghini's are? *smirks* and we all know Hummers and SUVs are terrible at fuel efficiency - they have been since the beginning)...

People are becoming more aware of that, as the GM plant near my college has to shut down on some weeks because the only thing it makes is SUVs and they have a massive overstock inventory right now (you can see it from the road).

What ever happened to the old "station wagons" for "soccer moms" and the old "Punch buggy" (that's old style 80's volts wagons for you non-Americans) for the "town car"? I'm really considering getting a motorcycle and selling my truck but for now I won't.

I sell plasma twice a week (earns $65 / week) for gas money and that pays for my fuel (for now)

 

[x Flib x]

Well I'm British so I have to handle real petrol rpice problems. The American price of petrol is heaven, it's 1/3 of what us Englishmen have to pay. The equivalent of $12 a gallon, it's ridiculous, and 80% of it is tax.

 

[General Ma Chao]

I drive a 1999 Saturn. It's pretty good as mileage goes but still this is becoming too much with my employment situation. I would gladly sell my car if I could. It would be one less thing to worry about. Unfortunately, on the east coast of the US all bus routes literally lead to New York. If you want people to use public transportation then you have to make it worth their while.

 

[electric discordian]

Public transport eh? I used to work two towns over, it took me an hour to get to work, I started work at six am the first bus started at eight, also for those jaunts to the cinema or after work drinkies the last bus was at eight.

Equally I now live in a better area for public transport but it took me 15 mins to work by car 45 mins walking and wait for it a whole 2 hours to change 2 buses and get the tram.

This coupled with the massive parking charges, threatened congestion charges and the councils brilliant road narrowing schemes Manchester Uk is becoming a horrendous place to live work and spend money.

All this and I am training to be a driving instructor. So it will only get more expensive.

 

[sms_117b]

I cycle everywhere so gas wise I'm not effected, however my food bill has increased by 50% (over last 6 months!) and I'm buying the same stuff

 

[xenxander]

Everything cost more with higher petrol costs - energy burns oil (for the most part - most the world does; though coal is becoming more prevalent it doesn't offset enough) in heating cost and in travel cost of goods from factory to merchant....

so I eat oatmeal still at $2 / tube and it lasts all week.

 

[zachbob2]

If the enviromentalist let us drill in anwar the gas price would go down far.

 

[Robertbobby91]

I sold my gas car for an electric. Fuck teh man.

 

[ThePoodonkis]

Yeah, we (the US) have really hurt gas prices since our We-Had-Nothing-Better-We-Wanted-to-Do-So-Why-Not-Screw-Over-Everyone war.

I speak for all...-wait no, George Dubya Bush wouldn't agree with me, he's making money off this.

I speak for most Americans when I say sorry for destroying the economy.

 

[Saskwach]

If the enviromentalist let us drill in anwar the gas price would go down far.

For a while, but then we'd soon get right back where we were, except worse because more people have vehicles.
Me, I'm a public transport kind of guy, but it's a bit hard when late night buses are near non-existent and Sunday is almost as bad, so I mooch a lot as well.

 

[Silver]

Yeah, we (the US) have really hurt gas prices since our We-Had-Nothing-Better-We-Wanted-to-Do-So-Why-Not-Screw-Over-Everyone war.

I speak for all...-wait no, George Dubya Bush wouldn't agree with me, he's making money off this.

I speak for most Americans when I say sorry for destroying the economy.

Yeah... That's not the biggest problem with America and gas prices. It's the fact that everyone has a car and drives all the time, and everywhere.

 

[TheIceface]

Los Angeles has the worst public transit system I've ever used. Here in China, the govt keeps a real close eye on public transit. The buses are frequent and accurate, while the taxis are cheap and numerous. Then again, if I was living on an average Chinese paycheck, the taxis would be too expensive to take every day. (Taxi ride is usually 15 RMB [2$] to go downtown while the bus is 1RMB [0.14$])

 

[Conqueror Kenny]

Luckily I live close enough to a train station that I can walk there but far away enough that the trains don't bother me. Good ol' public transport.

 

[DraftPickle]

Filling up a 2litre car in america $20 in Britain $80-$90, you americans have it easy

 

[Yan-Yan]

I'm sorry but people in the US don't understand high prices in anything. Come to the UK or the Scandinavian countries and you'll understand.

I wanted to come here and say this, but then I got distracted by the motorcycle rant, and lost my train of thought. Seriously, we here in the US are SPOILED when it comes to gas prices. Head as far away as Canada and it's a huge difference.

When I was in the Netherlands, I rode a bike with my SO, and it was great. Well, after I re-learned how to ride a bike. Seriously, I'd forgotten. I couldn't keep balance to save my life for the first day. "As easy as riding a bike", my ass!

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

I'm sorry but people in the US don't understand high prices in anything. Come to the UK or the Scandinavian countries and you'll understand.

I wanted to come here and say this, but then I got distracted by the motorcycle rant, and lost my train of thought. Seriously, we here in the US are SPOILED when it comes to gas prices. Head as far away as Canada and it's a huge difference.

Went to Arabia five years ago. Full tank of petrol cost me £1.50/$3.