petrol prices etc

[Big Al]

Just been watching telly and an american trader was on saying their petrol at the pumps have gone up by 20 cents a gallon in just one week to $3.37.......... That's £2.07 PER GALLON !!!
April go up by 20p per script. Also dental fees are going up then as well.


Anyone for a Tunisia style revolution ??

[boboff]

Trouble is we can't agree on Raspberry pruning, how on earth could we agree on running a country!

Or are you some spam bot from the Anarchists?:0)

[Big Al]

Trouble is we can't agree on Raspberry pruning, how on earth could we agree on running a country!

Or are you some spam bot from the Anarchists?:0)

I can't even spelk the word anarchist but how do you know anarchjists like spam on their bottoms?

[greenorelse]

Just been watching telly and an american trader was on saying their petrol at the pumps have gone up by 20 cents a gallon in just one week to $3.37.......... That's £2.07 PER GALLON !!!

I know, isn't it so incredibly cheap? Especially when you consider the sheer amount of energy in a gallon of fuel.

[happyhippy]

Well I heard on the news this morning,soon we can expect to pay £2 per litre!I really wish I did'nt have a car.We used to live in a fairly big town and I could either cycle to work or walk.Since we moved 14 mths ago I had no choice but to buy a car¬!When is all this going to end?Is it ever going to get better for us?

[Big Al]

Well I heard on the news this morning,soon we can expect to pay £2 per litre!I really wish I did'nt have a car.We used to live in a fairly big town and I could either cycle to work or walk.Since we moved 14 mths ago I had no choice but to buy a car¬!When is all this going to end?Is it ever going to get better for us?

The short answer is probably not. What with the turmoil in the oil states but also the peak oil crisis etc. Why do you need a car? Have you thought clinically about your travel arrangements? I'm not castigating you at all as I drive a V6 2.6 ltr Omega that can get 7.3 MPG but usually about 17 mpg but i only drive it when I can afford it or need to because of illness.
The secret is not to beat yourself up about it. We can't do anything about the petrol price so it is not worth worrying about it.

If you went outside and turned the key in the ignition and the engine blew up how would you cope in
1, the imediate travel plan
2, the medium term and
3, the long term.

Take care,

BA

[TheGoodEarth]

BA - If you are only getting 7.3MPG at worst then either you have a leak or are driving like a nutjob!

[happyhippy]

I only drive a small car(1.2litre)but I had gone without owning a car for 4 years before we moved,and found it very liberating not to own a car.We moved out of the town(too noisy,crap neighbours)and went back to living ina village because basically we're both country folk at heart.We're much happier here,but the pay off of that is we both work in different directions so we both have to own cars.I did consider public transport,but on some of my shifts I start work at 7am and the first bus does'nt pick up until 7.05!!!!In an emergency I would have to skip work I guess,and take it as either sick leave or use holiday.I do ensure I keep my car as roadworthy as possible for that reason,I don't like it but its just something I have to do!

[greenorelse]

The answer to the "I need a car for work" people is usually:

walk
cycle
get a moped
more efficient car
public transport
get work nearer home
home nearer work
work from home
car share

Any others?

We can always find a reason for not doing something but all of the above should be considered as thoroughly as possible and in many cases some of these choices are doable, sometimes not convenient or affordable.

I believe that we will be forced - are being forced - into making changes. The current localised crises may or may not blow over but, with oil as with a glass of beer, once you've consumed half you're well on the way to the dregs. And just about every new person on the planet will be asking for his or her share of dwindling fossil fuels.

I personally think these changes will be good for us. We will have to adapt and use our ingenuity, skills maybe not generally valued in these days of having everything immediately.

Something the government could do is reduce road speeds, as in Spain. They could also pressure motor manufacturers to produce more efficient cars.

happyhippy, something you can do is try to press for more convenient public transport; as prices rise, you'll find many more people as allies.

[cocobelle]

Programme on R4 about the fuel prices on now Very interesting. Especially the hike in public transport prices in certain cities (not everywhere), which is already sky high in Bristol where I live. I live about 1/2 a mile from the city centre, usually I walk or cycle, but when I broke my foot I had to get the bus at an extortionate price of £2.40.
Interesting programme though.

[Big Al]

BA - If you are only getting 7.3MPG at worst then either you have a leak or are driving like a nutjob!

2.6 v6 aout box on sports mode with kick down... 0 to 60 in 6.3 secs........ nut job defo!!

I didn't say I drove like that i said I "could" get that.

HH, that's alaways a problem with the busses. As said on the radio 4 programme it's ok to use public transport if you are used to it and savvy about the timetables, advance booking etc but in general it's not convenient enough to use for many. Another one said it was cheaper to give up work and stay at home because their costs for transpoort was more than a third of their salery.

As for the future, the fact that car companies are now going full scale into electric means they know we are running out of petrol / oil etc. I'm in the position of not being able to trade in my big car as it's only worth a couple of grand now so I'll be using it less and less until the cost of leccy cars come dow n and go onto the second hand sales.

[gregorach]

Well I heard on the news this morning,soon we can expect to pay £2 per litre!I really wish I did'nt have a car.We used to live in a fairly big town and I could either cycle to work or walk.Since we moved 14 mths ago I had no choice but to buy a car¬!

You had a choice, and you choose to move somewhere where you need a car.

When is all this going to end?

When the rising price of oil either (a) makes the maintenance of private cars powered by internal combustion engines completely untenable, or (b) destroys the economy to the point where you either haven't got a job at all, or your job doesn't pay enough for you to afford to drive to it - whichever comes first.

Is it ever going to get better for us?

Depends on what you mean by "better"... If you mean "cheaper to run your car", then no, it isn't. This is only the beginning. (OK, there may be occasional downward fluctuations in running cost, but the long-term trend is going to be relentlessly upwards, in real terms at least.)

Sorry to have to be the bearer of bad news.

[greenorelse]

Well said gregorach. You're right in the long and, increasingly, medium term.

In the short term, remember that (a) motor fuel is still extremely cheap and (b) cars are very cheap too - yes, thousands still - but I mean in relative terms.

Also, the motorist is subsidised through general taxation as well as motor tax (same tax whether you do one mile or a million in a year) and through societally-born costs such as police, ambulance, fire service etc. Then there's the uncosted subsidies from the environment.

Then we have governments squandering taxpayer funds supporting rich people through scrappage schemes and electric car promotion.

It's entirely possible the cost the overall relative cost of motoring will come down in the medium term, too, as manufacturers do their damndest to sell as many vehicles as possible in a doomed market.

I won't be amongst the least happy to see a €10+ litre - it is about time people appreciated this one-off legacy of fossil fuels.

[happyhippy]

Greenorelse:yes I might consider changing jobs to somewhere closer so I can cycle to work or walk.The only issue I have with that right now is the organisation I currently work for pays quite well(yes I know money is'nt everything but my husband's wage is crap,and at the moment I am considering maybe a move back to Australia so current job allows me to save)so until I make a decision,then I have to accept petrol price hikes,and sometimes,I admit,its not easy to do.
Gregorach:I'm afraid I did'nt have a choice where we moved,my husband made that choice for me.I'm not about to open my heart on a forum but don't please don't assume anything.

[greenorelse]

Greenorelse:yes I might consider changing jobs to somewhere closer so I can cycle to work or walk.

Millions of people are going to have to consider this type of option and the sooner the better. Most of what we consume will have to be produced within walking, cycling or riding distance and this is something I would welcome to give this poor planet we're trashing a breather. I try my best to buy locally-produced goods, especially if organic and/or vegan, but there again I'm a bit strange.