Gas prices....

[Nekojin]

Americans are more dependent on their cars, because our infrastructure isn't anywhere near as compact as Europe's.

Actually, it's a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation. Americans enjoy the freedom that personal transportation gives, so public mass transit has a hard time getting a foothold and becoming financially self-sustaining, so people are less inclined to use the mass transit because it's not as convenient...

[tsar]

If I am not mistaken (please correct me), but mass transit is much more developed in Europe. Few areas don't have access.

I live in the Metro DC area the "capital of the free world" and I am forced to drive, because there isn't a metro station near me.

Americans are more dependent on their cars, because our infrastructure isn't anywhere near as compact as Europe's.

Welcome to Finland... I'm lucky to live near enough of my city-centre (well, according to any international standard, it's a town at most...) to be able to use bus for my trip to work. 10 to 15 minutes by car, about 45 minutes by bus - per direction. If I use my 26mpg car to go to work and back, it'll be about 90-100€ per week (~140-150$ /week) Including other driving as well, of course. If I worked anywhere else than in the absolute city centre, I would be forced to drive also.

My parents live only 10 km farther in the same direction from the city-centre, and any mass transport just doesn't exist there. For taxation reasons diesel is here actually cheaper at the pump, in the neighbourhood of 7,5 to 8$ per gallon, but they really do need two cars, and they have to use about 150$ to 200$ per week on the ~32mpg diesel, and some 70$ to 100$ per week on their ~30mpg petrol car.


And the bus service is a bit overrated, at least in this neck of the woods. Quite about the only place one can reasonably get-to by it is the city-centre, where one'll have to change to a different bus to get elsewhere, which can take up to ½-hour waiting time. This probably would be otherwise if I lived in a larger concentreation of humans, but I'm already living in the second largest "city" in the nation. (Or third, kinda changes every few years...)
Germany, France etc might be different, but in Finland the infrastructure is "a bit" scarce also.

[edit] please note that all conversions to miles, dollars, etc have been made via google, and I have no idea of their correctness[/edit]

[Peppergirl]

I have the same problem with booking airline tickets. Gas goes up, so does jet fuel, hence the price of a ticket goes up.

This, of course, is ALL my personal fault, don't ya know?

Prices here in Cincinnati jumped from 3.17 to 3.49 on Tuesday. My Jetta is on a quarter tank.

[ebonyknight]

As poster from Germany said, be happy
8.1$/gallon (about 63% of price is taxes) in Finland

If I am not mistaken (please correct me), but mass transit is much more developed in Europe. Few areas don't have access.

I live in the Metro DC area the "capital of the free world" and I am forced to drive, because there isn't a metro station near me.

Americans are more dependent on their cars, because our infrastructure isn't anywhere near as compact as Europe's.

[chops]

The one thing I actually did like about rising gas prices was the fact that it brought business into many car dealerships. We'd get people looking to get out from under Durangos, F-150s, Tahoes, you name it, and into a Vue or an Ion. They'd do just about anything to wipe out their negative equity.

Sadly, much of that has died off, and probably will stay that way until gas prices reach $4 a gallon. I used to be able to say "I'll believe it when I see it" but I have actually seen $4+ diesel, which is close enough in my book.

[edible_hat]

AU$1.429/liter (lowest price I saw today for regular unleaded) converts to AU$5.409/gallon, which is US$5.08.

It takes me AU$20-$30 a week to cover my weekly driving (last fill was $56, but that was 2 weeks worth of driving) in my 2002 Holden Barina. My boss drives a big honking Chrysler and this week it cost him AU$100 to fill.

[tsar]

If only I'd get gas prices like that.
We're talking in the ballpark of 8 - 8,2 $/gallon here...

[daleduke17]

you don't need a pickup in bloomington(I'm originally from kankakee)

seriously though, the Dakota's a nice truck, I'm looking at getting a Tacoma, because I have friends who's houses I need a truck to get to in spring, and may end up in a cabin in the hills on a dirt road(extra wide ATV trail is more accurate) for cheap rent when i move out of the parents house, and I want to be able to transport ATVs and snowmobiles

Nice to see another Illinoisan on here (well, former that is).

Living in the part of town I do, yeah I do. Especially when it snows. I think we're just above cul de sacs on the priority level to get plowed. Also, with the way the city is "working" on potholes, we'll be on glorified field lanes soon. :-p

[AKWalMartCartGuy]

you don't need a pickup in bloomington(I'm originally from kankakee)

seriously though, the Dakota's a nice truck, I'm looking at getting a Tacoma, because I have friends who's houses I need a truck to get to in spring, and may end up in a cabin in the hills on a dirt road(extra wide ATV trail is more accurate) for cheap rent when i move out of the parents house, and I want to be able to transport ATVs and snowmobiles

[daleduke17]

Of course the people doing the complaining are usually the ones driving a vehicle that gets 12mpg.

Who cares how much a vehicle gets per gallon? Not to start an argument, but, I am tired of hearing people say "Well, stop driving a truck", "you can't complain, you have a SUV" or "get a hybrid" or other such phrases when someone talks about gas prices.

Some people need pickup trucks, just as others need SUVs or minivans. I am looking at getting a Dakota (or something similar) this next go around since I need a vehicle with seating room (and want something to handle IL winters). Should I have any less ability to complain about prices compared to the person who drives a little 4 cylinder Neon? Yeah, it is going to cost me a little more, but, 3.45/gal is the same for both of us.

Just like the people who (sorry for possible offending to some) who keep saying "be lucky, it's more expensive *insert country*". Yes, we all know this. Americans are accostomed to cheaper gas than the current prices. Hence the irritation.

I apologize for this being a little angrier than I had intended.

[AKWalMartCartGuy]

$4.98 in Bethel, Alaska

they have to fly it in on a tanker airplane though

cheapest gas in the state is $3.16 in Anchorage, Alaska taxes the shit out of the oil companies' profits(60%, they can do this because they own the land the companies are drilling on) so the residents pay next to nothing along the the lines of state taxes

[onkko]

As poster from Germany said, be happy
8.1$/gallon (about 63% of price is taxes) in Finland

[VenomX]

My boss gets 6 cents/gallon before credit card fees and payroll.

[jerkface11]

People love to complain about the price of gas going up. Then they whine that the oil companies make too much money. All of this without realizing that the oil companies make $.25 a gallon while the government makes over $.50 a gallon. Of course the people doing the complaining are usually the ones driving a vehicle that gets 12mpg.

[VenomX]

Think that is bad, I have never understood this, but I would get tons of people putting 50 or 75 cents. At $3.00 a gallon 50 cents is going to get you nowhere.

We tell them no on anything under $1. We use to say no to anything under $5 but seems the boss/owner lost some of his backbone.