Price of fuel is going SKY HIGH!

[jcwit]

And being as everything is at one point or another is shipped by truck all goods encluding food would be much higher.

But then we'll have good roads. Man what misguided logic.

 

[Mr Nice]

jcwit,

Maybe the drop in traffic in your area is due to those people being layed off or their work hours being cut, maybe some people moved out of the area due to the economy ?

I do understand that some have cut their driving and bundled their 'things to do' in one trip.
Even when gas was $4.25 (87 octane) here in south FL, I really didn't notice a drop in traffic. It would be nice that folks didn't have such a long commute to work but they pretty much have no choice in the distance they must travel to and from their job.

 

[jcwit]

Its obvious I believe you live in a populated area and have lots of traffic with folks doing their everyday business. Go out of the city and see what it like and not during the normal commute times. Even the toll road traffic is down, so explain that!

Like I stated, people are not driving as much, its a fact.

I will admit we have lost some of the people around in the area, most moved back south of the border.

You say that people may be laid off or had their hours cut and therefore not driving as much. Well golly, gee whiz, gosh dern, I think thats what I was trying to get across, and you think that just maybe that part of the reason they're laid off is because of the price of gas and the price increase's because of transporting goods. Ya Think?

Remember a few years ago when gas was at it highest that there many people maxing out their credit cards buying gas? Remember?

 

[Mr Nice]

This is a quote from the very wise Gary Allan: "The trick is to reduce your economic footprint."

Theres A LOT more going on in the United States than higher gas prices that cause people to max out their credit cards.

BTW, are you currently employed ?

 

[Spazdog]

Sometimes the prices work to your advantage.

I remember when gas was over $4 gallon, one of the local news affiliates had a story at CarMax where you could get an Escalade for roughly the same price as a Prius.

My dad bought his RV during that time. Ford chassis with a gas V10. Got it significantly cheaper than they had been going for a year earlier. Didn't work out for the RV dealer but he actually moved a unit and my dad got what he wanted.

 

[motorguy222]

I agree that high gas prices will and has made people drive less.If it hasnt,a person can only think that those that drive as normal are wealthy.

Regardless of what some think,most people do have a budget for what they can spend and when gas gets up to $4 to $5 dollars a gallon,that hurts many,especially those that live in areas out of a city as has already been said.

You take a person that has to drive 40+ miles a day one way to work and $5 a gallon gas is going to hurt them terribly.There is really no way around it.Even if you have a car that gets really good gas mileage,a person is going to suffer with gas that high.You take anyone that has a long drive to work,add an extra $2-2.50 per gallon in gas cost and it is going to hurt them.They are in reality,doubling their weekly cost in gas.They may go from $50 a week to $100,that is a huge jump.

Prices that high really hit those that are on fixed incomes,it gets to be a food or go to the doctor type thing and like many that are on fixed incomes,they put off the doctor so that they can eat and pay their other bills.

 

[SkyGod]

40 cent a gallon gasoline tax,added to the already over taxed commodity =$4 per gallon soon.

 

[sciphi]

My neighbors who still have jobs have to commute at least 20-25 miles one way every day, and 80-90 miles one way to find work isn't unheard of. My job involves traveling around the region, usually putting on ~70-100 miles a day. If/when gas hits $4, I'll be merely irritated, as my mileage can be written off. They'll be hurting, as they can't. The wiser ones have gotten cars to replace their pickups as commuters. A lot of folks can't, so they're stuck. Living far from the nearest store doesn't help most folks here, either. Fortunately for me the supermarket is a 7 minute bike ride away.

A large spike in gas prices will put a spike into the area economy's heart, presently on life support.

 

[jcwit]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
This is a quote from the very wise Gary Allan: "The trick is to reduce your economic footprint."

Theres A LOT more going on in the United States than higher gas prices that cause people to max out their credit cards.

BTW, are you currently employed ?


Fully retired and living VERY comfortabley on an extremelly good pension with no house payment or Auto payments on any of our vehicles or credit payments, thank you.

You are correct that their is alot more going on than just higher gas prices that cause people to max out their credit cards. Its called higher prices for everything and part of the higher prices is caused from transportation costs, believe it or not.

My economic footprint is well within reason for my retirement income, even save a good portion each month, so that is not even a consideration for me or mine.

But then again in the grand scheme of things folks are driving less, you may not see it in the metro area where you live but I do here and whever I travel from No. Indiana Chicago to Toledo, from Kalamazoo to Indianapolis. In the cities its not noticed so much as most folks are clogging the streets doing short trips, but then get out on the highways, different storry.

BTW, a good example if you happen to watch NASCAR, take a look at the empty stands, not nearly as full as they were 4 years ago. Which tells me folks aren't DRIVING to the race track. Guess they aren't walking either.

Believe what you wish, but the facts are that driving is down, maybe not for going to work but for shopping and for pleasure. Hasn't affected me but I'm not the average joe.

I might also add, fully retired and enjoying every minute of it, haven't had this much fun since I was a kid. Only drawbact is the joint and muscle pains.

 

[jcwit]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
My neighbors who still have jobs have to commute at least 20-25 miles one way every day, and 80-90 miles one way to find work isn't unheard of. My job involves traveling around the region, usually putting on ~70-100 miles a day. If/when gas hits $4, I'll be merely irritated, as my mileage can be written off. They'll be hurting, as they can't. The wiser ones have gotten cars to replace their pickups as commuters. A lot of folks can't, so they're stuck. Living far from the nearest store doesn't help most folks here, either. Fortunately for me the supermarket is a 7 minute bike ride away.

A large spike in gas prices will put a spike into the area economy's heart, presently on life support.


This echos exactly what I've been saying.

 

[Mr Nice]

Thats great that you were wise with your money/investments/pension, have zero debt and are living very comfortably. I will be in your exact same position 20 years from now.

The sad part is that there are many Americans that financially overextended themselves and are 'cash poor' and can't make ends meet but just had to buy a house and cars they couldn't afford. A person's ego gets them in big financial trouble and its not due to gas prices.

 

[andyd]

Gas is 2.79.9 in eastern MA. I have a work van, so I have no commuting costs. Marina uses about 16 gallons to commute 250 miles a week. The cars are paid for.

 

[PandaBear]

To be honest, I think people drive more when gas is low because housing developed further away from work and people buy into these housing.

When the gas price goes up, they started carpooling to work and that's how traffic is reduced. Do they like carpooling? Of course not, but what else can they do?

 

[motorguy222]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
Thats great that you were wise with your money/investments/pension, have zero debt and are living very comfortably. I will be in your exact same position 20 years from now.

The sad part is that there are many Americans that financially overextended themselves and are 'cash poor' and can't make ends meet but just had to buy a house and cars they couldn't afford. A person's ego gets them in big financial trouble and its not due to gas prices.


That may be true for some but I think that the vast majority of people do live withing their means and higher gas prices will hurt them.I think it is very clear that a doubleing of the price of gas will hurt most people.

It will do so not only in the price of gas itself but the increase of all goods.When the vast majority of goods are shipped by truck,the cost of these goods will rise,there is no way around this.

We have already seen the effects of high gas prices not very long ago,it hurt many and if they had stayed at the level they were,it would have hurt more than it did.

I dont want to offend anyone but if a person thinks that high gas prices will only hurt those that are "overextended" must have their head in the sand.High gas prices will hurt most people and the economy will tank more than it already has.If we think things are bad now,let gas go to $5.00 a gallon and stay that way and we will really see bad times.

 

[Brons2]

LT4 Vette, whether you will admit to it or not, you do have a squeal point at which you will drive less. It may be $20 a gallon, who knows. But it does exist, contrary to your protests that you will drive the same amount no matter what.

 

[odie]

This would include higher heating bills as well . Double trouble .

 

[Steve S]

Originally Posted By: Smokescreen
Originally Posted By: ctrcbob
....

BTW, €1.00 costs $1.40 (Nine years ago, I purchased €1. for $0.80 [thats 80 cents).
Not only that. The USD has fallen so low, the Canadian and Australian Dollar are now equal to the USD.


That's because they are paving way for the Amero.

 

[brianl703]

Traffic isn't down in the Washington, DC region. In fact, with the creation of thousands of new government jobs, it's as bad as it's ever been.

 

[Drew99GT]

http://www.cnbc.com/id/39828427

 

[Mr Nice]

Originally Posted By: Brons2
LT4 Vette, whether you will admit to it or not, you do have a squeal point at which you will drive less. It may be $20 a gallon, who knows. But it does exist, contrary to your protests that you will drive the same amount no matter what.


Of course higher gas/diesel prices = price increases all around for every thing (food, clothes, utilities.... etc).

But unless I was retired, unemployed or a hermit never leaving my house...... at $6 a gallon (twice the cost of gas right now) I would still have to drive the same amount of miles per week/month/year. At $10 a gallon I would be [censored]ing about the prices at the pump but I would just have to bite the bullet. I think some of the people upset with the gas prices must drive a fuel hog. With an Accord and Civic I'm not too worried, more important things in life to worry about than gas prices.

Off Topic: I saw a new 2011 Honda CRZ on the highway today and it looks very ugly.