Southern California - wtf gas 4.40

...what the hell

i'm about to start riding my bike around town INSTEAD!!!!!

hope you filled up today, will go up over the weekend with the lasted crash in DOW

why wouldn't you ride your bike around town in the first place? I had to do this speech for class and I did it on why people should ride their bike more and drive their car less... you would not believe some of the stats I found in my research.. It is crazy

...what the hell

i'm about to start riding my bike around town INSTEAD!!!!!

Start? Back when it hit $3 would have been the time to 'start.' Maybe even back when it hit a buck. I 'started' 30 years ago.

I'm curious to see people's reactions when it hits $5...by July first??

I'm curious to see people's reactions when it hits $5...by July first??

July 4th! Happy "Independence" Day!

personally i dont mind the gas prices. however, i have noticed traffic in LA seems to be much lighter. i say go to $9.00 !!

Same here. I don't mind high gas prices.

Ya know I wouldn't mind the price of gas so much if Southern California had been investing a little money into its mass transit infastructure. Currently to get from my home in Temecula to a job in Lakeside (San Diego County) requires a 3 AM wake to take a bus to Oceanside where I take a train to San Diego to get on the trolley, capped by a 7.5 mile ride to work.

Getting home requires a 17 mile ride from Fallbrook to Temecula as the bus lines have given up on the idea of running something up the 15 between Escondido and Temecula.

More than likely gas prices will result in a car-lite transistion, but mass transit is not up to speed to address this social change..

personally i dont mind the gas prices. however, i have noticed traffic in LA seems to be much lighter. i say go to $9.00 !!

Same here. I don't mind high gas prices.

+1, I bus my bike to work and ride home(15 miles) in the evening. I'm pouring most of my 401K into oil related stocks and making a killing. You can also sell your car and put that money into oil stocks, why not make some money out of this.

I realize it's a very bad time now but I'm starting to put a little money here and there into a real estate mutual fund. Let's see where that takes me, long term. Yeah, energy funds have been doing very well. Too bad I don't own one.

July 4th! Happy "Independence" Day!

Shouldn't that be "Happy Oil-dependence Day?"

Well, I ride my bike plus the horrible mass transit everyday to get to Westwood from West Covina...6hrs roundrip wtf. Oh well. It's still cheaper and less stressful than driving, since I can study/putter away on the computer/play my Nintendo DS. I don't see myself getting a car until I have kids, and even then, I'll probably be car-lite.

today at best buy i saw 3 different people pull up to the store on bikes. they didnt look like people who ride often. it made me wonder if they rode due to the high gas prices.

I am seeing more panniers on bikes, not just more bikes.

I hate to be the dissenting opinion. It is still cheaper for me to drive than take public transportation. A day pass is $5. Premium gas is about $4.80, I average about 24 mpg during my commute, and my commute is a little over 20 miles round trip. That does not take into account: (1) I like driving my car, (2) it is faster for me to drive than walk to the Gold Line, ride to Union Station, get on the Red Line, then walk to my office, and (3) I always end up sitting next to Typhoid Mary on the train. If gas goes substantially above $5, I might, might consider occasionally riding the train.

You're complaining about gas prices on a bike forum...

If you buy day passes, gas will be definitely cheaper. If you buy a monthly transit pass though, transit is a lot cheaper.

Normal transit pass in SD is $64. I put $46 dollars in my tank yesterday, I fill up every week, and I don't drive an SUV.

I'm curious to see people's reactions when it hits $5...by July first??

Today: $5 for 87 octane at La Jolla Indian Reservation.

I'm curious to see people's reactions when it hits $5...by July first??

Last week, I saw premium listed for $4.99 on the westside.

All I can say is get use to it, it ain't gona get any better!.
I now commute 5 days a week saves me on average $80 a week in gas.

If gas goes substantially above $5, I might, might consider occasionally riding the train.


Hate to be the bearer of bad news but I think it will go substantially higher in the weeks ahead.........

Think about this. The gas that is being sold now was refined several weeks or months ago when oil might have been under $100/barrel. When the oil that is currently costing over $130/barrel hits the gas stations I think we will see gas at $6/gallon.

Admittedly I am not an economist but it seems rational to me.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but I think it will go substantially higher in the weeks ahead.........

Think about this. The gas that is being sold now was refined several weeks or months ago when oil might have been under $100/barrel. When the oil that is currently costing over $130/barrel hits the gas stations I think we will see gas at $6/gallon.

Admittedly I am not an economist but it seems rational to me.

Oil companies are opportunistic, not rational. I'm sure they raise the price at the pump as soon as it goes up at the oil well.

Oil companies are opportunistic, not rational. I'm sure they raise the price at the pump as soon as it goes up at the oil well.That's how I see it.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but I think it will go substantially higher in the weeks ahead.........

Think about this. The gas that is being sold now was refined several weeks or months ago when oil might have been under $100/barrel. When the oil that is currently costing over $130/barrel hits the gas stations I think we will see gas at $6/gallon.

Admittedly I am not an economist but it seems rational to me.

Well, I am a Republican, and I got the party newsletter that said the oil companies will drop the price of gas before the election to guarantee McCain wins. I kid. Well, I only kid about the newsletter part. They would not actually put that in writing. Paper trail and all. ;) But actually, I am an economist. The price at the pump is not related to the price of the crude used to produce that exact bit of gasoline.

Here is my predicament: remember that movie "Singles"? Campbell Scott works for the department of transportation, and he is trying to build a super train to get commuters out of their cars. Kyra Sedgwick is an environmental activist. He tells her all about his plan. Her response is, "Yeah, but I like my car." That is me (and a lot of other people). I have XM radio and no one is coughing on me. So far, MTA can't beat that.

they should raise the gas prices to $10/gal and then people will be less wasteful.

bikes will be more popular and we'll finally have alternative vehicles like the natural gas vehicles & hydrogen fuel cells available to clean up the environment.

those hybrids are still pretty bad for the environment... the battery part.

they should raise the gas prices to $10/gal and then people will be less wasteful.



That would be cool, no traffic!

those hybrids are still pretty bad for the environment... the battery part.

Actually, the NiMH batteries in the Prius and other hybrids are completely recyclable.

Ya know I wouldn't mind the price of gas so much if Southern California had been investing a little money into its mass transit infastructure. Currently to get from my home in Temecula to a job in Lakeside (San Diego County) requires a 3 AM wake to take a bus to Oceanside where I take a train to San Diego to get on the trolley, capped by a 7.5 mile ride to work.

Getting home requires a 17 mile ride from Fallbrook to Temecula as the bus lines have given up on the idea of running something up the 15 between Escondido and Temecula.

More than likely gas prices will result in a car-lite transistion, but mass transit is not up to speed to address this social change..

wow you are actually one of those people that take the RTA bus to oceanside..It sucks that so many people live in temecula area but work in san diego county. It sucks cause it is a different county they have to deal with so much red tape to get a bus to go from one county to the other.

Well, I am a Republican, and I got the party newsletter that said the oil companies will drop the price of gas before the election to guarantee McCain wins. I kid. Well, I only kid about the newsletter part. They would not actually put that in writing. Paper trail and all. ;) But actually, I am an economist. The price at the pump is not related to the price of the crude used to produce that exact bit of gasoline.



I too am a Republican, but I believe in policy politics....not just Republican dogma; but in this context party affiliation seems irrelevant.



Are you saying that the price of gas at the pump is NOT related to the cost of a barrel of oil?



The price of crude is only one of the many factors in the cost of a gallon of gas, but unless you are living in an alternate reality, and as long as demand remains about the same, I don't see how escalating crude prices are going to do anything but increase the price we pay at the pump.

Even if crude prices WERE NOT driving gas prices there is the fact that we are entering hurricane season, which could mean closing platforms in the gulf and/or impact refiners along the gulf coast. Either or both could run up the price of gas, even if only in the short run. At least they did after Katrina and Rita.

Then there are the competing economies, such as China. Recently I read that as many as TWENTY THOUSAND people per day are entering the middle class and one of their first big purchases is an automobile. Since China has few oil reserves I guess they will be competing with the rest of the world for the finite amount of crude.

I mean no offense, but IMHO, I believe gas will go by about one dollar per gallon per year for the next few years. In other words, I think that we will average $4.00 by the end of 2008 (and we are already there in many parts of the country), and $5.00 by the end of 2009, etc., etc., etc..

Hopefully I am wrong, but I don't think I will be........

Gas in other parts of the world has been very expensive since the mid-70s. Expensive not only in the price at the pump (usually double or more than what we pay in the US), but also relative to the cost of living / income / etc. People in those places (I am very familiar with the European countries), have adapted:
1. Small cars are the norm; not only for the gas economy, but also the parking space situation. Imagine a Ford Focus being considered a 'big' car...
2. Mass Transit. It works there, but doesn't here. A couple of reasons: People consider it a matter of fact / matter of their every day life (not here). It is readily available, convenient, and in most cases on time...The average person in the US, and especially in SoCal, considers their independence (I'll drive myself when I want to, without anyone around me, in MY car) first.
Until we change our ways (and it's a fundamental, cultural change), the oil companies will continue to make a lot of money from us--which, by the way, is the reason they're in business; to make money!

Are you saying that the price of gas at the pump is NOT related to the cost of a barrel of oil?

No, he's saying it's not a DIRECT relationship - i.e. this barrel of oil cost 30% more so the gasoline from THIS barrel of oil will go up 30%.

The oil companies likely raise prices of gasoline long before the impact of the increased price of the crude actually makes it through the system, so we MAY have already felt some of the impact of $130 a barrel oil even though that particular oil hasn't been refined yet.

Consider the costs passed along with basic needs like food though. It doesn't appear in the grocery store by magic, you know.....

We don't have a Star Trek style replicator sitting in the back of the store producing food from constituent atoms, either. :(

That would be cool, no traffic!

wow you are actually one of those people that take the RTA bus to oceanside..It sucks that so many people live in temecula area but work in san diego county. It sucks cause it is a different county they have to deal with so much red tape to get a bus to go from one county to the other.

Ya, I'm one of the stupid Americans that thought gas would never rise above $2, so in 1994 I moved the family to Temecula. I certainlly take the blame for that bit of genius!

I have talked to both the RTA and NCTD and there is little interest in adding routes at this time. I contacted the city council members in Temecula and raised the question about accessable "mass transit" from the valley. I don't really know what they can do about the issue.

But I do love my 4 AM ride down the 76...!

No, he's saying it's not a DIRECT relationship - i.e. this barrel of oil cost 30% more so the gasoline from THIS barrel of oil will go up 30%.

The oil companies likely raise prices of gasoline long before the impact of the increased price of the crude actually makes it through the system, so we MAY have already felt some of the impact of $130 a barrel oil even though that particular oil hasn't been refined yet.

That is pretty much what I said. The current price of gasoline is based on the current price of crude, not the price of the actual crude that was used to make the gasoline you just purchased. If the later were the case, we would still be paying a price for gas based on $100 per barrel (or probably less). Likewise, if crude suddenly fell to $80 per barrel, the price at the pump would change to reflect that (although decreases in price seem to happen slower than increases, for some strange reason).

I too am a Republican, but I believe in policy politics....not just Republican dogma; but in this context party affiliation seems irrelevant.


That was meant to be a joke. A lot of people assume the Republican Party is in the pocket of the oil companies. I bet a lot of Democrats benefit from oil company campaign contributions, too.

At the end of the day, the best thing a consumer can do is drive less. It does not cause the price of gas to fall much if any, but it does reduce the damage to your wallet.

I'm feeling the hurt as well. I'm living in Murrieta, and I have to commute to Costa Mesa 5 days a week. My car requires premium fuel, despite being a hatchback and 4cyl. (darn those turbochargers ;)) and I spend approx $30/day just to get to work. Which means I am spending approx $7800 a year on gasoline alone (and thats at the current $4.59) I've been trying to desperately move into Orange County, but being 22 it's rather difficult as I need to go the room-mate route and that let to ultimate disaster for me in the past. As soon as I live closer to work I will be biking pretty much everyday. I hope that comes soon...

http://www.ohgizmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/tesla.jpg

I saw a Tesla Roadster in person yesterday. The coolest electric car on the planet.

At only $100K, it's starting to seem cheap compared to the cost of gasoline.

I don't mean to keep raining on this parade but in the final analysis, the cost of diesel is probably more important to the US economy, and by inference, to all of us than the cost of gas.

As 'heresy' says 'the best thing a consumer can do is drive less', which may ease the pain at the gas pump but retailers may not have that option.

Virtually everything we buy is delivered to the point of purchase in a truck with a diesel engine under the hood. Companies like Wal-Mart, Target, and food stores already pick their fleet in part based on the fuel consumption.

As diesel costs rise, everything delivered by diesel powered trucks will go up.

And with that cheery note I am off to watch today's F-1 race with a friend.

http://www.ohgizmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/tesla.jpg

I saw a Tesla Roadster in person yesterday. The coolest electric car on the planet.

At only $100K, it's starting to seem cheap compared to the cost of gasoline.

That makes zero sense.

This isn't directed at your post, but all this talk of 'saving money by buying a hybrid' is often times invalid when you do the math and consider the total cost of ownership for a car.

For fun, let's use the tesla as an example against a fictitious car that costs 10k and gets 10 miles to the gallon.

Do some quick math and figure out how many miles you'd need to drive the gas car to reach 100k.

Prius owners are in the same deal - "I sold my 95 gas civic that only got 30 mpg for a 25k Prius that gets high 40's". OK great, how long will it now retake to recoup that money?

It amazes me how people always focus on one thing when buying a car and not the whole picture... and I hear this all the time.

Being a car guy, people always ask my opinion on Hybrids. I say their great, but what's the point of them wanting it? Do they want to show they are 'green' (a trendy term I despise), do they want to simply get better gas mileage or do they want to have more $$ in their pocket at the end of the day. Do the math.

Do some quick math and figure out how many miles you'd need to drive the gas car to reach 100k.


You're totally right, it's not economically rational. I was kind of joking about the high price of gas when I posted that.

But buying a car is not always about economics. People pay a lot more for performance, luxury, and all sorts of other things. Some are willing to pay a lot more for a hybrid just so they don't have to pay a little more to oil companies and oil sheiks. It may not be rational in an economic sense, but it's rational in more of a personal/moral sense. Plus, you do get to ride in the carpool lane, which can make big economic sense. :thumb:

I too am a Republican, but I believe in policy politics....not just Republican dogma; but in this context party affiliation seems irrelevant.



Are you saying that the price of gas at the pump is NOT related to the cost of a barrel of oil?



The price of crude is only one of the many factors in the cost of a gallon of gas, but unless you are living in an alternate reality, and as long as demand remains about the same, I don't see how escalating crude prices are going to do anything but increase the price we pay at the pump.

Even if crude prices WERE NOT driving gas prices there is the fact that we are entering hurricane season, which could mean closing platforms in the gulf and/or impact refiners along the gulf coast. Either or both could run up the price of gas, even if only in the short run. At least they did after Katrina and Rita.

Then there are the competing economies, such as China. Recently I read that as many as TWENTY THOUSAND people per day are entering the middle class and one of their first big purchases is an automobile. Since China has few oil reserves I guess they will be competing with the rest of the world for the finite amount of crude.

I mean no offense, but IMHO, I believe gas will go by about one dollar per gallon per year for the next few years. In other words, I think that we will average $4.00 by the end of 2008 (and we are already there in many parts of the country), and $5.00 by the end of 2009, etc., etc., etc..

Hopefully I am wrong, but I don't think I will be........

I think you are an optimist! Let's see what tomorrow brings when the markets open.

It cost me $60 to fill up my Subaru today... Last time i bought gas was 11 days ago (and then 14 days before that). :D It's nice not having to buy gas every 4 days since i started doing a car-train-bike commute.

tell me about it, i put 20 bucks in my subaru and the needle went nowhere. but now that i am riding more and am off school for the summer i dont think that i wil need to visit the pump for atleast 4 or 5 days. compared to $50 a week!

i filled up my truck 2 weeks ago for $48 and still have a quarter tank left.

Plus, you do get to ride in the carpool lane, which can make big economic sense. :thumb:

Do this still give out those stickers? I seem to remember them putting an end to that project and the potential Prius owners were complaining.

I'm buying (well leasing) the wife a new car for work as she drives alot being in sales. We kicked around the idea of a Prius but she just couldn't fathom the idea of being associated with all the green freaks who think they are morally higher then the rest of us. :lol:

Do this still give out those stickers? I seem to remember them putting an end to that project and the potential Prius owners were complaining.

Last I heard, there was a limited number of stickers per vehicle type, and only some vehicles were eligible (based on fuel efficiency versus others in the same class or something). The Prius was the most popular of the eligible vehicles, so available stickers for it were claimed the fastest. The Civic Hybrid has not sold as well, so a greater number of stickers remained. You might want to look into that.

Gas is killing me so I am going to start commuting to work. Have a question, this weekend went out exploring routes and discovered a bike path that starts at Tustin Ave. off Fairhaven, and goes through Santa Ana, behind the Discovery Center and ends up at Fashion Place, Santa Ana. That route may work for me but I worry about safety. Not certain if it goes through the nicest areas of Orange and Santa Ana and I would be traveling it early in the morning when not many people are out and about. Anyone ever ride this path and if so, any comments? Also I work near UCI in Orange. Anyone else work/ride the area and have route suggestions?

We kicked around the idea of a Prius but she just couldn't fathom the idea of being associated with all the green freaks who think they are morally higher then the rest of us. :lol:

This is my ultimate fear as a bike commuter -- to be viewed as a green freak (oh no!) by all my fellow commuters in motor vehicles. Just kidding. You had a good point when you said "do the math"; driving a hybrid makes sense for some people, it doesn't for others. Factoring in what other people think, in my opinion, makes zero sense.

I bought some $20/gal gas the other day........
I was in a hurry so I got some pre-mixed gas for my chain saw and paid $5 for a quart sized can of this stuff. :p