Machka 

... $112.50 to fill a 50 litre tank.

https://www.citynews.ca/news/news_23975.aspx

Though Canadians aren't using as much gas, the rest of the world still is.

"The tighter world markets get, the higher your prices get," says CIBC chief economist Jeff Rubin, who predicts that no matter how much we cut back here, it's not going to bring prices back down significantly.

"Canadian motorists will ultimately be paying the kind of price at the pumps that Europeans are paying right now - about $2.25 a litre."

OverMenche

This is why I abandoned my car on the side of the road in the inner city. The clutch was starting to slip and I just said "F---- it"

bragi

My sister, who lives in rural Kentucky, just paid US $100 to fill up her SUV. She recently enrolled her daughter in a school 45 miles away from her house. She knows the price of oil is only going to continue its steep rise, and she's freaking out, but seems to be cognitively unable to change her behavior to meet new conditions on the ground, despite the fact that she's usually very intelligent. I can imagine that this scenario is being played out all across the continent. It's a bit scary, to be sure, but it's also really pathetic. Are we really such sheep that we can't adapt to a new environment?

jaa1085

blah blah blah, same stories and same talk on every one of these "Gas is so expensive" forums.

HardyWeinberg

I hadn't thought about this, but there's only like 30 million Canadians, how much can adjusting their demand push the market, anyway? And, for what it's worth, your $8.55 Canadian is only around $8.40 US!

TuckertonRR

The Easter Islanders needed wood in order to make their huge stone statues, now there's no more trees on the island, and the statues haven't been made in almost a millenia.

Yes, they are all sheep. They would rather put gas in their SUV than feed their family. Scary, but all too true.

gerv 

It's not only on these forums. Everyone at work talks non-stop about the price of gas, how much it costs per week, how they can't afford to eat, what will happen next, what is peak oil??

The guys at my office keep asking me about my gas mileage (knowing that I bike to work...), and, believe me, it is non-stop.

I'm surprised a bit though that LCF would see so many threads. You'd think it would be the last concern on our minds.

dynodonn 

Too bad if it was that simple not to think about the high price of gas, but with America so intangled with oil, high oil prices effect everyone, just that some people are effected less than others.

Dahon.Steve

The $100.00 a week or every 10 days is still too low to make any effect. When it becomes $100.00 dollars every day, then we'll see real change.

dynodonn 

I think you'll see change long before that 100 dollar a day scenerio, the average motorist is lucky to even afford a third of that.

Newspaperguy

We can talk about cutting back on car use or going car-free, but that doesn't work for everyone.

I know a man who sells insurance and must often travel to see clients. He goes through a tank of gas every two or three days.

In a town where I once worked, employees at the pulp and paper mill all have a long commute. The mill was built far from town because of the odour it produces. There is no public transit out to the mill and cycling to the site is feasible perhaps half the year because of rough winter conditions.

I know of some news reporters for small rural papers who need to drive in order to cover their stories. In some cases, distances of 50 kilometres or more in every direction are the norm. More than once, I've had to drive more than 200 kilometres one way for an important story.

These people, along with the ones who have no other way of getting around, will be most severely affected by rising fuel prices. Unfortunately, they are also the ones who are least able to cope with rising prices.

charly17201

Sorry, but since I lived in Italy in the mid-80s I've never thought that gas was expensive here in the US since. We're only now getting close to what I had to pay then.

Of course, there's no comparison to when I lived in Bahrain in 98-99 where it was about 25 cents a gallon.

smurfy

This guy at work, a recent hire, lives out in the sticks and is paying $120 a week in gas for his minivan. Luckily he is looking for housing a lot closer to work instead of stubbornly staying put, probably because there are no jobs where he lives.

I myself am paying about $100 a month in gas and that's a lot for me but I only drive to the grocery occasionally and go to biking venues with my cycling club.

Machka 

I have two choices for the coming semester ...

1) commute by car 3 days a week, 300 kms a day, to my university
2) find a place to stay in the city where my university is, and come home on weekends (to see my family, and work at my job).

I did the calculations, and gas would have to go up to $2.13/litre for Option 2 to be less expensive. So I'll be commuting by car and hoping that gas prices don't go up too fast.

cerewa

The travel-by-motor salesperson jobs may cease to exist if gas gets scarce enough. The high demand in booming "developing countries" has the potential to jack up gas prices until this type of work becomes non-economical, although they may just switch over to using battery-electric vehicles dependent on coal, nuclear, or wind power. Possibly motorcycle-sized vehicles instead of vehicles the size&weight of 10 small motorcycles.

jefferee

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schadenfreude

mike

+1 that gas is the topic of conversation everywhere. I think people are already making changes in travel.

We just downgraded to a economy car that gets 35 mpg. My colleagues are insisting that we plan our meetings at centrally located places so they don't have to drive ten extra miles. Nobody ever used to complain about +/- 10 miles before.

I am seeing far more functional bicyclists than in any of the previous gas price hikes.

Go out and try to buy a Japanese fuel efficient automobile today - waiting room only and be prepared to take the sticker price or go home.

In my business, shipping cost is having a profound effect on purchase decisions. We are choosing local suppliers because the shipping cost is tipping the cost-scale in their favor. We are selling to local buyers due to our proximity.

Things are changing fast and people are cutting down on gasoline consumption. I think that when the data catches up with the trend, we will see that there has been a significant drop in gasoline purchases.

JosephPaul86

Americas moto..."One Nation under Oil".

On my 4 mile commute I pass 4 car dealer ships and three gas stations. All are still alive and functioning well enough to choke my lungs.

wahoonc

Quite a few of the gas stations are barely hanging on, especially the independents. We have had several go out of business in my area, the credit card fees killed them. Car dealerships (unless it is someone like Honda or Toyota) are hurting too, they just haven't hit rock bottom...yet. I get a call about once every two weeks from my local Ford dealer asking if I am need anything. We have purchased several vehicles from them over the years, but are not in the market right now...unless he can produce a Focus Wagon.

Aaron

Newspaperguy

Those of us who have been car-free or car-light for some time will be seen as mentors or examples for those making the transition now.

We'll probably start hearing more questions about how to choose a bike, how to lock it and how to use it for transportation instead of for fitness and recreation.

Dahon.Steve

Jobs that are low paid and require extensive travel will cease to exist. You would be surprised at how many minimum wage jobs require a motorcar. All those jobs will cease to exist. Even average wage jobs that require extensive travel will cease to exist, after all, who wants to work for minimum wage after paying your fuel costs.

Platy

What we could see is that some employers may discreetly subsidize commuting costs for certain of their more valued employees.

Machka 

Couriers ... for example. And pizza delivery drivers.

Meghdoot

OR they will survive using New York City model - Bike messengers and Bike couriers.

Allen

Only practicable in high population density areas.