justin70

I'm in Omaha, NE for an interview and the gas here is only $1.89 a gallon. Sub $2 gasoline is surely a sign of the apocalypse.

Neil_B

I think that a person from Oregon WANTING to visit Nebraska is a sign of the end times.

Gas prices are low for two reasons - the combination of high prices earlier this year conditioning folks to use less gas along with the deteriorating economy now, and the US Presidential election. Don't expect these low prices to last.

bbeck

1.98 Nashville Tn today

txvintage

$1.89 here in the Dallas area also.

VA_Esquire

$1.78 here in Lynchburg
$1.89 down in Hampton

CACycling

We've yet to break $2.30 in my part of California but it is getting close.

The Paper Boy

I realize this is a favorite tin-foil hat position, but please explain how the Presidential election has anything to do with oil prices?

Seriously, give me a valid explanation.

lil brown bat

The idea is that prices are manipulated before the election to try to prod the electorate towards one outcome or another. It's a flavor of the "October Surprise", when the party in power influences events to either manufacture a crisis in an effort to convince people that electing a new slate is too risky, or to make it seem as if everything's going well and that the party in power is doing a great job. If gas prices had jumped after the election, it might have supported this somewhat ("See, things aren't so bad!"), but a steady gradual decline both before and after argues against it.

lil brown bat

Err, maybe I spoke too soon. Just checked the day's news...oil down 12 percent just this week. $55.26 a barrel! So much for a "steady gradual decline".

I can't say I'm sorry since this will help me a lot with home heating this winter...and I don't think it will have that big an impact on driving. People who changed their habits when prices were high have reasons not to change them back: the price of gas has come down, but nothing else has (food prices predicted to rise something like 8% next year), a lot of people are out of work, layoffs are looming (both in troubled industries, and also December is historically the highest layoff month), and nobody's got money to spare. If being frugal with gas use is going to leave a little extra money in people's pockets now that the prices have come down, I predict they'll either leave it there, or spend it on other things than more gas.

It's a gray rainy day here and I'm in a somewhat melancholy mood...missing my parents, both of whom lived through the Depression as youngsters and then through WWII as young adults. They never lectured about frugality, but they did teach the lesson by their example. I wish I had them with me still, because they were living proof that you can survive hard times...it's often not easy and not pretty, but it is doable. God, I miss them.

bautieri

In the 2.40 range in Phoenix, Enterprise is still charging $5.99 a gallon if you return the rental vehicle with anything less than gasoline dribbling out from under the cap.

Thankfully I get leave this dust bowl soon.

TrekDen

Just saw it for $2.29 here in Pennsyltucky. Still too high for my liking. Two weeks ago in Ohio for The Red Flannel Metric, we paid $2.00 per gallon to fill up for the drive back.

SoCal Commute

yeah, 2.39 here in SD. I heard on the radio that oil companies are going to be cutting production to try to stimulate higher prices. Funny how that works, they're perfectly content with prices as is two years ago but once they get a taste of the $140/barrel goodness they just don't want to go back to where they were. It's all economics and I'm sure we'll find a middle ground soon enough, I doubt I'll see below $2 /gal gas. Heck it was 2.29 when i got my license 3 yrs ago

It is hard to believe that it took 3 years to get to $4/gallon and in less than 4 months we dropped back to where we were (you get to thank bush for that, it all started dropping after he lifted the morotorium on offshore drilling)

jesspal

2.35 in Miami

billydonn

Parochial Pennsylvanians! Sheesh! I'll have you know we've had the International Chili Cookoff here in Omaha at least twice. Running water and indoor plumbing are rumored to be next!

Here's a couple pics of our new 3000 foot pedestrian/bike bridge.

Neil_B

Little Brown Bat gave an explanation of the reasoning. Your post made me question my statement. I recalled gas prices dropping before elections in 2000 and 2004, and assumed that helped substantiate the urban legend. However, a little searching online brought up a statistical analysis that, to my mind at least, disproves my previous assertion. So in short, I was wrong.

Tom Stormcrowe

$1.829, here in Boiler Country.....

JusticeZero

We were just amazed to see that gas was down to $2.99 here.

flip18436572

I think the walking/biking bridge is a great thing for Omaha/Council Bluffs. But, there are a lot more people who think it was the biggest waste of taxpayer money. I don't live there, or work there, but I am about an hour away and we shop in Omaha/Council Bluffs from time to time. I have never biked there, because it is a waste of gas to drive an hour to bicycle. I am trying to find a safe route from my house to the Omaha trails to get a century ride in. I have a few ideas, but one of the best routes is not a very safe bicycle road.

bdinger

Whoa, where is that!?! I didn't realize it was completed yet!

flip18436572

Just north of the bridge to downtown Omaha to downtown C.B.

dbikingman

Flip is nicer them me. I would have told you it was over the river, you can see that in the photo
The irony for me is I'm driving more now that I bike then when I didn't bike. I do drive to locations that I would like to bike. I do think it is a cool bridge and nice photos.

flip18436572

I take my bike with me on vacations and things, but I usually don't drive somewhere to just bike. I went to a YMCA conference for 4 days in Des Moines and took one of my bikes. They have some great trails to ride.

billydonn

Well, if you're coming to the area to shop anyway, just bring your bike. There are some good rides if you know where the trails connect. On the other hand, if you can get to the Wabash Trace Trail from your home in Iowa, you can ride all the way to Omaha and the bridge. As to wasting taxpayer money, most of the people whining about that have asserted that: 1. it would not be used or 2. it would be better to build more roads.

As to the former, the bridge is, in fact, pretty overcrowded... way too many hangaround pedestrians and dogs. It's kind of a cluster....k up there most of the time. As to the latter, to each his own values I suppose. I will say that the bridge makes the trail systems on both sides (neither of which is perfect) more viable for a bike ride of some reasonable distance. Anyone wanting to visit and ride the area feel free to PM me for advice if you want.

billydonn

I don't know if I am driving more, but I won't hesitate to drive to a good site to start/finish a bike ride. We have good trail (MUP) system here but very poor street conditions for riding. The tedium of poking around the local streets and risking my life for a slow and short ride just doesn't appeal to me. People are working on the "bike friendliness" of the area, but it's going to take a while. Meanwhile you can ride 30-40-50 miles or more on the trails safely with no problem.

flip18436572

Has anyone ridden the Des Moines Trails and can they compare them to the Omaha Trails?

What is the trail route from the Trace to the walking/bike trail to get to downtown Omaha? The only thing I can think of is City Streets, and I don't want to be anywhere near Broadway in C.B. on a bicycle. Just like I don't want to be on Dodge Street on a bicycle in Omaha.