Ah, the beneifts of bike commuting, let's list a few (didn't we do this not too long ago?):

Fuel savings
Insurance savings (I cannot drop ins, cause I still keep a car)
never have to find time to exercise
stay in shape
it's fun
Chicks dig it (not where I live, but I'm sure they do somewhere)
Arrive to/from work happy
Impress the coworkers (not where I work, NASCAR is king)
Freak out the coworkers

And to reiterate (again) what Naisem said, FUEL SAVINGS. The cost of fuel is getting scary. Lucky for us we have an option.

All my co-workers (except the one who takes the train) live within 2-3 miles (much less in most cases) and they all drive to work everyday. I don't understand it... AND we live in a city with public transit... Cambridge... but! they're in <15-30 minute walking distance half of them. :rolleyes:

I admit, somedays I drive, like when the bike is broken (but I'd rather walk if that's the case, its only 30-40minutes) or if its REALLY raining or REALLY cold out...

I don't arrive to work happy or get home happy too often, but that's not a bike issue ... ugh.

I don't drive to work, but have to drive for work. I have already told my boss that I will not be using my personal vehicle to travel to our various office locations until they provide additional compensation. 33.5 cents per mile just does not cut the mustard at $2.00 a gallon, much less at any price near $3.00/gal~!

in some ways, i hope so... my wife is leaning toward getting rid of the car altogether. this might just put her over the edge.

in other ways, i hope not.

first, everything will get more expensive because nearly everything is shipped somewhere. this will hurt everyone, but especially those living on a tight margin to begin with (i don't include myself here, by any means)

second, it's just the sort of thing that could lead to more irresponsible acts in an election year. any year, for that matter. it probably wouldn't matter what administration was in power at the time, since it would be an economic crisis that any administration would have to deal with, one way or another.

I think it's about 85p per litre here. Someone cleverer than me will be along soon to work out that in US-speak...

$3 a gallon is nuthin', you're still paying a lot less than most of the modern world.

I fear for alaska if it hit our prices over there... Or any other country you feel like steamrollering... :)

God, what a waste of money. That's a lot of groceries.

85p per litre is about US$5.75 per US gallon. (if my brain hasn't gone to sleep and I worked that out right... :D)

Ouch!

$3 a gallon really is not that much compared to other countries. Unfortunately the US relies on road transportation to move stuff around the country a lot more than many other countries who have been dealing with higher petrol prices for a long time, so any increase does have a huge impact (and not just for motorists).

I would love to commute to work but for me commuting by bike no longer makes sense. I would have to go to the garage, haul the bike upstairs, pedal it across my hallway to my office and then find a place to store it... which would most likely be back downstairs in the garage. :D

On the days I truly commute (once a week for a couple of days), I don't think my boss would find it amusing that I spend a week each way cycling from Seattle to San Jose (actually Mountain View) and back. I wonder how badly impacted my airfares will be with the jump in oil prices.

I do that during non-rush-hour times. No use taking unnecessary risks.

Aviation fuel is already at that level. I just filled up with 100LL yesterday and it was 2.90 a gallon.

I remember when I started flying back in 1986, it was around $1.20/gal for 100LL.

The other day at the grocery store, the teller commented: "nice tan... did you get out of town ?"... nope!... I've just been riding my bike to work everyday instead of taking the subway or the car....

Another fringe benefit not listed before is that I don't have to look for a parking spot every night. I park my car somewhere in a 2 block radius and move it once a week (stupid alternate side parking). The hard part is remembering where the darn thing is! ;)

Everybody talks about the pros of bike commuting... let's discuss the cons!... I'll start another thread!

This thread reminds me that I have very little patience for people who complain about the cost of gasoline. So, when you bought that 12mpg Ford Excrement did you think that gas prices would continue to go down? Bah.

My reason for bike commuting is that it gets me on my bike everyday. And parking is free.

Ha ha ha. I don't know if anyone here watches the Simpsons. But I really want the shirt homer wears that said "Try and Stop Us" and it was a picture of uncle sam taking a bite out of the world.

I really like being able to bike everywhere. And when you exercise to loose weight or look better that's all you have for a reward really (nothing to put to use). But when you bike commute, the better shape your in makes all the hills start feeling like they are pointing down. I realized this today while biking, I kept thinking that both directions felt like i was going downhill. Peace.

Oh, you just love biking, Naisme. That's all.

:D

Gas could hit 25 cents a gallon and you'd bike anyways. You feel sorry for those poor b#stards in their ugly smelly boxes that are the opposite technology to the, "Total Gym."

So do I.

:(

I don't. I say let the suckers pay for it. $5/litre fuel now!

,

Kudos on seeing the big picture, I totally agree with you. Higher gas prices hurt everyone in the form of more expensive goods and necessities as well as less income for another important economic driving force: the home mortgage. Combined with rising interest rates, this could all hit us pretty hard. I don't necessarly care about gas prices at the pump per se, but what about paying $4 for a gallon of milk or $1/lb extra for produce, etc, etc etc. We will be feeling the effects of the gas hikes well into next year when consumer product prices skyrocket to make up for the huge losses they are hitting right now.

Second, I agree with you that it would affect any administration but it is my belief that the current one is part of the problem and not doing anything to stop or control the gas monopoly. In fact they help it. they also keep the dollar weak to help exports which is a horrible shortsighted way to do things and also why we, again, are paying so much for imports. Just look at the price hikes of Campy parts as an example.

Here in NZ we are paying $1.30 or there abouts (I dont care) per litre. Thats about 4litres per gallon...thats $5.20... converted thats 3.25794 USD/4 litres

Brendon

Undoubtedly, the current administration has done a lot to create and perpetuate the current situation, for the reason that you point out, and quite a few more.

Two reasons that I'm being relatively equitable (more than I generally feel).

1. Pragmatism. Any administration is going to have a hard time with this. Of course, I don't know what the next administration is going to do, but as long as it's not the current administration, I'm willing to take my chances and find out.

2. Just didn't feel like starting a political snipe-fest. I'd rather not drive and and I'd rather ride instead.

Yes, I have no problem with paying $5.20/gallon if we enjoyed the same social benefits from the taxation as many europeans do. However, we do not and the gas monopoly (because that is what it is) has gone into price fixing- which is illegal.
Oh svwagner is right, I don't want to get into a big political discussion about gas either but there is so much info on this you can easily read up from the web I'm sure.

Anyway, I guess the point is gas prices affect everything. It's not pointing to a suv driver and blaming them for being wasteful. Everyone is wasteful. How is someone in socal that runs 100 gallons a day on a huge lawn, pumping tons of chemicals into it any better? How about golf courses in Palm Springs? That is the desert. Let me say that again: THE DESERT.

Does the precieved enviromental benefit of an electric car make one better than a SUV driver? Electric cars are 100x more toxic. How about luxury car drivers? Minivans get just as bad mpgs as many suv's but they are "ok" because...why? Doesn't matter really because blaming a SUV owner is like sticking a finger in the Hoover Dam.

Concentrating on the bee instead of the beehive is naive and doesn't solve anything.

I'm stuck out here on the Coast of Northern California. Ma was diagnosed with cancer, we're helping during the Chemo treatments. Problem is, when we came out fuel was $1.50 -$1.80 or so for diesel. Now it's up to $2.50 or so in places! We have a long ways to travel coming up in a couple of weeks for our return to IL. Wow! I'm getting rid of the motorhome upon our return.

I love seeing the gas prices skyrocket. The only one I feel bad for is Linda at the country store. Trying to change the numbers on that sign day after day. I gave a shout out to her today and said you need to buy a bike. She yelled back, I'm really thinking about.

And now for the viewpoint of the auto drivers:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...-2004May3.html

What I learned from this article:

1) If you have to pay more for something, don't modify your behaviour. Just whine and blame someone else.

2) If you have a problem, run out and buy every snake oil-cure you can.

3) Make sure to waste money in a futile attempt to save money.

I drive so little I really don't notice the price of gas much, and wouldn't were it not for the fact I frequent this board and read the papers. I did find this article fascinating, because not one driver quoted in it though about buying a smaller car, combining trips, or (shudder) getting somewhere by walking or cycling.

On this board, we tend to act as if we've found some great secret in the effeciency of the bike, but it's plain to anyone who even gives it an iota of thought. Unfortunately, their brains seem to be cluttered with paying a penny less a gallon. Fill it up!

I used to let this whining annoy me. Drivers complain about the price of gas--the one factor of the equation they have no control over--but do nothing about the amount of gas they buy.

As I say, I used to let this annoy me. Now I laugh at it.

I admit to driving a gas hog. The thing's got a 5.9L engine and is required to take 92 octane at a minimum. This translates to a very expensive fuel bill. I knew this when I bought it. I accepted this. I still accept this. I am not complaining about the gas prices. The thing I have to point out is that when new vehicles are sold, there is an estimated cost of ownership printed on the sticker and it's broken down to the cost of fuel. Most people should be smart enough to realise that cost never goes down. I have no sympathy for those who complain about the price of gas yet have other alternatives. You get what you ask for.

Rising gas prices will hurt all of us because everything in the economy is affected by it.

As for me, I have already taken major steps to wean myself from it's effects. But all prices go up when fuel prices rise.

While I agree that a quick run up to $3 a gallon gas would be a hard pill for our fragile growing economy, the only way cleaner technologies will come to market is with higher gas prices. I don't give a rip if someone drives an H2, a lot of you do for some reason, yet you fret about Ashcroft controlling your minds...anywho, the reason H2s abound is quite simple, gas has been too damn cheap for 15 years. More expensive American gasoline will spur private investment in alternative technologies, encourage conservation, and improve our air quality. In the long run, what's not to like from an ecological point of view? Interestingly enough I see a Toyota Prius or a Honda Insight several times a day now while out and about, they are becomming commonplace here. I doubt my observations locally are representative nationally, but it's starting and as manufacturers become profitable with these technologies progress will come quickly. The future is bright folks, look for the light! :)

Not nearly as much as people think. The prices of all goods and services are determined first and foremost by the demand for them. If people refuse to pay $5 for a loaf of bread, the suppliers simply will not charge $5 for a loaf of bread. A long term fuel price increase will merely force those supplying the goods to find more efficient ways of doing so, including more efficient means of transporting them, as well as decentralising production. The problem is that most of the popular press is too short sighted to perceive any of this, as are politicians elected by opinion poll -- hence this tends to go unrealised.