gwd

A guy on a bike took this video. It could be part of an advertisement for living car free. After Katrina we had a few lines here in DC but not after Gustav and Ike so maybe the free-market deregulation policies of the Bush administration are starting to work, with the magical invisible hand allocating resources and inventories optimally for the common good as they say.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U01djSaI9c

Roody

Too bad he didn't include a shot of the gas price sign in the video. That would have increased the propaganda value.

I bet if you asked those motorists why they drive a car instead of a bicycle, most would say, "Because it's quicker."

wheel

We need a CM ride Ha! joke

mattm

awesome, great vid

fordfasterr

sweet !

Hobartlemagne 

+1 needs the price sign.

The accompanying song really sucks.

mike

Absolutely unbelieveable. Incredible. Was that gasoline station giving away free gasoline or something? I never saw gas lines like that even during the extended gas shortages in the 1970's.

I would NEVER line up for gas like that unless it was for a ride out of town to never come back.

If that doesn't convince Georgians to give up their cars, nothing will. Did you notice how many trucks, SUV's and even Hummers there were? I suppose people can't change automobiles so quickly, but a lot of those gas hogs looked pretty new, so they will be driving and paying... and waiting in line a long time.

How long was that line? It looked like it was about two miles long.

Platy

The shortage is probably temporary and restricted to limited geographical areas. Someone on another site mentioned that this is like rotating gasoline blackouts.

wahoonc

That is what I have been seeing in NC coastal plains. Some stations will be out of some grades, others out of everything. Western NC has been harder hit, because of the distance from the terminals. Some companies are not pulling their full allotment because they are waiting for the next batch of fuel to come thru.

Pretty well done local flavor article.

Currently I am in OH...no gas shortage here

Aaron

mattm

dunno if this was already mentioned, but the shortages in the SE are due to hurricane IKE, and a pipeline from texas that is currently below capacity.

that's what the news said anyway.

Dahon.Steve

I suspect all those vehicles wasted $5.00 dollars in gas just waiting for gas! LOL!

That long line of cars is a reflection of what's going to happen in the near future. The future of motoring is coming to an end and I read today that 3,000 car dealerships are headed for bankruptcy! Drill all you want, but it won't change a thing.

By the way, the price of gas would have been at $4.00 dollars a gallon or just slightly more. Gas stations are not allowed to charge more and this is being strictly enforced. As a result, stations are running out of gas fast and they don't care becuase once the tank is empty, they close shop and everyone goes home. If they raised the price to $5.00 or $6.00 dollars a gallon, people wouldn't be "topping" off every day this creating shortages.

Nycycle

cool flick

grayloon

Keep dreaming. Old man Pickens has a plan. While his plan may not work, the concept of finding other fuels for cars is going to be the way out. Bikes are nice, great for living without a car, but most don't and won't if theres and alternative and it may be price be damned.

Bikepacker67

Ehhh.. a little close to the door zone, no?

I'd be taking that lane.

fluidworks

This is a reminder of what a great investment bikes really are.

wahoonc

I think the bulk of Americans are going to spend their last dollar in an attempt to keep motoring. I refuse to sit in lines to buy gas or fuel unless it is absolutely necessary. I have always kept my vehicles topped off for a variety of reasons, typically never let them go below 1/2 tank, especially during hurricane season. One station I stopped at the other day had a 10 gallon limit...the lady at the pump next to me put 10 gallons of regular in, 10 gallons of mid grade and 10 gallons of premium....I was waiting to see if she was going to put 10 gallons of diesel in too FWIW I was getting diesel, no restrictions on it.

Aaron

Elkhound

I think that there will always be a place for cars and trucks in our transportation system, but it will be, in the future, far smaller than it is now.

grayloon

Really? Explain that one away. We've a huge part of our economy built around motor vehicles. Our transportation infrastructure is geared to them. People love the supposed freedom personal motor vehicles provide...never mind that they can also imprison. The use of motor vehicles is not going to decline overly much in the next 50 years. Maybe the type, size, and fuel used to power them will change, but not much else.

Platy

I think everything hinges on the fuel issue. If it can be solved, you are probably right.

dr. nate

I see us moving more towards the way of Europeans. Mass transit is starting to become really popular (espically here in Houston). Nearly everyone supports new train routes, new busses, etc...they just can't agree on where to put the tracks.

-Nate

jsatan

I agree, they will be much smaller than they are now, well the average car will be.
Here in the UK you will find many much smaller cars than in the US. We have 4x4 (SUVs, funny that name because there doesn't seem to be much sporting use) but they are looked down on by many people, for many reasons other than using more fuel than the average, but that's just the type of driver.
Anyway, as many others will have said many times before, the fuel prices here in the UK are around £1.25 per letre at the moment, I think, havn't looked as I have no need.
I think we pay around 2x as much as the US, also did someone say something about tank size being 30 gallon, that's crazy size, I had a large tank at 70li in my car and this was classed as large.
Anyway, the fuel type will change, I know many people who make there own biofuel.
The people will cut down on using cars just like we stopped using coal, CFCs, we moaned about who can vote, we will moan about any change, but it will happen.

grayloon

How about through River Oaks? Yep, NIMBY is live and well with that one. This brings up the other quandary faced with mass transit. Spread cities like Houston are a nightmare to develop mass transit in and around. We've now 7 or 8 different work centers and everything still runs downtown. Its the infrastructure cost of mass transit that makes it difficult. Instead of bike racks on the buses, some of them need to pull trailers for bikes as the number of folks wanting to use bikes to commute from the transit center to work will be able to do so.

Elkhound

I am told that there are cities whose downtowns were moribund are enjoying a modest resurgance for that reason, and in those same metros some of the suburban office parks are 'enjoying' a high vacancy rate. The same with residential--living near the center of the city is becoming fashionable again, and suburban properties are getting hard to unload. Perhaps, in time, some of the suburbs, or at least the exurbs, will become ghost towns.

bikinpolitico

You know, this made me think about the fact that I've been pretty oblivious to the gas crisis of late. When you can actually accomplish your everyday tasks without a car, this whole thing seems pretty foolish.

Great video.

grayloon

I keep hearing that, but see it as more wishful thinking. Yes, some are moving toward the center city. But, there's not the infrastructure or affordable housing to support a massive move to the city and most inner cities remain something less than family friendly. In places like Texas, there is just too much invested in suburban real estate and development. When I look at Houston, living inside the loop is not easy. Shopping, though better than it was a few years ago, for groceries and everyday supplies can drive you crazy. I lived at one time within 3 miles of downtown. To go grocery shopping, my drive was 7 miles. Singles and childless couples may find the lifestyle fine, but it has a ways to go to support much in the way of family living.

Rather than pit the inner city against the suburbs, the better course seems to me to develop transportation alternatives that work for both. Actually, those outlying business centers...and I'm not talking office parks, but more full service "downtown" type centers...serve a good purpose where there is as much sprawl as in most large cities in the Southern corridor have. The problem is linking them together through the transportation network and linking the suburbs with a network that gets residents not only to downtown, but crosstown.