Some gas observations
May 9th, 2006 | by mbhunter |No, I’m not talking about people eating a lot of beans.
I’ve tried not to be wasteful with gasoline, but after reading The Long Emergency
Gas actually ticked down a few cents this week, but it’s still closer to $3 than $2. I think we’ve bid farewell to $2 gas.
Anyway, a few things that made me think today:
- I’ve seen four trucks with “For Sale” signs just along the routes I take to work. A lot of these probably have $80 fill-ups now.
- As I was leaving work today, there was a big truck next to me. Right before the light turned green, I heard the engine start up. He had shut off the engine at the stop light. This light isn’t particularly long. I had thought that you needed to have a substantial wait for the engine shut-off to be worth it, but apparently 10 seconds is long enough.
- I stopped at the Sheetz after work. As I went in, the person in the space next to mine came out to her car. The engine was idling the whole time. Some people get it, and some people don’t.
Any other events you’ve seen that give you the impression that gas prices are on people’s minds?
4 Responses to “Some gas observations”
By mapgirl on May 9, 2006 | Reply
Interesting post. The Terrablog link has a commenter that says turning off your engine before your catalytic converter reaches the right temperature is actualy more harmful to the environment, even if you are saving gas. It seems to be a balance issue. I didn’t know you could turn your engine off if your wait was as little as 10 seconds. That is very good to know.
By CW on May 9, 2006 | Reply
in my region (southwest U.S. — where temperatures are already close to 100), mass transit ridership is (supposedly) way up. That’s odd, given that ppl here typically don’t ride the bus, let alone when it is hot and getting hotter outside. Also, there’s been a lot of media coverage about the increase in carpools and much larger than normal bus ridership.
FWIW, I also read on another PF blog (can’t remember the name) that the D.C. area is forecasting there will be no need for price increases for (at least) the next few years because of a much higher number of riders than normal.
FINALLY! Are americans actually starting to get it as far as mass transit goes!!!? Jeez. . . now that we’re only about 50 years behind Europe, people start to see the benefits of pooling resources and reducing consumption. . . I wish gas would hit $5 a gallon (which I bet it will, by this summer) to really give the clueless among us a gut check. However, I know that those who suffer the most from fuel increases are (typically) the working poor and the middle class. So. . . I guess I’ll just be careful what I wish for. . .
By Bobbie on May 10, 2006 | Reply
Fuel prices (although dropped a little) are still too high. My husband decided to try a product called Ethos FR that claimed to increase your mpg. Turns out that the government uses this stuff in their military and secret service vehicles, China uses it for their mass transit (more for environmental reasons), and many fleets here in the USA use it. All with phenomenal results. NBC and FOX both have great reports on the product which can be seen here – http://www.gasclubusa.com/go/bcohen
Feel free to email me at fightfuelprices@gmail.com with any questions you may have.
By Dale G. on May 11, 2006 | Reply
I’m looking forward to doing something I want to do anyway, which is biking to work. I don’t do it primarily for the savings. For me it is a cheap, enjoyable workout. Saving money on gas just gives me another excuse to do it.