DrSquirrel
Guest
I often forget that - so my numbers are wrong - 20mpg here is 23.68mpg there, 10mpg is 11.88mpg there. The amounts of $ though are still pretty small.
US "Gas" prices
- Thread starter levad
- Start date
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I often forget that - so my numbers are wrong - 20mpg here is 23.68mpg there, 10mpg is 11.88mpg there. The amounts of $ though are still pretty small.
abo
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Stockton on Tees
Muddy Ground
New Member
Gosh, cycling in the States; shudder the thought. Most places don't even have footpaths, let alone provision for a lone cyclist. For a lot of Americans a 4 mile cycle ride would involve a journey along something like the M25 during rush hour. I hired a bike in Bend, Oregon once and asked for directions to the trailhead. Guy asked where my SUV was, and looked at me oddly when I suggested riding to the trailhead, which was a mile away. But having ridden that mile, I could see his point - roads over there are a dangerous place for somebody on two wheels.
Don't forget also that many Americans never bother to get their cars serviced; they just run them into the ground. Petrol for them is the main cost that they notice.
MG
Don't forget also that many Americans never bother to get their cars serviced; they just run them into the ground. Petrol for them is the main cost that they notice.
MG
This is very true - it's hard enough to walk anywhere there! I know people who've not visited the day-to-day* parts of America will think this is a joke, but you honestly get looked at oddly if you even walk a few hundred yards in a lot of places!
I was in a suburb of Chicago (Schaumburg) with work and said I was going out for a walk - was told I was mad, but went anyway. Even though there were footpaths and pedestrian crossings, the lights just weren't set up for you to be able to cross the very busy roads. I was literally the only person on foot and I could barely get anywhere. I'd hate to cycle in most of their towns.
*I mean the places where people mostly live and work, as opposed to New York City or places you see in movies.
America during post WW2 boom time developed a culture based on affluence and low, low gas prices (and a great deal of land!) of urban development of vast suburban sprawl miles and miles away from anything useful. Economic downturn resulted in the housing staying where it is, but job losses resulting in people having to travel even further to find work. Car commutes of 30+ miles each way are pretty much the norm* from what I hear.
*not you, Norm
Indeed, I've never done more than 25 each way, and I did that (once!) on the bike.*not you, Norm
Mind you, the boss here does 100+ each way and claims 40p/mile for doing so in his own car.
America during post WW2 boom time developed a culture based on affluence and low, low gas prices (and a great deal of land!) of urban development of vast suburban sprawl miles and miles away from anything useful. Economic downturn resulted in the housing staying where it is, but job losses resulting in people having to travel even further to find work. Car commutes of 30+ miles each way are pretty much the norm* from what I hear.
*not you, Norm
Eisenhower did develop the road network a great deal it is true and some of the huge urban sprawl that went on in some of the south western states certainly happened in this time period (a late friend lived in one of them). And yes it's true that car commute of those sort of distances are common in America even for some of those on the lower socio-economic spectrum whereas in this country it's the much more affluent that are more likely to have that sort of lifestyle.
My point was really about the tax, Reagan came after a watershed time where things could have gone very differently (here also to an extent) - they didn't. Imagine a parallel universe where America had jacked up gasoline and tackled the so called energy crisis earlier and a UK where the fuel escalator had never happened. We might be paying a similar amount then. It's not very likely, but there you go, could have happened.
Beebo
Firm and Fruity
- Location
- Hexleybeef
Mind you, the boss here does 100+ each way and claims 40p/mile for doing so in his own car.
Dont let the tax man hear that, you can't claim mileage allowance for travel to your usual place of work
Yes; but........ they forgot to mention Austria, Belgium, Czech republic, Denmark, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland; all of which are European countries where unleaded petrol is cheaper than good old "empty your pockets for the treasury" Britain.
http://www.drive-alive.co.uk/fuel_prices_europe.html
jnb
Veteran
- Location
- In a corner
Interesting table you showed there. It shows that out of those 26 countries 13 have cheaper petrol than the UK and 12 have more expensive.
Unless you are a contractor whose usual place of work is his home address or an employee asked to relocate for a period under 24 months or something like that.
It surprised me too... I went for a day and spent 90CHF! (Around 65 quid). I only bought 2 cokes, 2 ice creams and a baguette!
subaqua
What’s the point
- Location
- Leytonstone
or you work on a site (for less than 24months )( as you said)) and the head office is elsewhere so can claim commuting mileage from home.
the 20p per mile for cycling in isn't an incentive but the weekly cost and the extra time perday if i did drive :shudders at thought: I have relatives in the US and they were astounded at the cost of fuel over here when they came over for Easter.
Nigeyy
Legendary Member
- Location
- Massachusetts, USA
Got to chime in. Some of my observations:
1. it's in the US cultural DNA to expect low "gas" prices and the need for economy isn't quite here yet -at least relative to Europe. Mind you, don't forget that oil prices are broadly similar for the US and the UK, it's the tax added on in the UK that makes it so much more expensive. Having said that, with many of the kinds of vehicles Americans drive, they're finding out it is costing them $50-$100 a fill up -those numbers are more psychological I think.
2. It's also in the average American's cultural DNA to drive anywhere, even on very short trips. Certainly this is done on the part of being able to (i.e. petrol is cheap) but there are other factors: yes, laziness could be one, but also there is -compared to Europe -a lack of public transport other than in larger cities, a fear of getting hit on the road if you cycle and adverse weather (see below). I also suspect there is a certain "shame" factor if you walk to get somewhere -as in you can't afford a car or you've had your driving licence revoked, etc. Keep in mind I'm not supporting these factors as valid, just stating them as I perceive them.
2. Even in the densely populated north east of the USA (densely relatively speaking for the USA) things can be far apart. The way this country has developed is different from Europe -large cities are usually hundreds of miles apart. Suburbs roll on for quite a distance.
3. While it may not be a pedestrian or cycle friendly country (for those of you who have been to Dallas-Forth Worth you'll know what I mean) the climate doesn't help as well -there are places with blisteringly high temps as well as extreme cold. That's not to say you can't use a bicycle to commute (I do) just that it's not practically available to everyone or all year round (e.g. I do not commute in New England winters).
What I did find interesting from that article is that the person in the US spends almost twice as much on petrol as one from Europe. Even assuming a 20-30% drop in efficiency due to the amount of SUVs and large pickups, it would suggest that Americans drive ~30-50% more miles. What's the average mileage driven by a person with a car in the UK now? I know it used to be 12,000-15,000 miles per year -and that's what it is over here.
The funny thing is I left the UK back in 1990 -I think it took years and years before petrol got to the cost it was in the UK in 1990 so I always thought it was dirt cheap. Unlike many other people here, I can't abide keeping an engine idling for no reason other than you can't be bothered to turn it off -I've seen people in cars letting the engines idle for tens of minutes for no reason at all and it *still* gets me! Oh yeah, I will not get in my car to drive less than 100 metres to buy a coffee in a drive thru' either!
1. it's in the US cultural DNA to expect low "gas" prices and the need for economy isn't quite here yet -at least relative to Europe. Mind you, don't forget that oil prices are broadly similar for the US and the UK, it's the tax added on in the UK that makes it so much more expensive. Having said that, with many of the kinds of vehicles Americans drive, they're finding out it is costing them $50-$100 a fill up -those numbers are more psychological I think.
2. It's also in the average American's cultural DNA to drive anywhere, even on very short trips. Certainly this is done on the part of being able to (i.e. petrol is cheap) but there are other factors: yes, laziness could be one, but also there is -compared to Europe -a lack of public transport other than in larger cities, a fear of getting hit on the road if you cycle and adverse weather (see below). I also suspect there is a certain "shame" factor if you walk to get somewhere -as in you can't afford a car or you've had your driving licence revoked, etc. Keep in mind I'm not supporting these factors as valid, just stating them as I perceive them.
2. Even in the densely populated north east of the USA (densely relatively speaking for the USA) things can be far apart. The way this country has developed is different from Europe -large cities are usually hundreds of miles apart. Suburbs roll on for quite a distance.
3. While it may not be a pedestrian or cycle friendly country (for those of you who have been to Dallas-Forth Worth you'll know what I mean) the climate doesn't help as well -there are places with blisteringly high temps as well as extreme cold. That's not to say you can't use a bicycle to commute (I do) just that it's not practically available to everyone or all year round (e.g. I do not commute in New England winters).
What I did find interesting from that article is that the person in the US spends almost twice as much on petrol as one from Europe. Even assuming a 20-30% drop in efficiency due to the amount of SUVs and large pickups, it would suggest that Americans drive ~30-50% more miles. What's the average mileage driven by a person with a car in the UK now? I know it used to be 12,000-15,000 miles per year -and that's what it is over here.
The funny thing is I left the UK back in 1990 -I think it took years and years before petrol got to the cost it was in the UK in 1990 so I always thought it was dirt cheap. Unlike many other people here, I can't abide keeping an engine idling for no reason other than you can't be bothered to turn it off -I've seen people in cars letting the engines idle for tens of minutes for no reason at all and it *still* gets me! Oh yeah, I will not get in my car to drive less than 100 metres to buy a coffee in a drive thru' either!
Our friends over the pond are worried about their petrol prices, one is quoted as saying ...
"Of course it's hurting, it's $1.25 more than a year ago. I'm considering buying a bike and cycling the four miles to work," says software engineer Pedro Alvarado, 25.
Article here
