America, stop your bitching about gas prices

[Undrave]

Or, for a cheaper suburban solution the ZENN isn't bad. Keep your SUV for your comute, but take the small 12 000$ electric car to the grocery store a few blocks over.

Ethanol isn't a good solution, because it takes food away from humans and we're already in a global food crisis (though realistically its an ARTIFICIAL crisis as there is PLENTY of food in the world...its just too expensive and we waste a lot of it).

Electric car, preferably powered thanks hydro-electric dams, windmills and solar stations, are cleaner solutions.

Off course, hydro-electric dams destroy habitats and the windmills take energy out of wind, meaning that if we exagerate on the principle we could end up reducing the strength of wind world wide.

Whatever we do will eventually affect nature... I wish they would develop solar power. Absorbing solar energy in large enough quantity would even reduce the global warming crisis!

You know that a city with enough 'green' roof will see its average temperature in the summer drop by a degree or two? That's because the plants absorb the solar energy.

 

[Forever Knight]

My theory... Crying about gas?... Get a better paying job or take a fucking bus.

I agree with Mikazuki on this. This bitching is pissing me off.

I'm glad I don't get my licence back until November this year.

 

[DarkWolf]

My theory... Crying about gas?... Get a better paying job or take a fucking bus.

There are a few flaws in your theory...

1) The economy and the job market are taking a crap here, especially if you live in a state like Michigan.

2) Outside of major cities, mass transit isn't really available to us. Cars are pretty much the only mode of transportation most of us have. Not to mention the fact that many people have to travel LONG distances for their daily commutes.

And of course, the gas mileage on our cars is piss poor compared to that of some other countries...

 

[OverdrivePrime]

I don't want to sound like a dick here, but I can't muster a lot of sympathy for people who have long commutes. I know people who drive an hour each way or more to work. That's a crazy waste of time and money. I can't fathom spending two hours of my life every day just *driving* to or from work.

Unless you can't find a house or job at all, I really feel that people should prioritize by what makes them happiest. If you love your job, find a home close to your work. If you love your home or your community, find a job close to home.

Granted, it's not an instant process. I drive 20 minutes to work each day and I hate it. But I'm going to school so that I can get a job downtown (near where I live) and bike to work. :thumbs:

 

[Undrave]

I don't want to sound like a dick here, but I can't muster a lot of sympathy for people who have long commutes. I know people who drive an hour each way or more to work. That's a crazy waste of time and money. I can't fathom spending two hours of my life every day just *driving* to or from work.

Unless you can't find a house or job at all, I really feel that people should prioritize by what makes them happiest. If you love your job, find a home close to your work. If you love your home or your community, find a job close to home.

Granted, it's not an instant process. I drive 20 minutes to work each day and I hate it. But I'm going to school so that I can get a job downtown (near where I live) and bike to work. :thumbs:

Hear hear! :thumbs:

 

[Aoi Kurenai]

I don't remember where, but I once read that in the mid 90s, a viable non-oil powered vehicle was actually created, it just needed more research to make it more affordable, a few months later, the Hummer came out.

Preach on, Mikazuki! I hate hearing people bitch about gas, particularly after they've just bought a bigass SUV or luxury car. Buy something efficient and shut the hell up, people!

There are plenty of people who don't go overboard and buy exuberant vehicles like that, they're honest people who, because of the economy, can't find the best jobs and have families to support. Should they just shut the hell up? Everyone has a different quality of life, but there are certainly people who are entitled to complain.

My job's only about 7 miles from where I live, so I take the bus, my college classes are only 3 miles from where I live, so I'll usually walk, bike or take the bus there.

I don't want to sound like a dick here, but I can't muster a lot of sympathy for people who have long commutes. I know people who drive an hour each way or more to work. That's a crazy waste of time and money. I can't fathom spending two hours of my life every day just *driving* to or from work.

Welcome to life? That's the reality a lot of people face these days with the job market being so horrible, they're left with no other option. I certainly don't have sympathy for those complaining that they don't have enough money for a full tank in their brand new Hummer, but what about the common folk?

Unless you can't find a house or job at all, I really feel that people should prioritize by what makes them happiest. If you love your job, find a home close to your work. If you love your home or your community, find a job close to home.

And this just makes the problem continue. People often don't have the luxury of choosing what makes them happy, maybe if you're single or if you live by yourself, but this is a problem that affects those more in family situations. One has to consider just how far the family doctor is, the food markets, the schools, the crime rate in said areas.

 

[Kamen Rider Caucasus]

Preach on, Mikazuki! I hate hearing people bitch about gas, particularly after they've just bought a bigass SUV or luxury car. Buy something efficient and shut the hell up, people!

I totally agree here. I drive one of these things:

A Fiat Cinquecento
While it may not be much to look at and while it isn't verry fast(top speed 140 km/h), it's fuel effecient as hell. I have to drive about 140 km a day to work and back and I only have to tank once a week. Which boils down to me getting about 20 km per ever liter of fuel. With the gasprices here in the Netherlands at €1.75 per liter as Mikazuki indicated it's a blessing.

Conclussion some people just need to get over their egos.

Not too mention I think many countries in those areas embrace mass transit and walking....it's a bit difficult to do that here. For instance, my father has to drive 60 miles down and back 5-6 days a week for his job, his car gets roughly 30 miles a gallon, he'd barely even complete the week compared to me where I only drive 30 miles a day and have 32 miles a gallon.

While it's true that a lot of countries here in Europe are more inclined to use public transportation there's still the issue, at least here in the Netherlands, that some/most trains/busses don't run on time or are mosst of the time overflowing with people. Plus that some areas here in the Netherlands aren't even reachable by train, some of the polders here for example. That makes using public transportation for a trip of about only 50 km take over an hour compared to a half hour using a car.

 

[Tom Constantine]

You have a lower price, Masked Shuuyu. A friend of mine lives in Liverpool and he says that his gas prices are almost £1.15 a liter ($2.27 US). That's $8.60 a gallon! Yikes!

Petrol prices do range from place to place in the UK. Some of the major cities will have higher prices, like London for example. I currently live in quite a secluded town so that's probably why. There's not going to be any huge differences though.

 

[OverdrivePrime]

There are plenty of people who don't go overboard and buy exuberant vehicles like that, they're honest people who, because of the economy, can't find the best jobs and have families to support. Should they just shut the hell up? Everyone has a different quality of life, but there are certainly people who are entitled to complain.

Here's the thing. We, in the USA, have had artifically low gas prices for generations, because lobbyists representing the motor industry were able to make a case for promoting a highly spread-out mode of American life in which the car plays a central role. I understand that some people are just now realizing the terrible price of these generations of decisions, but all it takes is a little reading and research to understand the how and why of things. So yes, I'd prefer if people would hold their complaints until they gain an understanding of the forces behind them having to pay half of what our friends in the rest of the world pay at the pump, instead of the quarter or third that we've gotten used to.

Welcome to life? That's the reality a lot of people face these days with the job market being so horrible, they're left with no other option. I certainly don't have sympathy for those complaining that they don't have enough money for a full tank in their brand new Hummer, but what about the common folk?

I don't like to sound cold, but here I am again. Unfortunately, people have to pay the reprocussions of their decisions. If you bought a larger car or truck, say a used Bronco or an old Caprice, well, now you're paying the price of not buying a smaller, more efficient vehicle for the same price or less. A Corolla will still hold a family of five (if they're not too well-fed), just like a Caprice will. A small toyota truck will still haul around your work stuff just as well as a bronco. And again, I say that no matter what, people should try to live closer to their job, or work closer to their home. Jobs are there, people just have to have the skills and willingness to do them.

And this just makes the problem continue. People often don't have the luxury of choosing what makes them happy, maybe if you're single or if you live by yourself, but this is a problem that affects those more in family situations. One has to consider just how far the family doctor is, the food markets, the schools, the crime rate in said areas.

I'm married. We talked about what makes us happy and then moved to a place that reflects that best. My wife and I carpool to work whenever we can. She's a teacher and it's almost summer here in Wisconsin, so once she's done with school for the season I'm going to be biking to work whenever the weather is halfway decent.
Anyway, I'm a city boy, so I'm not familiar with places that don't have doctors, markets, school and low crime within 10 miles. I'd greatly prefer to see more people move to the cities and near-suburbs, as I think it's a more responsible use of land than rural or exurban homes that are on acres of property and are generally much more isolated from communties and services that you mentioned above.

 

[Z-Unit]

Orrr... save your pennies and buy one of these beauties!

I'd slit my wrist before I buy an electric car.