Well it is definitely true that public transportation is better in the UK. Before Chesh got injured, we avoided using the car within Oxford -- relying on bus (her) and bicycle (me). The car was reserved for out-of-Oxford trips.
However, trust me when I say that there are plenty of cars on the road in the UK. Hop on a motorway and you will find the same levels of traffic as what you see on a typical US interstate. Paying nearly $10/gallon for fuel sucks eggs. I filled up my tank last night and it cost £61 -- that's $9.56/gallon and over $120 to fill the tank. Ouch!
The high fuel cost also hits us in other ways. Trucks (we call 'em "lorries") still deliver goods all over the place, and they have added fuel surcharges. So the high cost of fuel makes food and other goods more expensive. Something I noticed today when I went to get a sandwich for lunch -- the price had gone up due to a fuel charge. Oi!
You are right on the "whiny bitches" thing -- and eloquently put, too! But the whining is useless. Oil prices are not going to come back down and probably will continue to rise. Rather than just complain, it would be helpful to do something about it. And there are things that can be done. Fuel economy standards for cars can be made higher. The auto industry complains loudly every time Congress opens its mouth about this... effectively shutting the idea down time and again. Which is why fuel economy in the US sucks. My twelve year old VW gets 45 miles to the gallon... which is better than a brand new Toyota Prius! The fuel economy here is much better.
Also, investing in the infrastructure for better public transport in the US would help a great deal... because then people would not need to drive EVERYWHERE. And, of course, making engines that run on alternate fuel -- did you know you can run a car on veggie oil? -- would also help.
Just some food for thought...
P.S. I did indeed know that clean water is a non-renewable resource. Scary, huh, how we use it so casually to do things like flush our piss away. When I get settled in somewhere, I want to install a greywater system.
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Date: 2008-05-27 05:23 pm (UTC)However, trust me when I say that there are plenty of cars on the road in the UK. Hop on a motorway and you will find the same levels of traffic as what you see on a typical US interstate. Paying nearly $10/gallon for fuel sucks eggs. I filled up my tank last night and it cost £61 -- that's $9.56/gallon and over $120 to fill the tank. Ouch!
The high fuel cost also hits us in other ways. Trucks (we call 'em "lorries") still deliver goods all over the place, and they have added fuel surcharges. So the high cost of fuel makes food and other goods more expensive. Something I noticed today when I went to get a sandwich for lunch -- the price had gone up due to a fuel charge. Oi!
You are right on the "whiny bitches" thing -- and eloquently put, too! But the whining is useless. Oil prices are not going to come back down and probably will continue to rise. Rather than just complain, it would be helpful to do something about it. And there are things that can be done. Fuel economy standards for cars can be made higher. The auto industry complains loudly every time Congress opens its mouth about this... effectively shutting the idea down time and again. Which is why fuel economy in the US sucks. My twelve year old VW gets 45 miles to the gallon... which is better than a brand new Toyota Prius! The fuel economy here is much better.
Also, investing in the infrastructure for better public transport in the US would help a great deal... because then people would not need to drive EVERYWHERE. And, of course, making engines that run on alternate fuel -- did you know you can run a car on veggie oil? -- would also help.
Just some food for thought...
P.S. I did indeed know that clean water is a non-renewable resource. Scary, huh, how we use it so casually to do things like flush our piss away. When I get settled in somewhere, I want to install a greywater system.