Gas Strike Days and Why it will NEVER work

[b5driver]

Originally Posted by FatPossum

biking to work everyday would rule.

does anyone from SD know how I could connect from the 56 to UTC w/out using any freeway? I need to learn how so I can hopefully ride to work one or 2 days a week.

thanks

Could you use the trail along the 56, then head down El Camino Real into Sorrento Valley, and then take surface streets from there? Or... you could come work at my firm, then you wouldn't have to go to UTC.

[uzziboy]

Originally Posted by DeeZee

World consumption

Yes the lack of refineries plays a roll in gas prices. The biggest driver is that the price of crude is through the roof thanks primarily to China, India and other developing countries. This is not going to go away. Gas will hit an average price of $5.00 a gallon before we know it. In a few years that will be the good’ol days.

What to do? Boycotting gas stations for one day won’t send a message to anyone. You would have more impact staying out of Walmart and not buying any products made in China (impossible I know).

YES YES YES YES YES YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[supralight]

yeah. gas strike day is lame, as is buy nothing day. the people who come up with these ideas have their hearts in the right place but they sorely lack skills in their execution. it would be better if we were able to use public transportation to share the fuel costs with those on the bus/train, but there is a HUGE problem with lobbying in washington (rather, its panglobal) to push the agendas of those who stand to profit off of the rising costs of fuel. i feel a complete restructuring of the way our politicians and industrial sectors interact is crucial today in order to address the needs (environmental, energy, food, water, transportation of goods and people, living spaces of both people and animals) of future generations so we can get a start, albeit, a late start on tackling this monumental problem. i believe that the knowledge and experience of those who deal with these situations daily and the energy and exuberance of those who want to see efficiency and equity of people across the globe, we can make this world a much better place. you can't end consumerism. if we did, we wouldn't get anywhere and we'd all die of starvation. we really need to (re)think about what we consume, where it comes from, how it affects us and others; and also of alternatives and substitutes that may have better or worse effects than the original goods (google: prius vs h2 hummer. it'll blow your mind!)

[Marshall Willanholly]

Originally Posted by FisherFanHye

Today is Gas Strike Day.!!!

Try not to fill up on any gas at all for the whole day. Let all your friends know. Take your cell phone and text it to all your contacts. Go to work and tell all your coworkers. Call all your family members and tell them as well.

GAS STRIKE GAS STRIKE........(and maybe if enough people do it they will start lowering prices)

As others have mentioned, this doesn't work.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/gasoline/gasout.asp

[soul rider]

nobody buy any FOX 40rc forks today, so they will lower the prices. once FOX lowers the price I'll have money for gas

[drclark]

Part of the problem is the de-valuation of the US dollar on the world market (thanks to the mortgage crisis and constant lowering of interest rates to compensate). Factor in international tensions, increasing demand from China and India, US regulations on building new refineries and domestic oil drilling, environmental regulations on gasoline blends, local, state, and federal taxes, etc, means that there is no "easy" solution to the gas price problem.

In the short term the best you can do is to minimize your personal consumption to limit the impacts to your wallets. Buy stock in the oil companies and root for bigger profits. Running out and buying a hybrid is probably not the answer since it will take along time for it to pay off in gas savings (unless you drive alot). However, changing your driving habits can help. I tend to speed alot less as my truck gets significantly better gas mileage when going 60-65 than at 70-80+. I tend to acclerate like a grandma now, instead of driving like a lead foot. I try to ride at least 3-4 days a week when possible. I am lucky that I live close enough and I have showers at work to be able to do so regularly. When I'm good, I can stretch a tank of gas in my truck almost a month. (the downside, is only filling up every four weeks really gives you sticker shock at the pump each time).

Electric assist bikes might be a good option for some where either distance or lack of shower facilities make riding impractical. I posted this story (Funny thing happened to me on the way home) the other day about my recent encounter with an electric assist bike on my regular commute. Though it was written as an attempt a humor, I do have to say that that was the first time in all my years of commuting that I have encountered an electric bike. So maybe technology is getting to the point where they are practical and the pain at the pump is starting to drive "normal" people to look for commuting options. There are conversion kits available as well (http://nycewheels.com/bionx-electric-bike.html). I think when paired with an xtra-cycle (http://www.xtracycle.com/models.php) such a system might make a cool grocery-getter/fulltime commuter.

Long term, we as a nation have to decide on a coherent energy policy/plan. Are we going to stick with oil? If so, we need to secure long term supplies, remove legal and administrative hurdles to refining and drilling, standardize on a couple of clean-blend formulas for the entire nation, etc. The only real benefit of the increasing prices is that previously economically infeasable options are now becomming attactive. Also, the pain at the pumps might actually open the average American's mind to the idea of going away from gasoline/oil. Is Ethanol/biofuels the right answer? I personally don't think so. However, it sure is a clever ploy to jack up the world price on grain (one of our biggest exports). I would like to think that the move to ethanol is part of some master plan to slow/stunt China's growth as they currently import both oil and food. However, I don't know if our .gov is really that smart.

I think nuke generated electricity is probably the right way to go. Use that to power desalinization plants to supply the western states with H2O and also generate liquid hydrogen for fueling cars, etc. I think the painfully high prices at the pumps ARE necessary to get Americans to accept/welcome the changes and get over the environmental concerns w.r.t. nuke energy.

drc

[gleeke]

Joke...so if noone buys tomorrow....there will be an increase in sales both today and Saturday...Don't just go after Oil Co's..think about this\...

If people took a day and didn't go work, go out, turn on their lights/electronics. Just bring hte country to a screetching halt that might have an effect. But Americans can't agree on anything..so it'll never happen.


I'm just trying to raise my post count....

The World Needs Oil. We are a society that runs on oil.

[RacinJason]

I will ride my scooter it never needs gas or ride my bike to work.

[6packguywith5spot]

I wish I had known this a few day earlier so I could pass the word around. I am still going to do it anyhow.

Thanks

Originally Posted by FisherFanHye

Today is Gas Strike Day.!!!

Try not to fill up on any gas at all for the whole day. Let all your friends know. Take your cell phone and text it to all your contacts. Go to work and tell all your coworkers. Call all your family members and tell them as well.

GAS STRIKE GAS STRIKE........(and maybe if enough people do it they will start lowering prices)

[supralight]

sorry for the long post, but i feel really strongly about this topic and havent the foggiest idea about how to find an arena to make the changes i want to see in this world.

Originally Posted by drclark

Part of the problem is the de-valuation of the US dollar on the world market (thanks to the mortgage crisis and constant lowering of interest rates to compensate). Factor in international tensions, increasing demand from China and India, US regulations on building new refineries and domestic oil drilling, environmental regulations on gasoline blends, local, state, and federal taxes, etc, means that there is no "easy" solution to the gas price problem.

In the short term the best you can do is to minimize your personal consumption to limit the impacts to your wallets. Buy stock in the oil companies and root for bigger profits. Running out and buying a hybrid is probably not the answer since it will take along time for it to pay off in gas savings (unless you drive alot). However, changing your driving habits can help. I tend to speed alot less as my truck gets significantly better gas mileage when going 60-65 than at 70-80+. I tend to acclerate like a grandma now, instead of driving like a lead foot. I try to ride at least 3-4 days a week when possible. I am lucky that I live close enough and I have showers at work to be able to do so regularly. When I'm good, I can stretch a tank of gas in my truck almost a month. (the downside, is only filling up every four weeks really gives you sticker shock at the pump each time).

Electric assist bikes might be a good option for some where either distance or lack of shower facilities make riding impractical. I posted this story (Funny thing happened to me on the way home) the other day about my recent encounter with an electric assist bike on my regular commute. Though it was written as an attempt a humor, I do have to say that that was the first time in all my years of commuting that I have encountered an electric bike. So maybe technology is getting to the point where they are practical and the pain at the pump is starting to drive "normal" people to look for commuting options. There are conversion kits available as well (http://nycewheels.com/bionx-electric-bike.html). I think when paired with an xtra-cycle (http://www.xtracycle.com/models.php) such a system might make a cool grocery-getter/fulltime commuter.

Long term, we as a nation have to decide on a coherent energy policy/plan. Are we going to stick with oil? If so, we need to secure long term supplies, remove legal and administrative hurdles to refining and drilling, standardize on a couple of clean-blend formulas for the entire nation, etc. The only real benefit of the increasing prices is that previously economically infeasable options are now becomming attactive. Also, the pain at the pumps might actually open the average American's mind to the idea of going away from gasoline/oil. Is Ethanol/biofuels the right answer? I personally don't think so. However, it sure is a clever ploy to jack up the world price on grain (one of our biggest exports). I would like to think that the move to ethanol is part of some master plan to slow/stunt China's growth as they currently import both oil and food. However, I don't know if our .gov is really that smart.

I think nuke generated electricity is probably the right way to go. Use that to power desalinization plants to supply the western states with H2O and also generate liquid hydrogen for fueling cars, etc. I think the painfully high prices at the pumps ARE necessary to get Americans to accept/welcome the changes and get over the environmental concerns w.r.t. nuke energy.

drc

i agree there is no easy solution to our oil addiction. but we need to start coming up with and implementing viable solutions. it would be great if the oil companies could use their record profits to fund research-and-development for more efficient solar cells, fuel cells, and engines that run on "waste". unfortunately, this may never happen because they would eventually be putting themselves out of business.

i commend you sir, for driving like a "grandma". as a sometimes aggressive 23 year old male, i struggle to keep my foot off of the loud pedal, i am lucky, however, to have found bicycling at such an early age, to use as an outlet for my need for speed. i also think the electric-assist xtra cycles are super cool and would be a great way to get around town. brammo, makes (markets, really) an electric motorcycle that could be used for longer trips. but the biggest problem with electric vehicles, is that their emissions dont come from their tailpipes, but from the coal burning powerplants of which majority of americans receive their electricity.

while ethanol and other biofuels are a viable alternative to dino-juice currently, i think they are crutch until we can harness wind, solar, and safe nuclear fusion/fission to run electrolysis machines that split the hydrogen off of dirty water molecules (oh, behave!). this gas can be stored and used in hydrogen powered cars and co-generators that make electricity and heat and cool your homes in the summer/winter. if you are interested in this, and want further info, google lolland kommune in denmark. they are currently using a "hydrogen economy" where they are using wind generated electricity to make hydrogen and exporting the excess electricity to surrounding countries (and making some $$$ in the process).

i do disagree with the removal of environmental, legal, and administrative hurdles on the oil industry. they have a history of cutting corners and fouling things up when ever they get the chance. the ugandan arm of shell wiped out an entire village for protesting their lack of environmental stewardship, the effects of which will be felt for generations to come. if anything, i think we should be more vigilant about enforcing current regulations (it would help with the U.S tax debacle) and make the vehicle regulations tighter even if that means taking beautiful vintage cars off of the road (they should be in museums anyway right?). and what about the freight industry? should they go unchecked too?
i dont think so.

the only problem with what i propose is that i would be making a sh!t-ton of enemies in the corporate world and would probably end up dead (those classic car guys can get pretty crazy... ever been to one of those auctions?). for the most part, its not overwhelmingly difficult to implement these changes. like changing one's driving style, it takes diligence and determination to achieve specific goals. we dont live in a world where we can do whatever we want and not worry about the repercussions, we never did and we never will.

[tbowren]

Here is the problem as I see it.

I can't bike to work AND goto the Path on the same day.


Most days that's not a problem, but some days it IS.

[danlorek]

Originally Posted by b5driver

Could you use the trail along the 56, then head down El Camino Real into Sorrento Valley, and then take surface streets from there? Or... you could come work at my firm, then you wouldn't have to go to UTC.

yeah, you can take the 56 bike path to el camino real as you stated. to get into utc you still run into an issue from sorrento valley to utc. either you ride the 5 from sorrento valley to genesee (which is quite scary), take the coast up torrey pines (a bit of a detour), or (what i used to do) take "shit canyon" from the end of roselle street to eastgate mall.

[EMrider]

Originally Posted by 1080P

You might make a difference if everyone drove cars that got 50mpg, but Americans, in general, are energy hogs. They'll change their ways when it bites them where it hurts the most, the wallet and the descretionary income getting smaller and smaller. People are resistant to change. It's not the goverment's job to force change, it's the peoples responsibility to make the change themselves, as they see fit. If they continue to be irresponsible and make poor choices for transportation, they get to live with it.

Fully agree. But it takes time for the price signal to generate broad and deep changes in behavior. That process is now underway given today's prices, but the impact won't be visible for some time. The vehicle stock takes years (6-8yrs) to turn over.

I'm optimistic that change will accelerate and that technology will sove the "problems" we're now facing. Heck, the market already provides vehicles that can "solve" many of our problems. No govt. solutions please.

[PassatBoy101]

Oooops I jsut put $68 in the Passat

[theclayster]

it's supposed to be tomorrow, but how retarded is this...you are going to buy gas either today(thursday) or sat. i am paying close to $90 on gas...freakin sucks, but what else can i do.

[supralight]

we are the government and should be telling them what they should be doing with our tax money. its not the other way around. lets get these chumps out of there and get some true public servants!

[Docklobster]

I bike the 6 miles to work every day - unless I am doing a mtn bike ride after work - then I have to drive to get to work then to the trail and home, so in order to bike I have to drive - how is that for weird logic???

After 3 months I think I have only saved my self two tanks of gas - but at today's prices thats about $200!!

[1FG rider]

Originally Posted by HUGH

Sweet that means I get to buy extra gas tomorrow!!

HUGH

How many years would it take me to recupe the savings in fuel costs if I bought a R 1200 GS??

[EMrider]

Originally Posted by supralight

we are the government and should be telling them what they should be doing with our tax money. its not the other way around. lets get these chumps out of there and get some true public servants!

I'm curious if you have any idea(s) about what you'd like to see "them" do?

There is no US economy control panel sitting somewhere in Washington D.C.. Thousands of years of history strongly suggest that prices send the clearest signals and create incentives that people respond to over time.

We don't all buy cars, build homes or select jobs on a weekly or monthly basis. But I'm absolutely sure that every person facing these sorts of decisions today is at least considering other options given the cost of energy.