Oil hits 88 dollars a barrel

dirk_van_gently

Oil hits 88 dollars a barrel.
may not seem very cycling orientated, but this is bound to push the price of petrol over the quid a litre threshold.
How many more cyclists will this bring to our roads?
What worries me, is that we may see a deluge (my word of the day) of inexperienced, and inappropriately kitted out first time commuters, with the inevitable potential for a minor disaster and the inevitable knee jerk reactions of the tabloid press.

Cyclegent

I doubt it. It will take a lot more than a pound a litre to get people cycling!

People in Britain have some of the longest commutes in Europe, don't forget, and anything more than a 20 or so mile round trip is too much for people of average fitness.

You might get a few more people cycling to the station possibly, or doing short local trips, but I think it's more likely that cars running on biofuels and alternative fuel systems will become more popular - and it will become fashionable to dump your BMW or 4x4 to drive one of these instead - note how the Toyota Prius is a fashionable toy for the liberal-left establishment.

The only thing that will get people cycling instead of driving is a total lack of petrol like in WW2, and if it gets that bad cycling will be affected too as spare parts and inner tubes etc will become scarce.

BTW how will commuters being 'inappropriately kitted out' lead to accidents? Unless they're wearing long coats that get caught in the spokes or something...?

dirk_van_gently

When I wrote "inappropriately kitted out", I was refering to lack of Helmet, no lights etc.
Que "anti helmet brigade" comments.

cupofteacp

You wait until the 30mph speed limit becomes 20 then we should see a few more cyclists

neillcp

Am I the only one that doesn't get these hybrid cars, such as the Prius?

Cars have had batteries for years, charged off the engine in order to to power lights, radios etc. Surely a hybrid is just a souped up version of that, combined with a bit of milk float technology, which the car companies are cleverly marketing to eco-guilty drivers. Its not like they are even the most fuel efficient cars on the market. In some cases people use the technology to justify carrying on with buying bloody great 4x4s!

I suppose that any effort to reduce fuel consumption must be encouraged, but the car company chiefs must be having a right laugh at their customers expense.

chrisjsmith

A hybrid is a souped up version of that - you are correct. It does however charge off rheostatic braking as well which increases the available power. They are only 10-25% more efficient. The engine only kicks in when you hit 30mph or so or the battery is dead.

I reckon they have more environmental cost disposing of the batteries than the emissions savings...

el_presidente

chrisjsmith wrote:

A hybrid is a souped up version of that - you are correct. It does however charge off rheostatic braking as well which increases the available power. They are only 10-25% more efficient. The engine only kicks in when you hit 30mph or so or the battery is dead.

I reckon they have more environmental cost disposing of the batteries than the emissions savings...

They were developed for California as low-emission vehicles, that's a big deal out there because of the problems with smog. They sit on electric power in the freeway jams.

In the UK there is little point outside the big cities.

TheFoolio888

neillcp wrote:

Am I the only one that doesn't get these hybrid cars, such as the Prius?

I'm afraid that it is a result of the human mentality to do what ever you like...as long as you pay lip service to actually changing your ways. They are just a tool to salve your aching conscience.

The obvious answer to being "green" with your travel...get a smaller car, a car with a smaller engine or a car with less gizmos to draw energy. Or how about this...actually get off your lazy, possibly fat, arse and walk or cycle instead?

It's the same thing as carbon offsetting...99% is absolute cobblers designed to ease your conscience about using the earths resources....instead of cutting back, why not pay some to plant a tree which will probably be dead before it has absorbed 10% of the carbon you have emitted.

Rant over... :oops:

Cyclegent

Dirk Van Gently wrote:

When I wrote "inappropriately kitted out", I was refering to lack of Helmet, no lights etc.
Que "anti helmet brigade" comments.

Fair enough on lights - I assumed you meant only clothing. As far as I know, not wearing a helmet makes no difference to your likelihood of being involved in an accident, unless you follow the risk compensation theory, which makes it less likely.

As for Toyota Prius etc - yes, a salve for eco-consciences (the modern form of religious guilt) and there are problems with battery disposal. Far better to drive a small car or motorbike, which if well maintained could last you for 20 years or more. What I think people need is a very small (say, 250cc or so) two seater town car, basically a covered-in motorbike.

dirk_van_gently

What I think people need is a very small (say, 250cc or so) two seater town car, basically a covered-in motorbike.

we had those in the sixties, they were called Bubble cars.

A hybrid 4x4 flies in the face of eco-friendlyness, frankly it's just taking the p!$$.

My wife has a Jazz, it does 53mpg, on a normal petrol engine, my friend has a Prius, which does less than 50mpg. Then there is the eco impact of making 2 engines, and as mentioned earlier disposing of the batteries when they expire. Of course the Prius is a larger car, but the size gain is more to accomodate the batteries.

I did read an article where some chap in Califronia modified a Prius, More batteries, some efficiency mods etc, and was getting 250mpg, which is impressive.

chrisjsmith

Just as a side point, the only reason I "act green" is to save money, not the environment.

The environment and what resides within it are perfectly capable of adapting to change. After all it's the proliferation of us aerobic organisms that caused all the sodding carbon dioxide in the first place, not our tellies.

BentMikey

Dirk Van Gently wrote:

What worries me, is that we may see a deluge (my word of the day) of inexperienced, and inappropriately kitted out first time commuters, with the inevitable potential for a minor disaster and the inevitable knee jerk reactions of the tabloid press.

Oh, I'd like nothing better than for there to be more cyclists. Remember that cycling is incredibly safe, even for the wobbly ones, and some will learn and improve and get much safer. More cyclists make it safer for all cyclists, to a far greater extent than any other safety measure.

Bring on the wobblers I say.

BentMikey

Dirk Van Gently wrote:

When I wrote "inappropriately kitted out", I was refering to lack of Helmet, no lights etc.
Que "anti helmet brigade" comments.

Almost no-one in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany needs helmets or spacker jackets. Why are they needed here for something that even in the UK is roughly as safe as walking?

Lights would be good of course. :P

Fuzz Monkey Five

I dion't reckon the number of cyclists will increase that much, most motorists will just fork out the extra few £ each time they fil up as it's less noticable that way.

I'm glad I cycle 5 days a week - I reckon I save £45 a month on fuel

fossyant

Fortunately, petrol prices don't bother me much now.......

Changed jobs from one where I had to sit in the car for 2-3 hours round trip, to one that I bike to.... gone from spending about £350 per month to maybe £70 for two cars....

Cyclegent

I truly believe most British motorists would starve rather than give up their cars. Partly because they are an emotional extension of themselves, and partly because British society has, in the last fifty years, developed completely around the car so that most people, outside of the large cities, would find it impossible to live without one. There is simply not the money to replace the car-centric infrastructure. You may as well ask people to live without running water or electricity.

People will run steam cars on broken up furniture rather than cycle.