petrol price and more cycling ?

bearfraser

just quick one -- has this insane petrol hike ( and probably more to come ) made any differance to how much you are all cycling/commuting ??? :?:

rick_chasey

No.


Then again, I use the tube.

Pross

I'm aiming to commute more by bike but that is more to do with getting some miles in with a view to racing again but the cost of fuel certainly provides more encouragement. Unfortunately I tend to need the car a lot to attend meetings and site inspections so can't ride as much as I would like.

MichaelW

Do high petrol prices affect the way drivers drive?
Do they use more advanced driving skills to think ahead and use less fierce acceleration and braking?
Probably not.

daviesee

The weather is much more likely to affect whether I cycle or not.

If I was a city centre resident and worker then things would be very different.

Pep

No change here.
this year so far commuting by

driving: 3 times
riding: 37 times

Prob will get worse but very good so far.

mrushton

I'll commute by bike if I can. But really people have 'invested' in a car and the petrol price is only going to affect the 'poorer' motorists or those who have to pay out of their own pocket. There will be some fall-off in traffic but not much

shm_uk

It's incentivised me to cycle more than the two or three times a week I usually do.

Arkady001

Not really: I drive my 'normal' car when I have to as far as I have to and as frugally as I can (within reason), but in the Summer months I also drive for fun and have a car that is so spectacularly thirsty that I can get through a full tank in about three hours of lead-footing it round the local backroads...

My carbon-foorprint is the size of Antarctica - but growing, not shrinking.

Have fun and use it while you can - when it's gone, it's gone...

Gazzaputt

I only use the car for 'essential' journeys now.

I use local shops now and public transport.

I ride all the time to work so that hasn't changed.

PresumingEd

shm_uk wrote:

It's incentivised me to cycle more than the two or three times a week I usually do.

Likewise. I'm now planning to ride to work 4-5 times a week to save some much-needed money

rick_chasey

I'd imagine the kind of rider who rides for economy reasons is unlikely to join a forum discussing cycling.

bompington

It might mean more people out on bikes who are Not Real Cyclists

getonyourbike

bompington wrote:

It might mean more people out on bikes who are Not Real Cyclists

i have noticed that in my area.

unixnerd

The killer is the effect on tourism up here in the Highlands, other parts of the UK too I'm sure. Public transport is limited in many areas and the more remote areas will have less trade due to high fuel prices, don't forget that fuel can be up to 10p a litre more up here even on the mainland! The hilly and twisty nature of the roads means the mpg is lower than in areas with better highways.

I suspect that those who have the ability to use their car less have been doing so for some years now. Good for the environment, bad for areas reliant on tourism or with poor public transport.

Buckled_Rims

You will know how much petrol/diesel prices will hurt when drivers start to be "more" economical with their accelerating, braking and speed. Otherwise car drivers moan and groan at the cost but do little about it.

The big factor in cycling where I live is the new Tyne Tunnel getting built. Lots of extremely heavy traffic queues in the mornings and afternoons means there's tons of new cyclists using the old cyclist tunnel rather then spend 1 hour in a traffic queue. Unfortunately, this new "commuting cycling age" also coinsided with the cyclist tunnel lifts and escalators breaking down for months!

MattC59

MichaelW wrote:

Do high petrol prices affect the way drivers drive?
Do they use more advanced driving skills to think ahead and use less fierce acceleration and braking?
Probably not.

Funnily enough I saw a report on BBC news the other evening, discussing exactly this. I can't remember the detail, there was a survey mentioned, but apparently a lot pf people are considering the way that they drive (driving slower, accellerating less hard) since the fuel prices have rocketed.

Me......... I drive my 1.9TDi Passat estate the way you would expect it to be driven and get good fuel economy. My Dax however, has never had good fuel economy, so I drive it like I stole it ! (where conditions permit )

MattC59

bompington wrote:

It might mean more people out on bikes who are Not Real Cyclists

You mean not cycling enthusiasts. Surely, due to the simple fact that they use a bike reguarly, they're cyclists ?

Some oik who used a £25 stolen BSO to go to the off licence once a week isn't a cyclist, but what about the person who has absolutely no interest in cycling, but uses the bike every day to commute that two miles to work ?

bompington

MattC59 wrote:

bompington wrote:

It might mean more people out on bikes who are Not Real Cyclists

You mean not cycling enthusiasts. Surely, due to the simple fact that they use a bike reguarly, they're cyclists ?

Some oik who used a £25 stolen BSO to go to the off licence once a week isn't a cyclist, but what about the person who has absolutely no interest in cycling, but uses the bike every day to commute that two miles to work ?

I think you missed the ironic dig at cycling snobs buried deep in my post

MattC59

bompington wrote:

MattC59 wrote:

bompington wrote:

It might mean more people out on bikes who are Not Real Cyclists

You mean not cycling enthusiasts. Surely, due to the simple fact that they use a bike reguarly, they're cyclists ?

Some oik who used a £25 stolen BSO to go to the off licence once a week isn't a cyclist, but what about the person who has absolutely no interest in cycling, but uses the bike every day to commute that two miles to work ?

I think you missed the ironic dig at cycling snobs buried deep in my post

I did think it was a little odd coming from yourself
Sorry, busy day, last day before I'm off work for 2 weeks. i clearly wasn't giving 'Cake Stop' my full attention.

sampras38

If I didn't need my car for meetings etc I would cycle every day, but unfortunately I need the car most days. It annoys me but not a lot I can do about it.

Smokin Joe

I'm self employed and have to use the car to go about my business, averaging about 250 miles per week.

These price rises are hurting, my own personal income has suffered noticeably. Bugger all I can do except hope the government sees sense and reduces tax on the stuff, I was surprised to see myself in agreement with Ed Balls for once when he said VAT on fuel should be reduced.

Pigtail

I bought a Times to read on the train today, and they are saying that the chancellor is likely to provide some relief for motorists in the budget. He is mindful of the mess Labour got into with the fuel protests.

cakewalk

bearfraser wrote:

just quick one -- has this insane petrol hike ( and probably more to come ) made any differance to how much you are all cycling/commuting ??? :?:

Why insane? Petrol is cheap.

Buckled_Rims

cakewalk wrote:

Why insane? Petrol is cheap.

Can't remember where I heard it, but apparently a gallon of petrol has enough energy stored within itself to heat your home for 2 years. If correct, petrol is cheap!

MrChuck

No car so makes no odds to me (well, apart from higfher transport costs in general being passed on to the consumer of course).

Smokin Joe

cakewalk wrote:

bearfraser wrote:

just quick one -- has this insane petrol hike ( and probably more to come ) made any differance to how much you are all cycling/commuting ??? :?:

Why insane? Petrol is cheap.

No it isn't, the price is increased out of all proportion to it's extraction and refining costs by very high taxation rates.

And tree-hugger arguments can't alter that fact, whatever their merits may or may not be.

mingmong

Yes for me. Added two fifty mile round trips in a week. These plus a night and weekend ride may result the need for new work attire - Still cheaper than LPG driving though

simonaspinall

Smokin Joe wrote:

cakewalk wrote:

bearfraser wrote:

just quick one -- has this insane petrol hike ( and probably more to come ) made any differance to how much you are all cycling/commuting ??? :?:

Why insane? Petrol is cheap.

No it isn't, the price is increased out of all proportion to it's extraction and refining costs by very high taxation rates.

And tree-hugger arguments can't alter that fact, whatever their merits may or may not be.

Hasn't petrol stayed level in inflationary terms? Lets assume there has been an average of 2.5% inflation and then assume petrol was 99p in 2000. Petrol should be about 129.8p...which is roughly what it is - and that's with a weak pound and raised oil price.

(Apologies if my economics and assumptions are wrong. :oops: )

rick_chasey

simonaspinall wrote:

Smokin Joe wrote:

cakewalk wrote:

bearfraser wrote:

just quick one -- has this insane petrol hike ( and probably more to come ) made any differance to how much you are all cycling/commuting ??? :?:

Why insane? Petrol is cheap.

No it isn't, the price is increased out of all proportion to it's extraction and refining costs by very high taxation rates.

And tree-hugger arguments can't alter that fact, whatever their merits may or may not be.

Hasn't petrol stayed level in inflationary terms? Lets assume there has been an average of 2.5% inflation and then assume petrol was 99p in 2000. Petrol should be about 129.8p...which is roughly what it is - and that's with a weak pound and raised oil price.

(Apologies if my economics and assumptions are wrong. :oops: )

It's a little misleading, because oil is one of the biggest components of inflation - since the oil price affects so many prices of everything else . Such is the economy's dependance on the stuff.

simonaspinall

Rick Chasey wrote:

simonaspinall wrote:

Smokin Joe wrote:

cakewalk wrote:

bearfraser wrote:

just quick one -- has this insane petrol hike ( and probably more to come ) made any differance to how much you are all cycling/commuting ??? :?:

Why insane? Petrol is cheap.

No it isn't, the price is increased out of all proportion to it's extraction and refining costs by very high taxation rates.

And tree-hugger arguments can't alter that fact, whatever their merits may or may not be.

Hasn't petrol stayed level in inflationary terms? Lets assume there has been an average of 2.5% inflation and then assume petrol was 99p in 2000. Petrol should be about 129.8p...which is roughly what it is - and that's with a weak pound and raised oil price.

(Apologies if my economics and assumptions are wrong. :oops: )

It's a little misleading, because oil is one of the biggest components of inflation - since the oil price affects so many prices of everything else . Such is the economy's dependance on the stuff.

Good point - But is it the case that petrol is actually priced correctly in proportional level compared to at any point in the past 10-15 years?