The rising price of petrol, when will it end?

notsoblue

DonDaddyD wrote:

notsoblue wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

iPete wrote:

Thankfully the lay person doesn't get what they want, post on a car forum if you want sympathy

Actually they do as they form up the majority of the electorate for all parties. You'll find legislation, policy, tax and benefits is designed/redesigned to suit the needs, wants and meet the expecation of the voting public - I.e. the lay-man

And this is why democracy is an imperfect system (but the best we've got)!

What do the Dutch do?

Also democracy. Maybe you should read a bit more than just the Sun?

DonDaddyD

Graeme_S wrote:

Broadly speaking we decide where we live and work. When we decide where we live and work we do so in the full knowledge that getting from A to B costs money and it's a cost that's only ever likely to increase. DDD says he would prefer not to have to move for work. Personally I prefer not to live too far away from work, and always like to live somewhere where I can cycle to work. Saying "I want to have A, B and C and I want the costs of doing so to be less than they are" sounds a bit childish to me. I'd quite like it if Concorde was still around, and was cheap enough for me to work in the UK in the week and live in New York at the weekend. But it's not, and moaning and whinging about it won't change anything.

Petrol costs what it costs you live where you live and you work where you work. You can change 2 out of 3 of those variables, so moaning about the only one that isn't going to change seems particularly pointless.

Whatever my values are it's clear that I don't only drive for work purposes. So unless I move to a place serviced by public transport that can get to all the places I do travel to and am likely to travel to at some point where I live will become an immovable option in relation to needing to use a car to get to some places. Unless, of course, I gather all my family and friends around and we collectively decide to live in a 10 mile radius of each other in places all serviced by a bus or train. It does mean that I couldn't be with Ms DDD as well, what with some of her lot living in areas that are inaccessible by public transport and me and mine live in South London. I know! How about we all just stick to our respective towns and only date our 1st cousins who live next door. "You'll be a coal miner son because your Dad was and his Dad before him". :roll:

Beyond that I disagree with the rest, there would be no difference if I had put £20s worth of petrol to take Ms DDD to see her parents or drive to work. I'd still moan because it is expensive.

Also in this day and age of technology where you can work from home and other sites (buildings with computers attached to the same intranet/network) is it really that important that you stay close to work. What if you have to change jobs and the only other option is suddnely 20-30miles away. What, do you move again?

Bah!

notsoblue

DD "First World Problems" D

DonDaddyD

notsoblue wrote:

DD "First World Problems" D

Nemesis,

All problems are relative to the individual. Because I've never starved in Africa doesn't mean I don't get hungry.

I can only comment and react from the perspective of my life. It doesn't mean I am not aware of others less forutunate. It doesn't mean I don't appreaciate what I have and it doesn't mean I cannot comment on the aspects of my life I personally find difficulty or frustrating.

DonDaddyD

daviesee

Problem - Petrol is expensive.

Solution -
Next problem.

graeme_s-2

DonDaddyD wrote:

Whatever my values are, it's clear that I don't only drive for work purposes. So unless I move within reach of public transport to all the places I do travel to and am likely to travel to at some point where I live will become an immovable option. Unless, of course, I gather all my family and friends around and we collectively decide to live in a 10 mile radius of each other in places all serviced by a bus or train. It does mean that I couldn't be with Ms DDD as well, what with her coming from inaccessible places by public transport in Essex and me and mine living in South London. I know! How about we all just stick to our respective towns and date our 1st cousins. "You'll be a coal miner son because your Dad was". :roll:

Obviously living Oop North in Coventry our primary industry is indeed coal mining, so had I followed my father (and his father before him) a normal day for me would consist of donning my flat cap to walk along the cobbled streets with my whippet before spending a long hard day down t'mine.

Mrs S's family live in Northern Ireland, and she's afraid of flying, so when we go to visit them we drive to Stranraer and get the ferry. If both our families were within such a short distance I think I'd have very little to complain about when we chose to visit them.

DonDaddyD wrote:

Beyond that I disagree with the rest, there would be no difference if I had put £20s worth of petrol to take Ms DDD to see her parents or drive to work. I'd still moan because it is expensive.

Yet clearly not too expensive or you'd do less of it. You can't control how much petrol costs, but you do have total control over how much of it you use.

DonDaddyD wrote:

Also in this day and age of technology where you can work from home and other sites (buildings with computers attached to the same intranet/network) is it really that important that you stay close to work. What if you have to change jobs and the only other option is suddnely 20-30miles away. What, do you move again?

I work in HE and live within walking/cycling/public transport distance of between (at a rough guess) 10 and 13 Universities. It would be more inconvenient to me if I had to commute an hour either end of my job to go to one of the ones that's further away. If I had to get a job further out than that, then yes, I probably would look to move. I consider not having a long commute (and specifically not having to drive in rush hour) as being one of the most important things to my quality of life, and would prioritise that over and above a number of other factors when it came to deciding where to live and work.

I find it interesting that you mention working 20 miles away. At the end of last year we moved in with my Mum (we were between houses, waiting for a new build to be finished) and I cycled 21 miles each way to work for 3 months. The only real alternative would have been to buy a second car, and I didn't want to.

notsoblue

DonDaddyD wrote:

Nemesis

The forum would probably be less interesting if you didn't keep making posts where you exaggerate the joys and tribulations of your personal life

greg66_tri_v2.0

On the whole, when you're running a V8 that does teens to the gallon and has a 90 litre tank, you have to become a little numb to fuel prices. Because otherwise you'd slit your wrists.

What I would like for my £120+ fill ups is faster bloody pumps. It's fecking boring standing there forever watching my bill click over. I want a fuel rig like they have on F1. I think that's the least I'm entitled to.

DonDaddyD

Graeme_S wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

Whatever my values are, it's clear that I don't only drive for work purposes. So unless I move within reach of public transport to all the places I do travel to and am likely to travel to at some point where I live will become an immovable option. Unless, of course, I gather all my family and friends around and we collectively decide to live in a 10 mile radius of each other in places all serviced by a bus or train. It does mean that I couldn't be with Ms DDD as well, what with her coming from inaccessible places by public transport in Essex and me and mine living in South London. I know! How about we all just stick to our respective towns and date our 1st cousins. "You'll be a coal miner son because your Dad was". :roll:

Obviously living Oop North in Coventry our primary industry is indeed coal mining, so had I followed my father (and his father before him) a normal day for me would consist of donning my flat cap to walk along the cobbled streets with my whippet before spending a long hard day down t'mine.

Mrs S's family live in Northern Ireland, and she's afraid of flying, so when we go to visit them we drive to Stranraer and get the ferry. If both our families were within such a short distance I think I'd have very little to complain about when we chose to visit them.

Ah so we agree on this. Good, I accept your apology. Hehe. lol

Yet clearly not too expensive or you'd do less of it. You can't control how much petrol costs, but you do have total control over how much of it you use.

I do drive less, that annoys me. It also annoys me when I have to fill up at the tank. I don't like spending money, I don't like spending money on things I perceive as expensive - it's something I inherited I think.

I work in HE and live within walking/cycling/public transport distance of between (at a rough guess) 10 and 13 Universities. It would be more inconvenient to me if I had to commute an hour either end of my job to go to one of the ones that's further away. If I had to get a job further out than that, then yes, I probably would look to move. I consider not having a long commute (and specifically not having to drive in rush hour) as being one of the most important things to my quality of life, and would prioritise that over and above a number of other factors when it came to deciding where to live and work.

I'm glad you have that choice. Some of us have to live where we can afford and then have to find a job, any job in our field, that we can get to in order to pay the bills. Some of us may not have the funds to up and move family (selfish as the other half would think that is) to a new job but would still need to take the job because it brings in the money. This becomes even harder when you have a child settled in school, work falls through and you're offered a job 1hr30mins - 2hrs away (using any form of transport) and you need to take it to pay the bills. These circumstances aren't mine, I'm pointing out that everyones is different.

I find it interesting that you mention working 20 miles away. At the end of last year we moved in with my Mum (we were between houses, waiting for a new build to be finished) and I cycled 21 miles each way to work for 3 months. The only real alternative would have been to buy a second car, and I didn't want to.

I'm not as fit as you. Was this 20miles through a city? If I drive it's more practical to go around the M25 and usually I'm looking at 50 - 60miles depending on what site I go to as my job isn't just based at one location.

But where I work and live is beside the issue, it works for me, for now. The point is sometimes it is more practical to drive, sometimes I need to drive to get to some places and the cost of petrol is becoming prohibitive as it is damn expensive.

graeme_s-2

DonDaddyD wrote:

I'm not as fit as you. Was this 20miles through a city? If I drive it's more practical to go around the M25 and usually I'm looking at 50 - 60miles depending on what site I go to as my job isn't just based at one location.

It was out of a town, through a load of hilly shitty country lanes, through the edge of Coventry, along a dual carriage way and out to the University where I work.

DonDaddyD wrote:

But where I work and live is beside the issue, it works for me, for now.

Great, I'm pleased for you - will you stop fecking complaining about it now then!?

DonDaddyD

Greg66 wrote:

On the whole, when you're running a V8 that does teens to the gallon and has a 90 litre tank, you have to become a little numb to fuel prices. Because otherwise you'd slit your wrists.

What I would like for my £120+ fill ups is faster bloody pumps. It's fecking boring standing there forever watching my bill click over. I want a fuel rig like they have on F1. I think that's the least I'm entitled to.

It takes so long it gives you too much time to think about whether you're making the right decision. Sometimes I go with the view that I'm gonna fill the tank get to about £60 and chicken out...

bompington

Greg66 wrote:

...I'm entitled....

That's the whole thread summed up really. Well, not the whole thread, obviously, half of it is the people who are saying "no you're not"

BTW it may interest some of you to know that there are people who live and work outside London: but one obvious consequence of high fuel costs is increasing urbanisation, as the cost of transport (and the difficulty of getting around without a car*) forces more people to live and work in close proximity.


*My commute is 19 miles. If I drive (slow enough to get 60mpg) it takes 25 minutes. If I cycle, it takes me an average of just over an hour. If I get the bus, it's either a 3 mile run to the bus stop followed by a 40 minute bus ride, or a bus at 7am to the bus stop, so a total journey time of 1 hour 40.
Anyone else have a rural commute they can do quicker by bike than bus?

DonDaddyD

Graeme_S wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

I'm not as fit as you. Was this 20miles through a city? If I drive it's more practical to go around the M25 and usually I'm looking at 50 - 60miles depending on what site I go to as my job isn't just based at one location.

It was out of a town, through a load of hilly shitty country lanes, through the edge of Coventry, along a dual carriage way and out to the University where I work.

Is that you on the tri-bike in your avatar?

Great, I'm pleased for you - will you stop fecking complaining about it now then!?

Lol! But petrol is SO DAMN EXPENSIVE!!! My Dad borrowed my car when his was out of action and he had to return it because he said he couldn't afford to run my car filling it up to go to work. Now my Dad drives a 3ltr diesel everywhere even to the corner shop. The fact he says that is a worry.

notsoblue

bompington wrote:

BTW it may interest some of you to know that there are people who live and work outside London

But....how?

:shock:

DonDaddyD

bompington wrote:

BTW it may interest some of you to know that there are people who live and work outside London.

People who live outside of London work on farms. It is not the same thing.

graeme_s-2

DonDaddyD wrote:

Is that you on the tri-bike in your avatar?

It's a road bike with clip-ons, but yeah it is. In fact, it's the bike I used for my long commute (although I took the clip-on tri bars off for that). Interestingly, when I started cycling to work back in 2006, I weighed 16 stone. If you're already doing a bit of cycling then you could manage a 20 mile each way commute, even if you did have to build up to it a bit. You might not want to, which is fine, but you could do it.

graeme_s-2

DonDaddyD wrote:

bompington wrote:

BTW it may interest some of you to know that there are people who live and work outside London.

People who live outside of London work on farms. It is not the same thing.

I thought us lot Oop North all had to work down mines? Are you saying I could have been working out in the fields all this time!?

davis

bompington wrote:

Anyone else have a rural commute they can do quicker by bike than bus?

Good god yes. It's 7 miles, apparently 1h10 by bus (quickest) or somewhere around the half hour mark by bike. I generally go a longer nicer route though -- certainly will tonight! :-)

DonDaddyD

Graeme_S wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

bompington wrote:

BTW it may interest some of you to know that there are people who live and work outside London.

People who live outside of London work on farms. It is not the same thing.

I thought us lot Oop North all had to work down mines? Are you saying I could have been working out in the fields all this time!?

Farms, mines same thing. It's generally men with funny accents reaping nature's loins.

graeme_s-2

bompington wrote:

Anyone else have a rural commute they can do quicker by bike than bus?

My city commute is quicker by bike than by bus, and when I was doing my longer commute from a town to the outskirts of a city cycling was definitely quicker than bus, and also quicker than bus-train-bus.

DonDaddyD

Graeme_S wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

Is that you on the tri-bike in your avatar?

It's a road bike with clip-ons, but yeah it is. In fact, it's the bike I used for my long commute (although I took the clip-on tri bars off for that). Interestingly, when I started cycling to work back in 2006, I weighed 16 stone. If you're already doing a bit of cycling then you could manage a 20 mile each way commute, even if you did have to build up to it a bit. You might not want to, which is fine, but you could do it.

This, yes. Problem and these are probably my issues.

I don't wake up early enough.

The route is hairy enough and when I came off I just wasn't prepared to ride from Essex/East London to South London in the dark through traffic (becoming a Dad and that has slowed me down, made me more concious and stopped me cycling for 2 - 3 months). Now it's lighter/brighter I will give it a go with the view of making a permanent thing. The one thing I like doing less than paying for the odd petrol fill up is forking out £160 on a travel card.

roger_merriman

bompington wrote:

Anyone else have a rural commute they can do quicker by bike than bus?

no though i suspect that i could walk from the local town to my folks place quicker than the bus, this said the local bus stop isn't terribly close or easy to walk from.

by bike quick to town slow back as you loose/gain a fair old height.

back in the day my 8 mile commute was easy to do under 15mins by car. with effort be doable by bike in a hour but the land isn't terribly condusive to bike commuting a number of the 100 best climbs are very local, etc.

Clever Pun

Greg66 wrote:

On the whole, when you're running a V8 that does teens to the gallon and has a 90 litre tank, you have to become a little numb to fuel prices. Because otherwise you'd slit your wrists.

What I would like for my £120+ fill ups is faster bloody pumps. It's fecking boring standing there forever watching my bill click over. I want a fuel rig like they have on F1. I think that's the least I'm entitled to.

I call BS, you drive a burds car

bails87

Talking of relative travel times....I'm always suprised at how slow my car is. I cycle in about half the time, otherwise my car is used for a mixed (30mph-40mph-50mph-30mph-50mph-60mph-50mph-40mph-60mph-40mph-30mph-50mph-30mph...in that order ) commute that's generally traffic free and on long motorway trips to Wales and other MTBing places. For short trips around town I go by bike unless I'm picking up something heavy or bulky. And yet the average speed reading on my car is under 30mph.....

Clever Pun

DDD, you work in east london right?
your relatives live in easter london

So... relocation solves your problems as mentioned before.

put up or shut up etc etc.
It makes sense for the baby, stop thinking of yourself and put the litteun first as you're never going to be able to buy nice stuff again


Ever.

rjsterry

DonDaddyD wrote:

Graeme_S wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

Is that you on the tri-bike in your avatar?

It's a road bike with clip-ons, but yeah it is. In fact, it's the bike I used for my long commute (although I took the clip-on tri bars off for that). Interestingly, when I started cycling to work back in 2006, I weighed 16 stone. If you're already doing a bit of cycling then you could manage a 20 mile each way commute, even if you did have to build up to it a bit. You might not want to, which is fine, but you could do it.

This, yes. Problem and these are probably my issues.

I don't wake up early enough.

The route is hairy enough and when I came off I just wasn't prepared to ride from Essex/East London to South London in the dark through traffic (becoming a Dad and that has slowed me down, made me more concious and stopped me cycling for 2 - 3 months). Now it's lighter/brighter I will give it a go with the view of making a permanent thing. The one thing I like doing less than paying for the odd petrol fill up is forking out £160 on a travel card.

Think yourself lucky it's 'only' £160. Less than a tenner change out of £200 if I were to pay monthly - so I have to cycle. The step up from 20 miles a day to 40 miles a day is quite a big one, but it's still in the manageable range, and I doubt there's much in it time wise. Maybe get some badass rear lights if you feel the traffic is an issue.

Paul E

ahem!

greg66_tri_v2.0

Clever Pun wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

On the whole, when you're running a V8 that does teens to the gallon and has a 90 litre tank, you have to become a little numb to fuel prices. Because otherwise you'd slit your wrists.

What I would like for my £120+ fill ups is faster bloody pumps. It's fecking boring standing there forever watching my bill click over. I want a fuel rig like they have on F1. I think that's the least I'm entitled to.

I call BS, you drive a burds car

Uh huh.

Mrs 66 drives a V8 4.2 A8. 90 litre tank. Somehow I have to fill it up though.

I *used* to drive a V8 4.2 S4. Now I have a flat 3.6 turbo. Both with 60 litre tanks. Still took/takes a while to fill.

DonDaddyD

Greg66 wrote:

Clever Pun wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

On the whole, when you're running a V8 that does teens to the gallon and has a 90 litre tank, you have to become a little numb to fuel prices. Because otherwise you'd slit your wrists.

What I would like for my £120+ fill ups is faster bloody pumps. It's fecking boring standing there forever watching my bill click over. I want a fuel rig like they have on F1. I think that's the least I'm entitled to.

I call BS, you drive a burds car

Uh huh.

Mrs 66 drives a V8 4.2 A8. 90 litre tank. Somehow I have to fill it up though.

I *used* to drive a V8 4.2 S4. Now I have a flat 3.6 turbo. Both with 60 litre tanks. Still took/takes a while to fill.

You see... now, I know where you live, I know how many kids you have and I have an idea of the turnover. What I don't understand is why you'd put your wife in the biggest Audi that isn't a jeep.

greg66_tri_v2.0

DonDaddyD wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

Clever Pun wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

On the whole, when you're running a V8 that does teens to the gallon and has a 90 litre tank, you have to become a little numb to fuel prices. Because otherwise you'd slit your wrists.

What I would like for my £120+ fill ups is faster bloody pumps. It's fecking boring standing there forever watching my bill click over. I want a fuel rig like they have on F1. I think that's the least I'm entitled to.

I call BS, you drive a burds car

Uh huh.

Mrs 66 drives a V8 4.2 A8. 90 litre tank. Somehow I have to fill it up though.

I *used* to drive a V8 4.2 S4. Now I have a flat 3.6 turbo. Both with 60 litre tanks. Still took/takes a while to fill.

You see... now, I know where you live, I know how many kids you have and I have an idea of the turnover. What I don't understand is why you'd put your wife in the biggest Audi that isn't a jeep.

What can I say? She likes saloon cars and hates SUVs.

I'd have a Range Rover next just to piss off the commies and the greens, but she thinks they are too ostentatious. But that's ok, because plan B is a 5.2 litre V10 S8.

Rawwwrrrr!