Americans Taking The Bus Or Bicycle As Fuel Prices Rise

Americans Taking The Bus Or Bicycle As Fuel Prices Rise - By: GARKO, Posted on: 2008-05-02

American car owners are showing the world that there is a limit to their consumerism – when consumerism runs up against financial reality they will consume less! This amazing discovery is attributable to the skyrocketing gas prices and the decrease in demand for gas in America at the present time.
fuel consumption so far this year is down about 0.2 percent compared to last year, according to the Energy Information Administration. The federal agency is predicting that fuel demand will be down 0.4 percent this summer and 0.3 percent for the year.
I know that is a small percentage but it adds up to a tremendous amount of oil and it would be the first time in the last SEVENTEEN years that there was any annual decline at all. And this is something that has happened a total of only SEVEN times since 1951!
The federal government noted that the decline was occurring in part because of a slowing economy. But it also said that higher fuel prices were having an effect on demand.
According to AAA, the national average on Monday for a gallon of fuel was $3.50 a gallon, or 64 cents higher than a year ago. Diesel was $4.20 per gallon, or $1.27 higher than a year ago.
What is in question is at what price per gallon will American drivers demonstrate a stronger decrease in demand. Some say that it would happen when the price of fuel stays above $3 for some period of months. But right here in Southern California I am seeing fuel prices above $4 so we may very soon hit that critical mass point.
Verne Covell of Smithville counts himself as one who’s had enough. Now retired, Covell bought a pickup and travel trailer when he retired in 2000. Long trips with his wife to places like Canada were common. This year, however, there will be at most a trip to south Missouri. The trailer may even stay in storage for the entire year because of fuel prices.“We’re getting on and you don’t know how long you have,” he said. “But this year we decided it just got too expensive.”
There are indications that a fundamental shift in consumer driving habits may have started in December, when total miles traveled in the U.S. dropped 3.9 percent compared with the same month a year earlier. Miles traveled in the Midwest were down 5.8 percent.
Demand already is increasing for automobiles offering higher fuel mileage.
The government today plans to release a proposal to raise fuel efficiency standards for new cars and trucks, putting the nation’s fleet on track to reach 35 miles per gallon by 2020.
The nation’s fleet of new passenger cars is currently required to meet a 27.5 mpg average, while sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks and vans have a target of 22.5 mpg.
Democrats have said the new fuel economy requirements will save motorists $700 to $1,000 a year in fuel costs.
Meanwhile, other drivers are turning to public transportation. The increase in the use nationwide of busses,etc last year was 4% and this year it is already 9%.
One ongoing concern is that even though Americans may be cutting back on fuel consumption, emerging middle classes in faster-growing countries such as China and India are quickly embracing the driving habit and pushing global demand for fuel higher.
So all of this zeroes in on one fundamental question. Will people have to all start driving Subarus, bicycles and taking the bus or be forced to stay at home because of soaring fuel prices or is there some other solution?
There sure is and it is called Water4Gas

Article Source:- Directory Submission & Sexy Deepika Padukone

Consumer advocate, songwriter, entrepreneur and activist, GARKO, shows you how to save gas and drive more and how to save fuel and gas through hydrogen generation which is the best of the inexpensive ways to save gas For a list of current gas prices in your neighborhood email garko@startlingdiscoveries.info

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