http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: "US petrol is half the UK price, so why are Americans so angry?" en Sun, 31 May 2026 13:26:22 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2925#post-31130 Wed, 11 May 2011 20:37:26 +0000 strangemeetings 31130@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>My best friend is a Texan expat(Houston specifically), and we've talked about the US's weird car-centricness before. Apparently her city, at least, just isn't set up for anyone travelling on foot, bike, or even public transport. Cars are cheap, the driving test is far easier to pass than ours, and the entire culture and infrastructure are geared up to everyone getting a car and driving it to get everywhere, from their late teens onwards.</p> <p>I know it's not like this across the whole country, but still. Makes me feel really grateful for living somewhere with a decent bus service, some passing awareness that cyclists exist, and lots of things in walking distance! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2925#post-31125 Wed, 11 May 2011 19:02:43 +0000 TwoWheels 31125@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>As a lifelong American whose pedigree in this country extends to before our Revolutionary War, I am uniquely qualified to comment on the culture and qualities of my fellow Americans.</p> <p>Not to put too fine a point on it, we are for the most part, fat, lazy and spoiled. Americans would no more resort to riding bicycles on a wholesale basis than they would consider eating haggis for breakfast.</p> <p>So anything that forces my friends and neighbors out of their oversized, overpowered, luxe living rooms on wheels is considered the Spawn of the Bowels of Satan. Thus all of the whimperin' and whamperin' about gas prices. </p> <p>If my comments reflect a certain disgust, so be it. I have more than once threatened to pull up stakes and leave this country (I would, of course, resettle in my beloved Dunedin, and hopefully live the life of a content expat), but my timing appears to be disadvantageous.</p> <p>In my kinder moments, I think we resemble the Brittania that existed shortly before the colonies began to get ideas of their own, and I hope we are smart enough to guide ourselves to a stable place near your own. When the winds howl, I fear we more resemble a corrupt and vile Rome as the primordial Huns stormed the gates.</p> <p>[/RANT]</p> <p>Whew. Did I just write all of that? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2925#post-31091 Wed, 11 May 2011 13:22:12 +0000 splitshift 31091@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>my brother in law lives in fort lauderdale , hes a mechanic with the city, (cooncil ) and he is doing a roaring trade converting pick ups and vans to run on derv ! They used to be happy with 12mpg in a stonking V8 petrol ! Now they ship em over here and sell em to people with no class, along with chrome alloy wheels, and low profile tyres on a 4x4 ????????<br /> Oh and some live near me, and they tint their hair and wear patent leather boots ! And their wives are even worse ! I kid you not . sorry, rant over, sort of ! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2925#post-31074 Wed, 11 May 2011 12:19:14 +0000 cb 31074@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"<br /> "Of course it's hurting, it's $1.25 more than a year ago. I'm considering buying a bike and cycling the four miles to work," says software engineer Pedro Alvarado, 25.<br /> " </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2925#post-31070 Wed, 11 May 2011 11:45:28 +0000 chdot 31070@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13338754" rel="nofollow">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13338754</a></p> <p><img src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/52645000/gif/_52645452_petrol_304_2.gif"></p> <p>"<br /> <strong>Why are gas prices rising in US?</strong></p> <p>Crude oil more expensive due to global demand for cars</p> <p>Ethanol price increasing for same reason, makes up 10% of gas</p> <p>Unrest in the Middle East can affect supply</p> <p>Sales tax and credit card fees are fixed percentages and so compound these increases</p> <p>Speculation by investors has impact day to day but not much over long term</p> <p><em>American Petroleum Institute</em><br /> " </p>