Many Americans are cutting back on everyday expenses as gas prices soar due to President Donald Trump’s war in Iran, now approaching the 10-week mark. About 44 percent of Americans said they’re driving less due to high gas prices, while 42 percent said they’ve slashed household expenses, according to a Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll. In addition, the poll revealed that 34 percent have altered travel or vacation plans. Americans are changing their behaviors as national average gas prices hit $4.43 per gallon Saturday, according to the AAA motor club. This time last year, the national average was just $3.15 per gallon. Patrick de Haan, a petroleum analyst for GasBuddy, said Saturday’s average price marked a sobering new record. “The national average price of gasoline has never been higher on the second day in May than it is today,” he wrote on X.
I guess it takes gas hitting $5/gallon for people to start riding bikes around here. It’s also strange how empty the gas stations are today.
How do you ride a bike through the interstate?
Stay as much to the right as possible
Bike riding is not a viable alternative for many people with cars.
Yeah, frozen groceries aren’t going to make it home unspoiled if I bike down and up the significant hills between my place and Costco, and because of the way the buses work it’s also a 1-2h trip each way instead of a 10-15m drive so that’s not really viable either.
I also can’t see myself carrying the 2x4x10’s or slats for my fence replacement on the car.
Biking to work is somewhat more of an option, though the way back does need to deal with the aforementioned massive hill so in that case I’d rather go down by bike and up by bus.
That’s why people are pushing for 15 minutes cities. If you had a small local grocer within a mile of your house and did trips every few days instead on one big trip every other week, then it’s doable by foot/bike.
North American cities are designed for cars, and it’ll take decades to change if we start now. But we need to do it sooner or later.
The anti-car crowd would have you believe that delivery is a viable, economical solution for all your woes.
delivery. via someone in a car. spending fuel. passing the cost onto groceries.
Dude I know, but I have had people sincerely make that argument to me.
Lucky! Where I live, it’s too hot to ride a bike for 7 months out of the year, and public transport does not exist outside of the suburbs.
A round trip Uber/Lyft to work is $110, and I make $120/day after taxes/insurance/investments.
A round trip drive takes two gallons of gas, so even at $45/gallon it would still be cheaper to just drive.
If gas were $45/gallon I think it’d be cheaper to invest in clean energy and drive an electric car or, better yet, the city invests in trolly busses or trains.
you know, the price of oil directly impacts the price of electricity where i am. so assuming i could take on a payment equal or more to the cost of my electric bill to even purchase such a vehicle, i would also be sending my electric bill through the roof, plus increased insurance. i literally cannot afford this any better than higher gas, so i keep my fingers crossed that my 15 year old car lasts awhile yet.
capitalists have nickled and dimed a lot of us americans to the brink, there’s no more wiggle room.
(also, bussing to work is two hours one way, i checked. the eight mile trip by bike would be longer i’m sure, but we’re approaching the time of year where heat kills people. literally.)