Life without Petrol

[Dakk]

A year and a half ago I got so angry with the whole global situation that I gave up my car, and bought a few bikes and haven't looked back since. I live in Lincoln, NE and bike through the snow and the heat. I was wondering if there are any other year round bikers on the TFP board!

[Shauk]

I admire you sir.

I would do it too, if my job wasn't that of a delivery driver :\

[NCB]

If that makes you feel better, than good for you! However, if you are making life altering changes because you get fed up with what's going on in Iraq, Mexico, France, ect...., then perhaps you need to seek some spirituality in order to find inner peace. Inner peace is ultimately the solution for people's ills

[Daoust]

If I had all the money in my pocket that I would have been spending on gas if I didn't bike, I'd for sure have some inner peace.

[Willravel]

I switched to biodeisel recently, but I recognise that you're choice is more beneficial than mine. Kudos! If my work were closer (less than 30 miles) I'd give it a shot, but I don't have the legs to ride to work every day in the heat. I do bike to the shope around the corner for food, though. I find that the same carriage that carries my baby when I ride can carry plenty of groceries.

[Shauk]

yeah I have some pretty weak knees
I can only bike about 2 miles before I need to put ice on my knees from inflamed tissue. I dont know why the hell they do that but... oh well.

[Mantus]

When you live in a major city not having a car can actually be beneficial. I love my bike. Nothing makes one feel better then keeping up with a red mustang for two clicks because of all the trafic in the city. I enjoy walking. I will end up buying a car by the end of the year because it is pretty much required in my field of work, not because I need it but because other's will think less of me and thus I will lose clients.

[VitaminChemE]

I just made the switch, with the exception of weekend trips to my hometown (which at 70 miles requires a car). I bike everywhere now and I love it. On days that I do errands biking 30 odd miles isn't out the question. I can't wait to do it in western new york's snow!!

[filtherton]

Last winter i commuted by bicycle for a few months. All winter biking requires is proper attire. Biking in a snowstorm is also pretty fucking amazing too.

[Locobot]

I too am down to about 1 car ride a month, though this will probably increase with cold weather. My bike has skinny tires and is too light for winter.

[genuinegirly]

I'm a cyclist at heart.
used to have a job where I could walk/bike my way to work daily. Hopefully I'll be in such a position again soon. Amazing how much better you feel when you've gotten to work on your own two feet. It's invigorating to feel the crisp morning air each day - reminds you that you're alive.

[Dakk]

Cool shit! There aren't too many all year bikers in Lincoln. I agree that it's hard for a lot of people in this day to NOT drive because of the work commute, but even limiting the usage of automobiles I think is a large step in the right direction. I just didn't really understand NCB's comment. I think that by me limiting the amount of fossil fuels and chemicals that are being used and released up in to our atmosphere is a big part of inner peace. By knowing that there are people actively trying to slow down the death of our planet by compromising their comfort is extremely indicitive of a growing sense of inner peace. Oh well, DOES ANYONE ELSE DO CRITICAL MASS? If not, look it up!

[VitaminChemE]

Originally Posted by Dakk

Cool shit! There aren't too many all year bikers in Lincoln. I agree that it's hard for a lot of people in this day to NOT drive because of the work commute, but even limiting the usage of automobiles I think is a large step in the right direction. I just didn't really understand NCB's comment. I think that by me limiting the amount of fossil fuels and chemicals that are being used and released up in to our atmosphere is a big part of inner peace. By knowing that there are people actively trying to slow down the death of our planet by compromising their comfort is extremely indicitive of a growing sense of inner peace. Oh well, DOES ANYONE ELSE DO CRITICAL MASS? If not, look it up!

my inner peace comes from not having to pay $40 at a gas station every week. (not sarcasm)

[Grasshopper Green]

A nasty bike accident at an early age put a damper on my enthusiasm for cycling, but I used to be a daily walker, regardless of weather. With a few exceptions (like being sprayed by snow by cars while standing on a curb), I loved it. It was good exercise, it was calming, and it was free! Kudos for you!!

[MSD]

Unfortunately, until biodiesel is widely available for home heating as well as automotive applications, we're all slaves to oil. A company near me has begun to offer biodiesel blended with regular heating oil at the same price as 100% petroleum-based oil due to tax incentives, and the owner has stated that he's saving on operating costs to the point that he may be able to offer biodiesel at lower prices than standard oil in a few years. I'm looking at switching, and the projection is to be using a 50/50 blend of the two instead of the current 5% biodiesel mixture within 5 years.

Imagine the reduction in city pollution and transportation costs if mass transit fleets could switch to biodiesel-electric hybrid vehicles (locally, we already have one hybrid bus that costs less to operate and maintain than a standard bus.) I hope it will be a reality sooner than we expect.

[politicophile]

Oil will be here to stay on a very large scale until it becomes equally (or more) convenient to use a substitute. To be honest, I am one of those who would not be willing to give up my gasoline-burning car for a slower alternative unless I had absolutely no choice. I admire you for sticking true to your ideals, but I, and most others, are not willing to follow suit.

[VitaminChemE]

oil will be around for a lot longer not because of energy concerns but because of material reasons. a majority of all commercial chemicals are derived somewhat from crude oil in one form or another, along with the packaging of most any thing

[JoseFlanders]

Hmm.

[StephenSa]

When I was younger and poorer I couldn't afford auto insurance so I rode my bike instead of driving sans insurance. I got in fantastic shape and while the ride to work in hectic city traffic was a bit unnerving the ride home after on empty streets (It was an evening job) was always lots of fun. I had a backpack I'd wear for grocery store trips and besides rainy days I really enjoyed leaving the car behind. NOw I live in the suburbs and work in the city so a car is a must but I'm hoping to get a gig close to home so I can once again ride free on my bike!

[Willravel]

In case anyone is wondering about biodiesel retail locations, this map is relatively up to date.

[fightnight]

I have some friends who do this, but it's just no feasible for me with my profession as I drive around to different clients all over Eastern, MA every day. I often wish I could, especially when I'm driving in the city and I see not only all the wasted gas, but how much faster those bikers can get through traffic than I can!!

[RusCrimson]

What would you say to a Federal Fuel Tax? Nobody likes taxes, but you could use it to offset income taxes, and you could in a way reward those who did not consume excessive fuel.

[Locobot]

Originally Posted by RusCrimson

What would you say to a Federal Fuel Tax? Nobody likes taxes, but you could use it to offset income taxes, and you could in a way reward those who did not consume excessive fuel.

Are you aware of who the president is? Do you know about his cabinet? Do you know there's an oil tanker named after Condoleeza Rice? Unless there is an impeachment this won't be happening in the next 3 years.

[Elphaba]

Originally Posted by RusCrimson

What would you say to a Federal Fuel Tax? Nobody likes taxes, but you could use it to offset income taxes, and you could in a way reward those who did not consume excessive fuel.

Please, no more subsidies to Big Oil. Conservation *should* have been a part of the recent energy bill.

[VitaminChemE]

Originally Posted by RusCrimson

What would you say to a Federal Fuel Tax? Nobody likes taxes, but you could use it to offset income taxes, and you could in a way reward those who did not consume excessive fuel.

I don't know where you're from but here in the US we already pay quite a bit of tax on gasoline. It varies state to state but on average about 62 cents a gallon of the price is in fact federal and state taxes be them gas tax or sales tax. Next to crude oil costs, the most expensive portion of gasoline is tax.

[RusCrimson]

I'm glad to see that my post generated some discussion. First, I acknowledge that under this administration, I'm more likely to get nominated to the Supreme Court than to see a $1 federal fuel tax. Moreover, I acknowledge that there already exist substantial fuel taxes.

However, a federal fuel tax - of say $1/gallon - would not subsidize big oil. In fact, over time, it would reduce the quantity produced. Oil production has basically reached its maximum possible level, yet world oil demand is now greater than what can be supplied. Hence the high prices. Moreover, demand seems to be inelastic, as the increase of price over time has not cooled demand.

This makes sense: you need to fill up the tank to get to work. People moan about price, but very rarely do something about it.

A sharp price increase, say that created by a tax, would change long term behaviors, which appear to be the only way to curb demand. People give up the SUVs and/or demand political action. And it also has the benefit of being a revenue source, and hopefully will be used to either (i) offset silly taxes, or (ii) worthwhile social projects. Provided that spending stayed the same, and there was a corresponding income tax setoff, people would end up paying the same amount in taxes. However, it also would encourage more reasonable consumption of oil.

[Draconis]

A large portion of the cost of gas could be eliminated using the following methods:

New, more efficient refineries
Eliminating the multitude of blends
Cutting gas taxes

Now, in order to do that, we would have to use the gas tax for the thing it was meant to be used for and nothing else: roads. Gas tax is supposed to be used for roads, no more, no less. That would also mean getting rid of a lot of government programs and thus spending. I say we are long overdue for that.

Other things:
With new technology, personal commuter aircraft is becoming more and more of a possibility. Some of these new planes are being designed to run on alternative fuels such as ethanol distilled from corn in the US.
Given adequate research and progress is made in the realm of rechargable batteries which have long lifetimes, are lightweight, and hold a strong charge for long periods of time, electric cars may be viable. In order to do so, we would have to go with the most feared but safest and most environmentally-friendly mode of generating electricity: nuclear power. Unjustified fears of meltdown (impossible with the levels of U-235 in non-weapons grade uranium) and possible but extremely rare contamination have restricted nuclear power expansion. In doing so, we would cut ties from countries which are home to extremist religious groups who seek to destroy us. By taking American funds and putting them into domestic energy production instead of foreign energy, we would generate jobs, eliminate environmental pollutants from using fossil fuels, and cut the funding for the extremist groups we ourselves have been providing drastically.
Zero consumption housing is also another good idea, where a house is designed to generate as much energy as it consumes by using solar, wind, or hydroelectric power. Unfortunately, the most viable option, solar, is still prohibitively expensive due to the high cost of solar panels. New technologies to produce solar panels cheaper are currently driving this cost lower.

[Supple Cow]

Originally Posted by NCB

If that makes you feel better, than good for you! However, if you are making life altering changes because you get fed up with what's going on in Iraq, Mexico, France, ect...., then perhaps you need to seek some spirituality in order to find inner peace. Inner peace is ultimately the solution for people's ills

I am equally confounded by this statement as Dakk is. Some people just believe in certain things and have the integrity and gumption to put their money where their mouth is. I don't see where spirituality necessarily comes into play for somebody who already does what resonates with their beliefs.

[Ronin Tetsuro]

I see people talking about a federal fuel tax. But I hear nothing about taxing the big fuckoff SUV's, which are a HUGE problem here in the states. I'm telling you, if I see another Hummer with a 'I support the troops' sticker, I'm gonna flip.

/drives a 97 Maxima because driving is his passion... and it gets 28mpg

[dksuddeth]

Theres only one way gas prices are going to go down and thats through personal conservation. Drive less, drive smaller and more fuel efficient vehicles, and my personal favorite.....CARPOOL!!!!!!!!!!

I know how it can be in big city areas. Some of us commute 30 miles or more a day. Theres some buffoon out here in the fort worth texas area that drives 84 miles a day for work alone.

I bought an older used motorcycle to travel my 60 miles a day for work. It's saved me quite a bit of gas money.