Joseph Mallozzi's Blog! (SPOILERS For All SG Shows and Dark Matter)

[scarimor]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Mountainbike.jpg/800px-Mountainbike.jpg

I'm getting one, Jenks! I've had it with local buses. And I think I might ditch the vehicle altogether and just hire one occasionally if I really need one for a significant journey or something.

[Alipeeps]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...untainbike.jpg

I used to cycle to work in my previous role... 4 mile round journey. At the time I didn't drive (and car parking in the city centre is horrendously expensive anyway) and it was *much* quicker than taking the bus... like 15 minutes rather than 45! I cycled every day, come rain or shine.

I'm planning to start cycling to work again now and then once I've gotten my fitness levels up a bit... I haven't cycled much at all in well over two years and I got the bike out and did a test run to work and back a coupla weekends ago and it nearly killed me! There's just too many damn hills in this town!!

[rarocks24]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Mountainbike.jpg/800px-Mountainbike.jpg

To be fair though, bikes may be fine in plenty of places, but in areas such as the Southeast, where cities are far more spread out, that's just not the case. I don't know how it is in Georgia or other places, but Florida's public transportation system just can't handle it. All it's good for is to ferry people from free parking lots to the football stadium for games.

[prion]

I so wish that was an option. I commute about 10 miles to work every day, and have to go up a 600-foot rise (at around a 10% grade) in elevation to get home. Because of said large hill, buses don't stop anywhere near my house because King County Metro doesn't want to have to deal with getting buses up and down the hill during the icy winters. When I volunteer at the zoo, I commute 100+ miles roundtrip once a week. In my car - which, I should add, gets a good 30-35 mpg freeway - that's about $10 for gas for one day alone!

And Seattle's public transit is HORRID. If we had a good public transit system, I'd be there! They're trying to uses taxes and incentives to force us out of our cars. That would be great... except that we don't have the public transit system to support that. So all it does is make everyone's life difficult and empty wallets. *sigh*

I'm in the burbs, so public transit is basically zip, and you'd have to walk a few miles to get to it, dodging dead animals the SUVs hit, etc. This area is very pedestrian unfriendly. Even when I worked just acouple miles away from home walking/biking was out of the quesiton due to the danger of being hit by a car.

What they need to do is ban all SUVs except for people who honestly haul heavy stuff in 'em (most people I see driving SUVs go to office jobs, and nobody needs a 3-ton Excursion to drive to an office!) and that would cut down gasoline usage quite a bit.

[Skydiver]

our public transit is a joke, literally. i think the busses run from 6a to 6p, m-f

i walk to work wheni can, it's only 2 miles, but sometimes i need to run errands or the like, and i have to have a car for that

as to the gas tax, it's not always to penalize those that drive. for many states, the only money - or a good chunk of the money - they use to make new/maintain the current roads is through a gas tax. and it's easy to pass a 'use' tax...ie a tax that only effects those that use the system

Across the country, our road system is in serious trouble. it takes years and years to plan and makea new road, a millions and millions of dollars...and the money is getting harder and harder to come by

[prion]

our public transit is a joke, literally. i think the busses run from 6a to 6p, m-f

i walk to work wheni can, it's only 2 miles, but sometimes i need to run errands or the like, and i have to have a car for that

as to the gas tax, it's not always to penalize those that drive. for many states, the only money - or a good chunk of the money - they use to make new/maintain the current roads is through a gas tax. and it's easy to pass a 'use' tax...ie a tax that only effects those that use the system

Across the country, our road system is in serious trouble. it takes years and years to plan and makea new road, a millions and millions of dollars...and the money is getting harder and harder to come by

The US is geared toward individual car travel for the most part, which is why it's such a mess. And the roads are falling apart. The gas tax only goes so far, and even with some people going "raise it, it will stop people driving" it won't. Wealthy people will continue to drive hummers no matter what it costs, while the rest of the folk will simply stop buying other things so they can afford to drive to work. Just looking at Walmart's last postings shows the gas prices are already affecting the buying power of the not-wealthy.

But back to the blog (not much in last entry), at least we'll get to see a Katie/McKay moment.

[Suzotchka]

I'm in the burbs, so public transit is basically zip, and you'd have to walk a few miles to get to it, dodging dead animals the SUVs hit, etc. This area is very pedestrian unfriendly. Even when I worked just acouple miles away from home walking/biking was out of the quesiton due to the danger of being hit by a car.

What they need to do is ban all SUVs except for people who honestly haul heavy stuff in 'em (most people I see driving SUVs go to office jobs, and nobody needs a 3-ton Excursion to drive to an office!) and that would cut down gasoline usage quite a bit.

You know what I think? I think anyone who drives an SUV or has a gas-guzzeling car should pay more for gas then people like me who drive fuel efficient cars. I travel 200+ miles round trip to work every week and when I fill up, it's normally $25-$27 to fill the tank and it lasts the whole week.

[rarocks24]

You know what I think? I think anyone who drives an SUV or has a gas-guzzeling car should pay more for gas then people like me who drive fuel efficient cars. I travel 200+ miles round trip to work every week and when I fill up, it's normally $25-$27 to fill the tank and it lasts the whole week.

But then that's discrimination.

They should lower the gas tax, and give rewards to oil companies that lower their prices to decent levels.

[Suzotchka]

But then that's discrimination.

They should lower the gas tax, and give rewards to oil companies that lower their prices to decent levels.

Just curious - how is that discrimination? People can still drive whatever car they want. A person can still drive that huge honkin' SUV but know that if they do, they pay more at the pump for it. I shouldn't have to pay as much as they do for gas when they're guzzeling it like there's an unlimited supply.

Should we make a separate thread for this?

[petemoretti]

Just curious - how is that discrimination? People can still drive whatever car they want. A person can still drive that huge honkin' SUV but know that if they do, they pay more at the pump for it. I shouldn't have to pay as much as they do for gas when they're guzzeling it like there's an unlimited supply.

Should we make a separate thread for this?

That's like asking Fat people to pay more for a burger at McDonalds ! No, one solution would be to put large taxes on people that own SUVs, but not at the pump ! I walk the 2 miles to work or if I'm lazy or in a hurry get a cab !

[prion]

You know what I think? I think anyone who drives an SUV or has a gas-guzzeling car should pay more for gas then people like me who drive fuel efficient cars. I travel 200+ miles round trip to work every week and when I fill up, it's normally $25-$27 to fill the tank and it lasts the whole week.

Probably shoudl be a separate thread but maybe JM can chime in on the gas thing, thus making it topical! Anyway, I'm all for making gas-guzzlers pay more. If you voluntarily buy a huge vehicle (and most people buy it to say 'loko at what I have') with crappy gas mileage, then you should pay a penalty of sorts. If not in higher gas, then in higher taxes (yearly) for owning such a behemoth, unless it's actually work (and not PAPERwork as far too many US taxpayers have done in the past with those really inane tax breaks given to people who bought Hummers, Puhlease....).

I listened to an NPR UK radio interview the other week about the proliferation of SUVS in England, of all places. They interviewed one guy who had one who said he had it specifically because he could afford it and it ticked off other people. because he was making good money, he didn't care.

I have no idea where you can fill up a car for $25 a tank. Unless you're talking a tiny car (which I was glad I didn't have today with that #*@! NJ SUV driver tailing me at 60mph)

[Suzotchka]

I have no idea where you can fill up a car for $25 a tank. Unless you're talking a tiny car (which I was glad I didn't have today with that #*@! NJ SUV driver tailing me at 60mph)

Well I live on Long Island and gas is about $3.17 a gallon. I fill up on 1/4 of a tank and it only costs me about $20. I drive a Saturn and I get about 34 mpg. My car may not go from 0-90 in 3 seconds, but in NYC traffic, you couldn't do that anyway.

[prion]

Well I live on Long Island and gas is about $3.17 a gallon. I fill up on 1/4 of a tank and it only costs me about $20. I drive a Saturn and I get about 34 mpg. My car may not go from 0-90 in 3 seconds, but in NYC traffic, you couldn't do that anyway.

Of course you can! They did on CSI: NY last night! (insert heavy sarcasm). I love car chases in cities - Nobody EVER gets stuck in traffic.... Man, $3.17 a gallon. I wish... I saw $3.27 this morning. bet it'll be $3.35 by Saturday.

[Skydiver]

okk guys, i know we trend off topic now and again..but yeah, if you want to continue the gas prices discussion, let's make another thread in off topic please

[Alipeeps]

okk guys, i know we trend off topic now and again..but yeah, if you want to continue the gas prices discussion, let's make another thread in off topic please

http://forum.gateworld.net/showthread.php?t=44005