Quote:Geez!!! Now i don't feel so bad. Gas used to be $1.39 about 3 months ago. No one expects it to go back down in price.

And just several years ago we complained when it got over $1

$1 a gallon - wow, petrol hasn't been that cheap in the UK since I was a kid - and we're talking <COUGH> years ago!!
 
I read somewhere that the UK now has something like the third highest cost of living in the world - behind only Switzerland and Japan...my weekly grocery shop for me and my wife costs £80 ($125), my car probably costs £150 ($200+) to keep filled with petrol for the month, and to buy a 2 bed apartment will set you back somewhere in the region of £175k in the SE of the country ($275k+ 8) ). It's getting too expensive to live in the UK!
 
As for fuel cells, looks like we're getting there - car companies seem to be getting out from under the oil companies and designnig decent alternative (or dual) fuel cars - I don't mind, as long as they don't all look like the SMART car - nice concept, shame about the looks!
 
Back to the Future used to be one of my favourite films, but the one thing that annoyed me was when Christopher Lloyd uttered the words "one point twenty-one jiga watts" - kind of ruined it for me, cos a scientist would never say "one point twenty one", and would know how to pronounce giga...but I'm a scientist, and kind of anal like that
 
AndyF

Quote:Back to the Future used to be one of my favourite films, but the one thing that annoyed me was when Christopher Lloyd uttered the words "one point twenty-one jiga watts" - kind of ruined it for me, cos a scientist would never say "one point twenty one", and would know how to pronounce giga...but I'm a scientist, and kind of anal like that AndyF

Yeah, I always assumed that was done purposely though...to show his eccentricity though. Those numbers aren't too far from what I am used to here in the states. I cant really say about the housing though, I am only renting. In the area where I live you can rent a nice place for about $400 a month although in NYC I know its well into the thousands. Gas does seem high (I assume you are talking about a car and not a SUV) in the UK though.

I know I have completely the wrong attitude about this but its hard for me to get upset about the prices of food and gas. I just think of it as I have to get it anyway, so why bitch about the prices? You can't live without food. There is little to no public transportation in my city and things are so spread out that it just isn't practical to use it so I need a car and gas. It's a good thing that everyone else doesn't feel that way about bitching about prices or we'd be in a whole lot worse shape now.

Quote:I know I have completely the wrong attitude about this but its hard for me to get upset about the prices of food and gas. I just think of it as I have to get it anyway, so why ***** about the prices? You can't live without food. There is little to no public transportation in my city and things are so spread out that it just isn't practical to use it so I need a car and gas. It's a good thing that everyone else doesn't feel that way about ***** about prices or we'd be in a whole lot worse shape now.

I know how you feel - the greens keep saying we should ditch our cars and use public transport instead - but they've obviously never tried using buses and trains to get anywhere...especially when it usually takes longer to get somewhere by bus or train than it does by car - where's the benefit in that?

My other little pet hate is parents on the school run. I drive to work (and yes, I have to - I often have to visit client sites during the day, so I need my car), and what really kills me is the traffic caused by people driving their kids to school...what ever happened to walking to school? It was good enough for me when I was at school (oh, no! I've just realised that I'm starting to sound like my parents! 8) ) . The kids have just started back to school here after the summer hols, the difference in traffic is astounding - 10 minute drive in the summer, 30 minutes now the kids are back ;(

I'll get off my soapbox now

AndyF

Can't use the bus here in Honolulu cause they have been on strike for 2 weeks lol
 
IN the midst of a recession the Teamsters Union wants a raise.
 
Most people here aren't happy with the Teamsters, and the city seems to be doing fine, though traffic is pretty nasty at rush hours.

Quote:Quote:I know I have completely the wrong attitude about this but its hard for me to get upset about the prices of food and gas. I just think of it as I have to get it anyway, so why ***** about the prices? You can't live without food. There is little to no public transportation in my city and things are so spread out that it just isn't practical to use it so I need a car and gas. It's a good thing that everyone else doesn't feel that way about ***** about prices or we'd be in a whole lot worse shape now.

I know how you feel - the greens keep saying we should ditch our cars and use public transport instead - but they've obviously never tried using buses and trains to get anywhere...especially when it usually takes longer to get somewhere by bus or train than it does by car - where's the benefit in that?

My other little pet hate is parents on the school run. I drive to work (and yes, I have to - I often have to visit client sites during the day, so I need my car), and what really kills me is the traffic caused by people driving their kids to school...what ever happened to walking to school? It was good enough for me when I was at school (oh, no! I've just realised that I'm starting to sound like my parents! 8) ) . The kids have just started back to school here after the summer hols, the difference in traffic is astounding - 10 minute drive in the summer, 30 minutes now the kids are back ;(

I'll get off my soapbox now

AndyF

Walking to school isn't really an option here. I lived about 10 miles from my high school and in college, its hard to get an appartment for a decent amount within walking distance. In larger cities like NYC, its easier and faster to not drive but for the majority of american cities, that's not an option.

When I was young, in my little town, I was living in front of my school D
 
(at school, at home, at school, at home, *PUNCH*, DOH!)

It runs anywhere from like $1.40-1.80 for the regular cheap stuff. If I had a deathwish, I'd also point out that it's also pretty cheap to live around here too...apts can be had for under $500/mo..., and houses can start fairly cheap too.

Hmm, it's about $1.38 for 87 octane on Rigsby Ave.(3 miles from here). Housing can be cheap or expensive depending on where you live. $350 can get you a cheap apt on the southside, $600+ on the north side and house go from $50k+ to $10mil in the Dominion. Not bad for a city of over a millon residents.
 

Quote:It runs anywhere from like $1.40-1.80 for the regular cheap stuff. If I had a deathwish, I'd also point out that it's also pretty cheap to live around here too...apts can be had for under $500/mo..., and houses can start fairly cheap too.

Well, the government here have just announced that school run traffic is the cause of a lot of rush-hour jams (this research brought to you by "Pointless Research That You Already Knew, Inc")
 
THey're bandying about a figure of 20% of rush hour traffic is school run, but I'd question whether it really was that low (I know it certainly isn't in the part of London where I live - but then my 6-mile journey to work takes me past at least 3 schools)
 
Tony and his pals want to invest money to try to stop parents jumping in their cars - but they didn't actually explain exactly how they were going to do that!
 
I just sit behind my steering wheel and curse the lot of them
 
AndyF

Quote:Well, the government here have just announced that school run traffic is the cause of a lot of rush-hour jams (this research brought to you by "Pointless Research That You Already Knew, Inc")

THey're bandying about a figure of 20% of rush hour traffic is school run, but I'd question whether it really was that low (I know it certainly isn't in the part of London where I live - but then my 6-mile journey to work takes me past at least 3 schools)

Tony and his pals want to invest money to try to stop parents jumping in their cars - but they didn't actually explain exactly how they were going to do that!

I just sit behind my steering wheel and curse the lot of them


It often takes me 45 minutes to go less then two miles from my university to my house. Even more during rain/snow.

I really don't understand how a trip of 2 miles can take 45 min(unless it's a rural road). A 2 mile trip from my house to Southeast Baptist Hospital is only 5 minutes by car and a 3 mile trip to the Wal-Mart Supercenter I work at is between 7-10(only because of the bad planning). A 17 mile drive to 1604 and I-35 only takes 20-25 and going across San Antonio on I-10/Highway 90 is about the same amount of time(much longer distance). San Antonio is one of the most spead out cities in the United States.
 
 

Quote:Quote:Well, the government here have just announced that school run traffic is the cause of a lot of rush-hour jams (this research brought to you by "Pointless Research That You Already Knew, Inc")  
THey're bandying about a figure of 20% of rush hour traffic is school run, but I'd question whether it really was that low (I know it certainly isn't in the part of London where I live - but then my 6-mile journey to work takes me past at least 3 schools)
 
Tony and his pals want to invest money to try to stop parents jumping in their cars - but they didn't actually explain exactly how they were going to do that!
 
I just sit behind my steering wheel and curse the lot of them

 
It often takes me 45 minutes to go less then two miles from my university to my house. Even more during rain/snow.

Quote:It often takes me 45 minutes to go less then two miles from my university to my house. Even more during rain/snow.
If were in that scenario, I would just walk...

Quote:Quote:It often takes me 45 minutes to go less then two miles from my university to my house. Even more during rain/snow.
If were in that scenario, I would just walk...

Yeah, I do that quite a bit, not when it rains, snows or is too hot.