The Price of Gas

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 9:08 am

So the news is grim--gas prices may reach $3.00 a gallon this summer. Last year, I thought that the price of gas would cut down on attendence at the burn--obviously I was wrong, but I still wonder if the supposed downturn in art might have been an effect of having less to spend on art.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... C57T41.DTL

A long-term rise in gas prices will affect the event. How?

HughMungus · Post by **HughMungus** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 9:26 am

I keep seeing headlines in the news that "Americans aren't cutting gas consumption despite higher prices". I think it's one of those things people think about only in the aggregate (that is, when they're filling up their tank, they say, "Damn that's expensive" and then they shrug).

Too bad sooooo many people insist on commuting. Sad.

Martiansky · Post by **Martiansky** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 9:28 am

What would happen if people didn't buy gas for a while? Would the oil companies jack the prices even higher because people aren't paying in to their pockets?

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 9:53 am

LOL

Unfortunately most people don't have the fortitude not to buy gas. A nation of wimps, i tell ya, a nation of wimps.

the_iconoclast · Post by **the_iconoclast** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 10:01 am

Interestingly enough, this is a question I have been pondering. I presently commute 110 miles a day. It sucks ass. Within the next month or so, I will be moving into a place a bicycle ride from work. It will be nice to go from about $250 a month in gas down to about $35. In defence of some of the commuters - they might be living in an area where housing is priced in a prohibitive manner. After doing the math, I discovered that I will be saving money in the present economic environment by moving into "town".

sputnik · Post by **sputnik** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 10:01 am

It's not that we don't have the fortitude, we have just developed our society around individual transportation (cars) that require gas. You're fortunate to live in an area that has decent mass transit. In Detroit I have few options to get back and forth to work. And beyond that, the options are even worst.

Perhaps the fortitude will be found when the cost of gas increases well beyond $3/gallon.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 10:04 am

I was a little toungue in cheek there, sput. And not to dump on Detroit, we spent many years and a lot of volentary tax increases to get what we have. And the area would be even more unliveable without the transit.

Oh well. I'm still thinking that the price of gas will become a larger factor in people's choice to attend or not.

sputnik · Post by **sputnik** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 10:21 am

I'm sure that this will affect the cost of airfare as well. Right now the cheapest flight I can get to Reno for the times I want is around $400. I could see that rising to $500 closer to the event. But I'm on the fence about when to buy my plane ticket since there are often cheaper tickets available closer to the actual flight time.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 11:16 am

I sure know where my penny jug fund's going....It's seven full tanks from Kazoo to BRC, and it's looking like I'll need an additional two bills to get there and back!

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 11:26 am

I'm glad we live in the bay area (although that's a double edge sword--even higher gas prices year round despite hte shorter trip to the playa.)

stuart · Post by **stuart** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 11:41 am

if there is an alternative i'd love to know about it.

spectabillis · Post by **spectabillis** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 11:59 am

Damn, this thing is getting more and more expensive for everyone.

Kinetic IV · Post by **Kinetic IV** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 12:26 pm

I'd make my 3600 mile round trip out there even if gas was $3.50 per gallon. To me it's worth every cent I spend.

bullD · Post by **bullD** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 12:58 pm

who here remembers the gas crisis of the 70's? I was just a kid but thought right on, this is cool as I rode by the lines of cars at the fuel stations on my bicycle...

RIDESHARE!!!

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 1:01 pm

Posts: 1234

Nice post count, bullD.
Rideshare is good, but I wonder just how much empty room is available in some of those cars loaded for playa.

Post by **AntiM** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 1:32 pm

my larry just passed through Lovelock NV, and gas was $2.79. I am starting a gas fund now. The Jeep sucks fuel when trailering our crap. I keep thnking we could get a rider to help defray costs, but that seems so, so commercial.

HughMungus · Post by **HughMungus** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 2:08 pm

the_iconoclast wrote:In defence of some of the commuters - they might be living in an area where housing is priced in a prohibitive manner.

Maybe in high-density areas like California or New York but there's cheap housing everywhere -- people would just rather move farther and farther away from the problems rather than fix what's broken. It's easier and most people are lazy.

HughMungus · Post by **HughMungus** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 2:10 pm

theCryptofishist wrote:
Posts: 1234
Nice post count, bullD.
Rideshare is good, but I wonder just how much empty room is available in some of those cars loaded for playa.

Good point. I picked up a guy who was hitchhiking to Burning Man once. I felt bad, though, when we got there and he wanted to camp with us and I told him he couldn't. :(

Chai Guy · Post by **Chai Guy** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 2:37 pm

who here remembers the gas crisis of the 70's? I was just a kid but thought right on, this is cool as I rode by the lines of cars at the fuel stations on my bicycle...

I remember sitting no the bumper of my Dad's VW bug and having him say to me "Look son, you see this mess (pointing to the huge line of cars) this is because we were driving around in these big gas guzzling V8s, we learned our lesson, when you grow up everyone will be driving smaller cars'

Guess we didn't "learn our lesson" the way my Dad had hoped. I look around now and all I see are SUV's that are even bigger than the boatmobiles of the 70's.

Post by **AntiM** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 4:39 pm

teacher mode on: "SUVs" has no apostrophe. teacher mode off.

(just a quirk of mine, misplaced apostrophes make me itch)

Tiara · Post by **Tiara** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 5:27 pm

I wish I had a cite to supply, but I heard on NPR the other morning that adjusted for inflation, current gas prices are still lower than they were in the crisis times of the 70's.

Kinetic IV · Post by **Kinetic IV** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 5:41 pm

Google News, Shreveport, LA Times quoting an article that saw a lot of press 48 hours ago. Here's the last paragraph that Tiara was thinking about.

Meanwhile, motorists grumbling about high fuel costs might be heartened by the fact that, in today's dollars, gasoline cost $3.15 a gallon when fuel spiked in 1981 because the Iran-Iraq war affected production in both countries.

Cite: http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbc ... 80324/1002

emily sparkle · Post by **emily sparkle** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 5:45 am

we too are getting concerned about gas prices. this is the first time i get to drive across country to go to burning man. we're taking a good 6 weeks, driving all over to celebrate our wedding (on the playa!) with family members and see the wonders of this country that i've never seen. that's a lot of driving. plus we were hoping to trail a small honeymoon suite behind us. i am terrified it will break our bank!

bullD · Post by **bullD** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 10:00 am

congratulations Emily!

trailer sounds like a good call. have you and your significant looked at perhaps dropping the trailer at certain points along the way to do some exploring, side trips if you will, making a loop that back tracks on a different route but ultimately to your trailer? that could help with gas, a little.

wow! a story like this reminds me how lucky we are in the bay area, it's only a day trip for us.

anyway, I suggest people get together with folks who have box trucks or work vans and the such for ridesharing. or rent a good size box truck but that sort of defeats the purpose. start shouting out now, it's NOT to early...

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 10:18 am

Damn! Fish- girl, I dreamed of haveing to dance for gas.

Martiansky · Post by **Martiansky** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 3:07 pm

Since this will be my first trip out to BM, I will pay whatever price gas is to get out there and back. The ticket is bought, I've waited almost 5 years to go and I AM GOING!! WOOHOO!!

See you there!

geekster · Post by **geekster** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 4:50 pm

Guess we didn't "learn our lesson" the way my Dad had hoped. I look around now and all I see are SUV's that are even bigger than the boatmobiles of the 70's.

Those SUV's get a hell of a lot better gas mileage and produce about 1% (yes, that's right, about 1%) of the emissions of my Dad's 66 Chrysler. Also, in real dollars, gas at $3 is still cheaper than it was in 1981.

I don't own an SUV but I don't have a problem either. Ever try to tow a camper or a trailer or a boat on an unpaved mountain road with a Prius? Now there is no reason to use a huge vehicle for an everyday commuter either, but if people can only afford one car and they pull a trailer load of crap camping a few times a year ... oh, well.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 5:13 pm

Saw the guy next door with a hill-billy credit card this after noon.

emily sparkle · Post by **emily sparkle** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 6:04 pm

bullD, that's a really good suggestion, thanks! now we just have to find a trailer... this is the one i *really* want...

Sensei · Post by **Sensei** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 7:07 pm

*Drool*

(Congrats Emily!)

The Price of Gas

The Price of Gas

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