Is $4 Gas a Good Thing?
July 3, 2008 by Gabrielle
Filed under Green Living
Wait, wait. Before you bean me over the head with your pocketbook (which probably won’t hurt that much since it is so much lighter these days), l
et’s think about it.
Sure, gas priced above $4 a gallon broke some pumps here in Pennsylvania, but if something’s not broke, we usually don’t fix it. Maybe more expensive gas will fix some things?
An article at Time.com entitled, “Ten Things You Can Like About $4 Gas,” explores this question. Among the benefits are increased use of public transportation (hey, maybe that will mean improved public transportation and more realistic routes and times? hint, hint, Mayor Reed…); a reduction in suburban sprawl; businesses that look to options like telecommuting or 4-day workweeks; less traffic, less pollution and, dare to dream, healthier Americans? Could higher gas prices make us get out of our cars and walk?
The arguments are compelling, but I’m not sure I am won over just yet. Why? Because my pleas for a weekend hike last weekend were nixed by my significant other. Why? Because he didn’t want to drive any where. Phooey. I don’t want to walk around my neighborhood – I already know what that looks like!
And as someone who had the opportunity to spend two years driving across the United States, learning about my country and the people in it, I am 1.) so grateful that we did it when we did, yet, 2.) very, very sad when I think that folks won’t easily have the chance to take an affordable road trip any time soon.
I am torn. How do you feel about this?
Image: Newscom.
Here in America, we have always had very inexpensive gasoline (compared to most countries) coupled with a very high per capita income. That’s a pretty good formula for excessive consumption. Most people can, and will, cut down on discretionary driving.
The problem comes with commuting miles, or commercial trucking, or agricultural equipment. For the most part, these are non-negotiable, and were already trimmed to the least possible cost long before the rise in gas prices.
Unfortunately, getting out of the car and walking is rarely realistic. We have built our cities and rural areas around the automobile. There is no quick fix for the infrastructure. Limiting urban sprawl, improved public transportation – these changes take many years to implement.
The bottom line? If oil prices stay high, we will be forced to pay the price, which will mean a reduction in our overall living standard. That’s the only short term choice we have.
Michael, thank you for your thoughtful comments. I have been thinking about the real-ness of the possibility for walking and you are so correct. My parents now live in a new planned community which has somehow forgotten to create sidewalks in many parts of the community. How can that be? Even here in the center of a pretty hopping little downtown in a mid-sized city and there is still no grocery store within walking distance. We have cut down on much of our driving but its still necessary to jump in the car for essentials, esp. since public transport here is pretty unreliable.
The truth is, expensive gasoline is still less expensive than living and shopping in a walking community. The reason Wal-Mart puts big box stores on the edge of town is that it drastically reduces their fixed overhead.
Small shops in downtown areas must charge very high prices to survive. Their rent is high, their taxes are high. It’s a very inefficient way to design a city. Quaint, charming, enjoyable – and expensive.
In the end, we would be spending so much more for milk and bread that it would be less expensive to drive to a large, efficient shopping complex – even paying $4.00 a gallon for gas.