Despite record-setting gas prices, US drivers haven’t changed their gas-guzzling habits, says AP. Not only are we consuming as much as we always have, new vehicle sales seem to be tilting even more in favor of trucks than cars.
But wait, USA Todaydisagrees. They say that drivers are, in fact, starting to cut back on how much they drive—a clear sign that higher gas prices are starting to bite.
Who’s right?
Who cares! Either way, the consumer response to massive increases in gas prices has been fairly tiny. New studiesare suggesting, in fact, that gas prices are even feebler in motivating changes in driving behavior than they used to be. It’s not hard to guess at some reasons why. Gas is still incredibly cheap compared with our incomes (even 18 cents a mile is a bargain!). And more importantly, we’ve designed our cities and our lives so that many of us have no choice but to drive.
Which brings me to the last bit of news, this time from north of the border. Apparently, Vancouver, BC has had a huge surge in transit ridership as gas prices have gone up. Vancouver is already the Northwest’s transit leader, and the latest surge is likely to put them even further ahead.
Which suggests, perhaps, that the key to helping people cope with rising gas prices is to foster compact neighborhoods where cost-effective transit is an option. In Vancouver, many people have a choice if they don’t want to pay for gas—they can take a bus or a train. Unfortunately, not all of us are so lucky.
Frank
To change behavior, we need gas to stay at $5/gallon for 5 years. That’ll give people time to change jobs, move closer to work, or buy a more fuel-efficient car.Otherwise, you’re right: people might be able to make adjustments around the margins, but it’s not going to show up in a statistically significant way.
Stephen Rees
UK gas prices have been roughly double those of North America for a very long time. The British drive just as much, they just choose smaller cars. And there is not the silly CAFE standard that encourages manufacturers to sell trucks as personal transport.And in Greater Vancouver transit as a choice mode is really only available north of the Fraser. In the much faster growing suburbs to the south, transit service is very poor indeed. While Vancouver is doing better than Seattle or Portland that really is not saying very much. By now the plan had been to have 17% transit mode share at peak periods. We are still stuck around 11% – where we were ten years ago. A lot has been spent on grade separated, automated light rail, when basic streetcars would have been cheaper and more effective. And now the province thinks that doubling our major freeway will reduce greenhouse gas emissions!
Finish
Clark- On a related note, perhaps you could help me understand the current taxicab gas surcharge system in Seattle. I think it is unfair for people taking short trips because it is a flat surcharge. Someone traveling from the airport pays 5% and someone traveling from QA to downtown is paying 25%. (The surcharge is $1.50 as of today).