Save A Dollar And Take A Hike
Oregon Fuel Prices Churn Stomachs
By Joseph Friedrichs, 5-02-07
With the price of gas soaring so high in Oregon it’s become painful to even drive past the fuel pumps, it’s time for Bend residents to take action that will protect their bank accounts and mental health. Our advice: don’t drive at all.
The writing staff at NewWest.Net/Bend has refused to start their cars for the past 10 days. During that time we’ve walked or biked to any needed destination. Although it might take a tad longer to get somewhere, it also provides a certain sense of satisfaction each time we pass some poor soul spending their hard-earned dollars on fuel that will be used to drive to nowhere worthwhile.
After all, in the past week alone, the average cost for a gallon of gasoline in Oregon jumped more than 15 cents to $3.28, the third highest in the nation. Sickening? Yes. Chance of improving any time soon? No.
California, with the highest average price of $3.41 a gallon, has the most expensive gas across the country, followed by Washington state, at $3.30, according to AAA.
Analysts blame the upswing in prices - before the Memorial Day weekend - on strong demand and soft inventories, according to the Oregonian.
For those who have children or other obligations that make driving a necessity, try to eliminate those late night trips to the store or local tavern. Instead, take a walk. It’s healthier and safer. Also, if you’re planning a road trip, check out Oregon’s public transportation system as an alternative. Every step taken can lead to dollars saved.
A few years ago, some people wanted to build a refinery in either Oregon or Washington. The people in both states said "NO". Well, you are now reaping what you sowed.
Quit crying, prices will be going higher so the oil companies can again have record profits.
I found your article through a link from theoildrum. I wanted to point out that having children does not necessitate driving. We have two young children and sold our car three years ago. We've been making our way around on a Bike Friday Triple. My wife makes her commute to her library job every morning by bike, and I just started a bicycle-based honeybee business.
We live in Santa Fe, NM rather than Bend, but I imagine the community is similar. With the majority of trips by car being under three miles, it doesn't make sense not to bicycle for those trips. An intelligent future would find most of the populace bicycling rather than waiting for the technology gods to deliver a new fuel or burning up our food crops in our gas tanks.
The reason oil companies have record profits is because people keep buying their products.
http://carfreefamily.blogspot.com
Allen,
In fact, there are 6 oil refineries in Washington:
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/industrial/oil1.html
Most of the oil in the Pacific NW arrives by tanker from Alaska. We have an oil pipeline that runs from British Columbia to Eugene, OR. Unfortunately this pipeline doesn't connect to the rest of North America's pipeline network.
Paul,
Bend, OR has a huge area in relation to its population, and public transport is just getting started there. I would not be surprised if most people in Bend travel more than 3 miles each way (by car) for groceries.
Thanks,
Brook
If everyone in this country, one day a week, would park their cars, car pool, ride a bus or slow down, gasoline prices would probably come down, at least for a while. However, we know this isn't going to happen. The only way to reduce gasoline consumption will be a drastic increase in the price, like $5 a gallon or more.
As this country consumes 25% of the worlds oil with 5% of the population, the "chickens are coming home to roost"
I live in Holland and i don't understand why you are complaining, we pay in Holland $ 7,70 for 1 gallon and almost nobody is complaining because we don't drive big cars !
Comment By Bike Bend, 5-02-07My educated guess is that the vast majority of Bend's inhabitants live much less than 3 miles from one or more grocery stores. Go to Google maps and set the scale to 2 miles and note that from the 3rd street corridor that splits Bend - and contains a number of grocery stores - it is easily under 3 miles from most homes. Plus there are an additional number of grocery stores located on both the east and especially west sides of Bend available to the bicycle-powered shopper. There simply is no "too far to ride" excuse in Bend unless one considers laziness an appropriate excuse. (Yes, I know there are those who must drive due to age, physical handicaps, etc.)
P.S. In part for fun and in part because of my frustration with the joke that Bend is a "Bicycle Friendly Community" I very recently created a little blog attempting to address road cycling for recreation and transportation issues in Bend / Central Oregon. The blog is pretty minimal right now but a bit of feedback would be welcome. Visit Bike Bend at bikebend.wordpress.com. A bit of looking and an email address can be found.
Why would an oil company build a new refinery when soon there won't be enough oil coming out of the ground to keep the refineries they have busy?
It's smart that you started riding your bikes. Blaming big oil for everything is so last century!
Get used to it you lubbers...get a bike and stop the complaining!
Rumor is prices are going to peak in summer above $4/gal.
Bike Bend: your right on. For a while, my son, communted 40 miles one way by bike. The reason he stopped was not because of the distance but because of safety issues. Our highways are built for cars & trucks & not for bicycles and until bikes paths are physicaly seperated from roads the majority will not use bikes. Some may also believe that bikes are not "cool".
Jesse from Holland: yes $7.70 per gal. gasoline would get our attention to the point that our economy would probably crash until we developed a mass transit system & more efficeient cars. In addition there would probably be riots in the streets.