I drive by this old abandoned gas station on University and Chicago almost every day. I don’t remember when gas cost $1.11/gallon, but I don’t think it was that long ago- I vaguely remember buying gas from this place. Now we’re sitting at $4.45 a gallon and I get the feeling that we will soon be saying “remember when gas was only $4.50? It was so cheap back then.” Some are predicting gas to rise to $5 by the summer and some have predicted gas will rise to $10 per gallon over the next few years. And it's always a little higher in the I.E.
As gas prices skyrocket more consumers are starting to take a serious look at "green" technologies, and companies are finally seeing that we're willing to spend our "green" on them. Money is always the deciding factor, these corporations don't really give a shit about much else. As soon as "green" became good PR they semi-embraced it, and now that they see consumers are very interested they are jumping in. It's good I think. But they should have done much more a long time ago.
So what to do now? Riverside has an unfortunate commuter problem- most of the jobs are in Orange and Los Angeles counties. There's the Metrolink but it has such a small area that it covers that it's not convenient for too many people. More people could carpool, and there's some sites that help to match up drivers- erideshare.com and Craigslist.
Smart cars have made an appearance at Riverside Auto Center, these fuel sipping mini cars are a step in the right direction, but there is a one year waitlist. Of course any hybrid vehicle is a good way to cut down on fuel costs if you have the money (Prius etc.).
For those in town the RTA buses can do the trick if you don't mind hanging out with some weird (and sometimes scary) individuals. The bus used to be more students and fast food employees. A good old fashioned bike is your best bet. In any case, we are fucked in a way. Southern California is so spread out, even in L.A. where they have been working on their subway system, it is nothing like the convenience of the Bay Area or NYC because L.A. is so huge. It's impossible not to drive. We're at the mercy of gas prices and it sucks.
I still want an L.A. to I.E. monorail. And where's my solar powered flying fucking car? Goddamit.
2 comments:
Hybrids are not eco-friendly. It takes about 10 years to break even on the expenditure due to the cost, and the environmental footprint of a Prius is larger than a hummer.
Don't believe the hype, go buy a 1975 honda. You'll do better for the earth.
Sorry, Micah - you have been debunked. http://slate.msn.com/id/2194989/
Of course, I'm still waiting for the DeLorean that runs on trash. I'll even take one that doesn't fly.
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