£1.40 a litre

Kohoutek

AD9898 wrote: »

I'm afraid this is only the beginning and it's going to get much much worse. How does $200 oil get ya ?? We are highly likely to be near this figure within 5 years, at that point society has we've come to see it will start to collapse.

At $200 oil (assuming GBP/USD stays the same), you would have base price of petrol or diesel of about 95p/litre, fuel duty (at the current rate) of 58.95p and 20% VAT, so about 185p/litre. Is that really the collapse of society? I think it's more like you think very hard whether you need to make a journey or not and if you must commute by car you buy a very fuel efficient vehicle.

Undoubtedly standards of living will fall and things like importing exotic foods from thousands of miles away will become perhaps prohibitory expensive, but I wouldn't go as far as total collapse of society.

Car makers know all about peak oil, they aren't stupid. The ones that will stay in business will make the kind of vehicles that are appropriate for a world of high oil prices, i.e. very efficient ICE vehicles and hybrids and electric vehicles.

There is no doubt demand for oil is outpacing supply at a rapid pace, and has been for some time now...As a business necessity and an obligation to society we need to develop alternate sources of propulsion.

Rick Wagoner, former CEO, General Motors

Last summer's [2008] $4-a-gallon gasoline was no anomaly...it was a brief glimpse of our future. We must address the inevitability of peak oil by developing vehicles powered by alternatives to liquid-oil fuel.

Irv Miller, Vice President, Toyota Motors USA

Really2

wotsthat wrote: »

It's because the figures are per user. If they were in deaths per mile travelled I'm sure cycling wouldn't look so attractive.

I'll still be out this weekend though. Overall the benefits are on the side of exercise and fitness.

I was going to mention per mile but I then thought the average car journy is fairly low I believe.
So cars undoubtedly cover more miles, but in a car you can die doing one mille or 500.
On a bike you would less be 20.
But I should imagine frequency of use is not far off the same.

So it is a bit horses for courses, if your average journy is short you are most probably not in more danger on a bike than a car.

Graham_Devon

Really2 wrote: »

My sums were wrong (used accidents not deaths)
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/accidents/casualtiesmr/rrcgbmainresults2009


there are 5 million regular cyclists in the UK and 28M cars

115 cycle deaths
1059 car user deaths

So you are actually more likely to die in a car than on a bike going on that data as a percentage.

1 in 26440 car users die per year
1 in 43478 cyclists die.

In general it seems half as likely of being killed or being a casualty.

I am surprised by that.

How many of those 5 million cyclists are on national speed limit, twisty, hilly A roads with no cycle lane?

Think about it.

Really2

Graham_Devon wrote: »

How many of those 5 million cyclists are on national speed limit, twisty, hilly A roads with no cycle lane?

Think about it.

And how many car journeys are 1 person, less than 5 miles that could be cycled?

Think about it.:)

Touched a nerve graham by making a change in my lifestyle.

I saw 4 on the way to my sons nursery today (on an a road no cycle route).

So for me cycling is ok, maybe not you.

As a 18 year old I used to cycle 24 miles on an A road no cycle path just for fitness reasons (only took 1H 30mins also but numb balls)


But instead of moaning and running everyone else down, do something yourself other than moaning it is too high but all other options are not practical or cool enough for you.

There are other options you can take, you only do 40 miles a day, the truth is you want a diesel or petrol car, not even a hybrid.

System

I'd cycle if it was ~10 miles, my commute is 26 each way.

lostinrates

Really2 wrote: »

And how many car journeys are 1 person, less than 5 miles that could be cycled?

Think about it.:)

Touched a nerve graham by making a change in my lifestyle.

I saw 4 on the way to my sons nursery today (on an a road no cycle route).

So for me cycling is ok, maybe not you.

As a 18 year old I used to cycle 24 miles on an A road no cycle path just for fitness reasons (only took 1H 30mins also but numb balls)


But instead of moaning and running everyone else down, do something yourself other than moaning it is too high but all other options are not practical or cool enough for you.

There are other options you can take, you only do 40 miles a day, the truth is you want a diesel or petrol car, not even a hybrid.

I'd not cycle on many rural devon lanes. Lower than the fields either side, not wide enough for a car and a cycle/walker and extremely bendy and hilly!

Now if I were able to cycle.:o and I lived somewhere equally rural, but with slightly wider roads and less hilly and slightly less twisty (like where I am) it would be more realistic alternative.

One of the reasons, I guess, why there was one regular cyclist where we have moved from and flocks of hem here.

Really2

lostinrates wrote: »

I'd not cycle on many rural devon lanes. Lower than the fields either side, not wide enough for a car and a cycle/walker and extremely bendy and hilly!

Now if I were able to cycle.:o and I lived somewhere equally rural, but with slightly wider roads and less hilly and slightly less twisty (like where I am) it would be more realistic alternative.

One of the reasons, I guess, why there was one regular cyclist where we have moved from and flocks of hem here.

I most probably would not either, but no one is saying graham should cycle. (but ebike gets round the hilly problem)

He just took offence at the idea cycling is not as deadly as everyone thinks.

I have only said on this thread it is something I am doing and there are other alternatives also.

I have no Idea why I was told to "think about it", it is fairly obvious a cyclist will do less miles on average but I am a prime example of a commuter who does 12 miles in total a day in a car on my own.

A lot of the UK do the same, and many do not want to give up because of safety, it is because they like driving a powerful car and wont admit it.

PasturesNew

Where I am, it's a 1-in-4 in all directions. It's also only just wide enough for two cars to pass and it's windy (twisty) and windy (blowy) and there's no edge of the road, no lines, no lights, no paths. If a car's doing 60mph and approaches a blind bend, they'll tuck right into that left bend in case there's a lorry/tractor/bus coming the other way - and they'll hold their breath while they do it in case they still can't make it.

It took me 1.5 hours to ride back 9 miles on a pleasant, non-blowy, summer's afternoon the other year. Nearest significant place of employment would be 20 miles.

Meatballs

I'd cycle a day or two a week if they put a nice cycle lane along the m4 rather than making me cycle all over the place. Missus can walk to work or we could get two cars and live inbetween...

Cycling 6 miles to work everyday was bliss compared to a 40 min motorway commute.

Batchy

I think riding, can be safe, but to be honest.
On a 30mph road with lots of turnings, it can be more dangerous than an A Road where there is little crossing traffic, more of a problem for motorcyclists.
Dont even get me started on the rain and visibility in the dark, etc.