'How much should petrol cost?' Poll discussion

grimsalve

Diesel44 wrote: »

I would like to see the price in gallons again at the pumps.
By using litres they are hiding the price a bit.

Or they could try hiding the price a little bit more.

Maybe it wouldn't seem quite so bad if petrol was sold at 74p (a pint).

tuneyloon

The price of fuel should include the Road tax revenue

Cupid_Stunt_2

Well, i don't know enough about the economy to make outrageous suggestions on what should and shouldn't happen. However, i am a 19 year old who does NEED to use his car regularly for all sorts of reasons. I use my car for most journeys, even short(er) ones as it is still cheaper than bus/train, and much, much more convenient.
Also, we don't make the journeys we do to contribute towards "global warming", we make every journey we make, because it is necessary to do so.

misti wrote: »

I went for the maximum amount, & I don't feel that is enough. Tho I place 1 condition on that, that the taxes raised go entirely into transport, improving what we have & making new & improved travel for the future.

My main reason for this, is that oil is limited, there is only so much of it left, & we need to use it wisely. That people are driving around in personal cars, when there are perfectly adequate public transport systems, I think is beyond selfish, beyond ridiculous, & with global warming frankly suicidal.

I don't give a thought about their whinges, if they think the cost of petrol is high now, wait 10, 15, 20 years, I am going to enjoy it. And how we live will have to change. From no personal cars, or ones run from renewables, a car ban in london (yay) that'll get the rest of us around quicker & cut back on pollution to other ridiculous things like wrapping tins in plastic (!!!!!!). Things will change.

You car drivers have already lost, get used to it & get over it x

This comment REALLY !!!!ed me off. Cars are required for us to live our lives! We can't travel 50+ miles a day on foot, or even on bike.. And we certainly can't do it on "perfectly adequate" public transport. Public transport is FAR from adequate, it is terrible and incredibly inconvenient, as well as costing more than it would to complete the journey in the car!
We're selfish for using cars?! Your comment shows that YOU are incredibly selfish, not us drivers.. Anyway, i actually hope you get hit by a bus.

DROP PETROL PRICES NOW!

tripled

I am a car driver and live in a rural area. Since the firm I previously worked for went bankrupt, I now commute to work 60 miles away, spending over a third of my income on car/rail/bus. Yet I think the tax on fuel should continue to be increased at a steady rate, with the price of fuel at least doubling over the next 10 years. Why?

Basically, transport emissions cause health problems (including many premature deaths every year) and traffic congestion. As more and more people switch to public transport, the roads will become safer and emissions reduced. Congestion will reduce significantly. The economies of scale will mean frequent, reliable bus services, will be viable even in rural areas. Buses would have space for bikes on the back, like the ski boxes you see on buses overseas, and bike lockers created around stations, and more rent-a-bike schemes. Over time, high streets would regenerate, as people no longer travelled to the huge out of town superstores except for their 'big shop' from time to time. The whole infrastructure would need to rebalance, which will take time and is why you can't just whang up fuel prices overnight.

Obviously, consideration needs to be given to business (particularly freight) and those with mobility issues. With regards to freight, this could be mitigated by loading much of the increase onto VAT rather than fuel duty, and removing VED on lorries. For those with specific mobility issues, consideration would be needed as to how to assist them, for example some kind of card allowing a dscout off x many litres of fuel per year, or some sort of tie in with motability (perhaps the car could be free where it isn't now?).

The benefit to me? My drive to the train station would cost me more, but my rail and bus journey would be quicker and cheaper. There may even be a bus by then that takes me to the station at the right time of day.

Our trade deficit would be reduced, and tens o thousands of jobs created in the public transport sectors.

Jo_F

gadgetmind wrote: »

Why exactly? It's based on the statistics for car trip lengths in the UK.

A quarter of car journeys in the UK are less than two miles. This isn't a sweeping statement, merely a fact. Half of car journeys in the UK are less than five miles. Another fact.

Of course, there will be trips that people need to do that are beyond that which you'd sensibly tackle by bicycle, and for these you use a car. For these trips I also use a car, but LOADS of people use cars for very short journeys where they could easily cycle or walk.

My partner lives 2 miles from work, easilly within a reasonable distance to cycle, which it would have to be as it cannot be done easilly by bus.

But, he cannot set off to work at sometimes 4am, on a cycle, with a holdall of clothes for the week, and a weeks supply of food and bottled water on his back. Some short journeys have to be done by car, like this one, he has no choice in the matter, and it's easier to store the car at the haulage yard for the week, than it would be to store the bike.

krazykizza

Cupid_Stunt wrote: »

Well, i don't know enough about the economy to make outrageous suggestions on what should and shouldn't happen. However, i am a 19 year old who does NEED to use his car regularly for all sorts of reasons. I use my car for most journeys, even short(er) ones as it is still cheaper than bus/train, and much, much more convenient.
Also, we don't make the journeys we do to contribute towards "global warming", we make every journey we make, because it is necessary to do so.



This comment REALLY !!!!ed me off. Cars are required for us to live our lives! We can't travel 50+ miles a day on foot, or even on bike.. And we certainly can't do it on "perfectly adequate" public transport. Public transport is FAR from adequate, it is terrible and incredibly inconvenient, as well as costing more than it would to complete the journey in the car!
We're selfish for using cars?! Your comment shows that YOU are incredibly selfish, not us drivers.. Anyway, i actually hope you get hit by a bus.

DROP PETROL PRICES NOW!

Completely agree with you, these kinds of people really get my back up. All my journeys are essential for getting to and from work, If I ever need to go anywhere in Town, I cycle or have a walk. Sometimes if there are lots of us I do drive as thats economical, but what really annoys me is when you get some cynical closed minded forum bashers who sit on here all day casting their spells of mysery over people wishing for higher tax on fuel. They don't use their cars so they don't care, but we, mostorists, do care. Because without cheaper fuel, less gets spent in shops, and that means stores closing and less tax for the government. And when that happens, we will spend even less as there are less places to spend and it'll be a constant cycle until the country is in the ground and the cynical old forum bashers are laughing all the way to the forest with their leaves and save the planet T shirts.

Btw, I've been to Cambridge, apparent Bicycle heaven, absolutely not! Traffic madness, like everywhere. No amount of campaigning is going to get the prices upto £2, so the forum bashers can sod off!!!

jackieb

krazykizza wrote: »

Completely agree with you, these kinds of people really get my back up. All my journeys are essential for getting to and from work, If I ever need to go anywhere in Town, I cycle or have a walk. Sometimes if there are lots of us I do drive as thats economical, but what really annoys me is when you get some cynical closed minded forum bashers who sit on here all day casting their spells of mysery over people wishing for higher tax on fuel. They don't use their cars so they don't care, but we, mostorists, do care. Because without cheaper fuel, less gets spent in shops, and that means stores closing and less tax for the government. And when that happens, we will spend even less as there are less places to spend and it'll be a constant cycle until the country is in the ground and the cynical old forum bashers are laughing all the way to the forest with their leaves and save the planet T shirts.

Btw, I've been to Cambridge, apparent Bicycle heaven, absolutely not! Traffic madness, like everywhere. No amount of campaigning is going to get the prices upto £2, so the forum bashers can sod off!!!

My dh was on an oilrig when Greenpeace were threatening to come aboard. He said where do they think the fuel for their boats come from.

jackieb

I'd love to take the train but there are none. The worst thing to happen to our town was Dr Beeching.

noswads3

How can it be fair to charge more in tax than a commodity costs -? We have a society that is based on petrolium. As such it should be exempt from vat. If it costs 50p a litre then 50% tax would make it 75p a litre. I am a motorist and a drinker of alcohol. Alcohol is a luxury which I can choose to buy or not but I cannot choose not to buy petrol. For all the people who say - "well I dont drive"- they will face related hipes in the transport costs of their taxis, trains and buses. No one will escape. Pensioners will not get free bus passes much longer! Like others have said shift the tax burden onto the smokers and drinkers. Anyone can give up smoking- I did 12 years ago because of the price and health reasons. Why has the burden of tax risen so much in this country! If petrol has to be taxed so much then scrap road tax and let those who use the most petrol pay the most tax. That should appease most even the "greens"

mememememe

Where's the option for more than £2? If I was the chancellor then I would consider setting the price of petrol at at least £2, but I would also invest heavily in public transport, both in rural areas (with buses for example) and cities, and in green car technologies and car sharing schemes. I would also highly subsidise the cost of travel on public transport to make it a much more convinient and attractive option. We really need to reduce our dependence on oil before we run out of it, and potentially cause bad global warming.