Gas Prices: When Do You Complain?

[why?]

Originally Posted by TLyttle

I'm aware of that. In fact, after the war it was decided by the fuel companies, and vehicle manufacturers, that rail was too cheap, hence the switch to road vehicles. Stuff gets from place to place "faster" by truck, and they are still selling that crap to justify their industry.

Rails opened up this continent, both in the US and Canada, but tearing up the rails and closing stations and depots has been the byword for 50 years. Consequently, road transport is the only viable option left...

50 years? Try since the Civil War when the north destroyed around 80% or so of all rail lines in the entire south.

We will eventually get real rail lines as the air industry becomes less and less safe, they are perfecting high speed rail in other countries, just like safe nuclear, it is only a matter of time before we get high speed rail.

And then Amtrak will finally go under, and private rail will change the country again.

[yaris2010RS]

personally i dont worry about gas anymore, when i was driving a v6 camry it was a bitch! i remeber paying over $80 CDN to fill her up. and now with gas at $1.06/L on our little tank it makes no difference.

i dont comlain about gas at all, even with the way i drive i still get almost 600km per tank

[BluYrs]

Originally Posted by p123456789

Is 34.9 your average? I always get atleast 39mpg out of mine driving it kinda hard in 50/50 traffic.

Yeah, that's my average. But most of my driving is done home to work on a really-really short distance (ca 2 miles) with constant stopping and starting, so the engine doesn't even warm up. In any other car in the same conditions I'd be lucky to get low 20s MPG.

[TLyttle]

Not sure about your predictions there. One of the big problems of rails in North America is the instability of much of the landscape. In Canada we built a rail line through Manitoba/Ontario on muskeg, using logs for a roadbed. It has to be replaced every few years as the logs sink, but we continue as we have for 130+ years. The highways through that area are built the same way, and my longhaul buddy says that when you are parked, a truck going by is enough to make one seasick... Try building a high-speed line on THAT!

I've ridden the European rails, and they are truly wonderful, but they have the geology that suits rails. The rail companies HATE passenger traffic, and that is why one will have to live a LONG time to see a passenger rail system work here in North America.