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The frog and boiling water principle is at work. When gas prices shot up past $4 in 2007, malls cleared, traffic thinned and dealer lots were deserted. We are almost there now and nobody blinks an eye.
The frog and boiling water principle is at work. When gas prices shot up past $4 in 2007, malls cleared, traffic thinned and dealer lots were deserted. We are almost there now and nobody blinks an eye.
I believe in the frog and the pot principal, but in this case, been there done that.
I figure gas will need to hit $5 (NJ) for people to freak.
Living in CA we have been paying over $4.00 a gallon for well over 6 months, and I haven't seen a decrease in traffic.
What's crazy is that in San Diego, we have a very large military presence with tons of retired and currently active military residents that drive pick up trucks, or big SUV's everywhere out here. I can't count how many new F150's I see on the roads in SD. Lot's of Contractor work, and rural living in the East County area's of San Diego which if any of you are from the South or Mid-West, you would think you just drove into a part of Texas, not California. It's like that. Very conservative, which usually leads to seeing more trucks and bigger vehicles.
You go up to Los Angeles and Orange County and the truck culture is zero.
Generally if gas rose over $5.00 a gallon, you will see a lot more people cutting back I feel. Gas is still expensive at $4.00 and I honestly don't know how people afford it when they are driving such huge vehicles, have kids, a house, car payments and other debts in a state like CA. You gotta be semi rich to live here these days or at least live here comfortably without worrying about making ends meet and living paycheck to paycheck. So higher gas prices in CA has been a struggle for many here even if we might not see it in plain sight.
Alot on price depends on state taxes in difference. It likely would have to get shortage which is unlikely like in 70's to decline a lot by price. Especially since vehicles now use much less even trucks, and SUVs compared to then. I don't see public transport gains except when local and they fund it or private transport because of budgest; really.
I think if or when gas prices double again we'll see a change in what people drive but not how much. We'll see fewer full size SUVs and pickups because people will pick smaller cars to commute in, but I don't think we'll see many, if any, fewer cars on the road, at least not around here. Public transit sucks in the Seattle area most people don't really have much of an option except to drive.
Two weeks ago gas was $3.95, last week it was $3.87 and now it's $3.79. I figured with the ISIS crisis prices would go up.
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