Well.........this certainly doesn't come as a surprise after the Thursday/Friday Oil spike:
NEW YORK - The average price of regular gas crept up to $4 a gallon for the first time over the weekend, passing the once-unthinkable milestone just in time for the peak summer travel season.
Prices at the pump are expected to keep climbing, especially after last week’s furious surge in oil prices, which neared $140 a barrel in a record-shattering rally Friday.
Here's the full link -
Average cost of gas over $4.00 per gallon
I found Thursday and Friday interesting (in a sort of perverted way). There were several Diaries on this site attempting to explain the Oil spike. Here's one that was recommended and exceptional - What's going on in the Oil Market - I read through this a couple of times and found it very imformative - yet I confess parts of it are little over my head.
Then there was this - Hybrid Bikes Selling Out! - that I first saw in another KOS Diary that I'm having trouble relocationg at the moment. Mind boggling!
Mass Transit is Booming! -
Mass transit systems around the country are seeing standing-room-only crowds on bus lines where seats were once easy to come by. Parking lots at many bus and light rail stations are suddenly overflowing, with commuters in some towns risking a ticket or tow by parking on nearby grassy areas and in vacant lots.
Keep in mind this article is from mid-May! My fiance bought a bus pass last month and has noticed very significant increases in ridership in just that short period of time - to the point where she witnessed a near physical confrontation for the lone remaining empty seat on a ride last week. Fortunately, this has been the exception and almost all her stories have been positive and she's enjoying the experience quite a bit.
Save on your Auto Insurance AND Gas
Obviously carpooling helps defer gas costs - but here's another twist to this entire scenario - do you realize that if you're using alternate transportation to get to work - you may save on your insurance?
So, with all this in mind, and the world literally changing right before our eyes, I think it might be interesting to keep track of KOSSACK commutes via a highly unofficial survey. Lets track how we commute - and measure it against our "baseline" commute. I propose a simple "copy" and "paste" format as follows:
Date of Commute:
Location:
Price of Gas:
Method of Commute:
Distance of Commute:
Gas Saved against Baseline:
Weather:
Additional Comments: