World's most depressing graph?

[Bantam]

Originally Posted by Mark Chase

I wish i did, then I could run my car on central heating oil and get away with it.


ATB

Mark

In the last fuel strike I was glad I had a diesel boiler and 20p a litre fuel

[NeilP]

Originally Posted by machiavelli

If fuel duty was to be reduced, the government would only increases taxes elsewhere. And road fuel is a discretionary purchase compared to food and housing.

So when people cannot afford to drive there will be alot less fuel bought = alot less in the G'ment pot.

If they can reduce the tax this would keep more on the road, more people would be driving = more fuel bought, more tax on fuel in the pot.

They already have lost a tenners worth of unleaded a week from me - I now only drive 1/2 way to work and bike the rest.

[Mal Bridgeman]

Originally Posted by Mark Chase

I wish i did, then I could run my car on central heating oil and get away with it.


ATB

Mark

Mmmmm I wonder why I didn't think of that ...... do you really think there aren't people employed by the Heating Oil suppliers to monitor "unusual" usage? I understand that if they dip your tanks and find non tax paid fuel the consequences are pretty expensive ..... or am I just a scaredy cat?

Mal

[machiavelli]

Originally Posted by Bantam

the only way I could get to work on time without using a car is to use a bicycle and cycle the 20 miles to work.

Why not try it? - I have commuted a similar distance by bicycle before - I didn't have a car (or a driving licence) at the time.

Fuel is not going to get any cheaper and we will have to live with less of it. Compared with public transport motoring is still cheap, which is why it is one of the reasons it is difficult to get the motorist out of their car.

[divingniknaks]

Originally Posted by Mal Bridgeman

I understand that if they dip your tanks and find non tax paid fuel the consequences are pretty expensive ..... or am I just a scaredy cat?

Mal

You'd be in DEEP sh*t mate, VERY deep.

I used to live in N Yorks where red was routinely used, but god help anyone who got caught, it wipes out the saving and then some.

.

[Mark Chase]

Originally Posted by dry suit diver

the problem is that outside of the centre of london the transport is shite full stop. theres no intergration between companies you can get off the train station in the asshole of nowhere and haver to wait an hour for a bus.

even in London we need cars in the burbs as the publivc transport just doesn't do what its supposed to.


get a wheelchair user on the bus and bang all the parents with kids in pushchairs get told to Feck off and are refused entry. what do we do then we go into our cars.

Its two miles from my house to the kids school. It takes three buses and just over an hour and a half on a good day. Two hours on a bad day.

The roads have no pavements and no street lights and are just over single track in some places so very dangerous to walk / cycle on.

It takes about 10mins by car.

My office is in Carshalton 41miles away. Mainly moterway so at 6am it takes me 50ins. By train and buss its just over two hours. Car costs me £13.60 in fuel and its £23.75 by train and bus + a little fuel and £6.00 a day parking.

So switching to public transport would add 15hours to my working week and cost me and extra £95.00 a week for the privalage.

No wonder the M20s packed in the morning.

ATB

Mark

[machiavelli]

Originally Posted by NeilP

So when people cannot afford to drive there will be alot less fuel bought = alot less in the G'ment pot.

If they can reduce the tax this would keep more on the road, more people would be driving = more fuel bought, more tax on fuel in the pot.

But the remaining oil will last longer, the roads will be less congested, there will be fewer road deaths, walking and cycling will be safer and more pleasant and local air quality will improve.

Originally Posted by NeilP

They already have lost a tenners worth of unleaded a week from me - I now only drive 1/2 way to work and bike the rest.

Which is precisely what they wanted. It isn't all about money.

[Bantam]

Originally Posted by machiavelli

Why not try it? - I have commuted a similar distance by bicycle before - I didn't have a car (or a driving licence) at the time.

Fuel is not going to get any cheaper and we will have to live with less of it. Compared with public transport motoring is still cheap, which is why it is one of the reasons it is difficult to get the motorist out of their car.

It has crossed my mind. If only for the cardio-vascular benefits! I've already moved house to reduce my travel expenses (I used to drive 60 miles to work each way).

But unless they provide reliable public transport with good coverage to take the place of the car, it'll never work.

[dry suit diver]

Originally Posted by divingniknaks

You'd be in DEEP sh*t mate, VERY deep.

I used to live in N Yorks where red was routinely used, but god help anyone who got caught, it wipes out the saving and then some.

.

I was told at a VOSA roadside inspection of the works van 10 years ago, that the govt have to assume you have done it since you took ownership of the vehicle and claw back the tax accordingly.

thats going to wipe out any saving if you get caught.


which is annoying as one of our sites had a 'little ' spill of red diesel from the back up generators, 11000 litres pumped up from the main tank into the day tank and then pouring straight out of the day tank as the builder took a section of pipe out without blanking it or isolating the pumps

[divingniknaks]

Originally Posted by machiavelli

Fuel is not going to get any cheaper and we will have to live with less of it. Compared with public transport motoring is still cheap, which is why it is one of the reasons it is difficult to get the motorist out of their car.

It's not the cost of public transport that stops me using it, it's the avialability that's just rubbish.

I lived in Holland for a while and just didn't need a car, because the train system is so damned good. Why can't we do the same ?

.