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Fuel Demand
Hellfire - 11/6/08 at 11:46 PM

Heard on Five Live this morning that we are now using 20% less fuel than we were over the same period last year. Not price based but quantity based.

The results are staggering. I can personally see the roads around here getting quieter... if this is what the Government want (and it is!) then they have achieved a marvellous objective of "How to get a reduction of non-essential journeys". There seems to be less cars doing the school run and I've never seen so many large gas guzzlers/4x4's up for sale for such a cheap price. It seems like the days of the big wasteful cars is over.... for now at least, which IMHO is not a bad thing.

I drove back from the office today in Hemel to Rotherham (138 miles) and achieved an average mpg of 53.1 - sorted!

Steve

Guinness - 12/6/08 at 06:13 AM

Well I'm certainly using less fuel this year than I did last year.

Mind you swapping the V8 BMW 540i that averaged 20mpg in for a nice Seat Leon TDi that averages 40mpg has helped.

I doubt whoever bought the BM has reduced their consumption though!

Mike

Macbeast - 12/6/08 at 06:22 AM

The trouble is, the Government will use this as an excuse to keep fuel prices high.

Cynical ? moi ?

aaron bassett - 12/6/08 at 06:47 AM

when ever i can i buy biodisel

coozer - 12/6/08 at 06:54 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Macbeast
The trouble is, the Government will use this as an excuse to keep fuel prices high.

Cynical ? moi ?


No, your dead right, I can just see Brown in the play house smuggly telling the infants how the high price has reduced consumption helping reduce the countries carbon footprint.

That paves the way for another hike in fuel duty to further reduce car journeys and lessen CO2 production.

Dear me, time to get the scooter sorted out so I can help

[Edited on 12/6/08 by coozer]

nick205 - 12/6/08 at 08:24 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Hellfire
Heard on Five Live this morning that we are now using 20% less fuel than we were over the same period last year. Not price based but quantity based.

The results are staggering. I can personally see the roads around here getting quieter... if this is what the Government want (and it is!) then they have achieved a marvellous objective of "How to get a reduction of non-essential journeys". There seems to be less cars doing the school run and I've never seen so many large gas guzzlers/4x4's up for sale for such a cheap price. It seems like the days of the big wasteful cars is over.... for now at least, which IMHO is not a bad thing.

I drove back from the office today in Hemel to Rotherham (138 miles) and achieved an average mpg of 53.1 - sorted!

Steve



I can't say I've noticed less traffic, but I do think a lot of drivers are slowing down (and paying more attention to their mpg). Another side effect which could be considered beneficial to safety IMHO.

Nick

BenB - 12/6/08 at 10:10 AM

I sure didn't notice less drivers on the road the last Sunday of the half-term break!!!!!

Stop and go traffic almost the entire way from Manchester to London.....

Dangle_kt - 12/6/08 at 11:33 AM

so we all use cars less...great!

But I don't see any new public transport projects popping up all over.

So more money in the bank for the PM- but who suffers? WE DO! As we feel we cant afford to make leisure trips and there are no alternatives provided.

bartonp - 12/6/08 at 11:38 AM

We are on the way back to pre-1960s when not everyone could afford a car, and those that could didn't run it everyday.....

martyn_16v - 12/6/08 at 12:16 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Hellfire
I can personally see the roads around here getting quieter...


Southern stretch of M25 is worse than ever, it's more or less permanently walking speed for the last couple of months. It's usually those highway agency idiots closing lanes whenever a car breaks down in the hard shoulder

mad4x4 - 12/6/08 at 12:21 PM

Should try living near Aberdeen - Traffic is still as bad if not worse and my Commute in the morning is 44miles which takes 1hr 10 min but on way home takes 1hr 30mins.

My route to work there is no BUS or Train so if I don't drive there I can;t work but it's getting to the point that soon I will not be able to afford the petrol to drive to work and therefore will not be able to work.

Viscous circle.

Don;t really want to
1) Move closer to my Work as I can;t afford to by nearer Aberdeen

jabbahutt - 12/6/08 at 12:35 PM

Looked at using public transport as I only live 10 miles from work.

To drive it takes about 10 minutes but to use public transport it would take over an hour and would have to leave the house half an hour earlier to suit the time tables.

Also I only use about £10 of diesel a week including none work related trips and to use public transport it would cost nearly £15.

And to top it all my work only allows you to work from home if you're high enough up in the company.

Looks like I'll have to keep using the car until I'm priced out of it.

ned - 12/6/08 at 12:59 PM

I agree with nick205, I've just started driving more efficiently. I now regularly see 60-70mpg on my 27mile run into and out of the office. I put my foot down this morning a little and only got 52mpg odd. I managed 600.7 miles out of my last 50litre tank of fuel..

Ned.

darrens - 12/6/08 at 05:33 PM

quote:
Originally posted by ned
I agree with nick205, I've just started driving more efficiently. I now regularly see 60-70mpg on my 27mile run into and out of the office. I put my foot down this morning a little and only got 52mpg odd. I managed 600.7 miles out of my last 50litre tank of fuel..

Ned.


This is all very well and good for all you lot that have efficient cars, but as a van driver for work there's f##k all I can do. I struggle to get 650mile out of a 90litre tank, which cost over £110 to fill now!!!

btw the van is an 03 dCi common rail so it's no banger.

Hellfire - 13/6/08 at 03:32 PM

I can only speak about traffic around where my predetermined business area is which is from Notts upto Scotland and traffic is certainly less.

I think the problem you lot down south have is that the recent price increases of fuel in relation to the higher salaries and wages is of a much lower percentage down there than those working up here in the north. Its all relative ATEOTD.

I notice my personal fuelled company car benefit allowance has just gone up from 0.11p/mile to 0.13p/mile Still, I'm still benefitting - of a sorts!

Steve

chrisg - 13/6/08 at 03:49 PM

I think it's great that "unecessary" journeys have decreased, although I think this is a bit two edged because the "unecessary" are usually the life enhancing ones, taking the kids to the seaside, visiting relatives etc.

The people who have been badly hit by this are the essential users, those without a choice.

One group would be the person who lives in a rural area with a poorly paid job or needs to travel for childcare.

The group that I have personal experience of is the disabled. The government provide the severely disabled with an allowance for a car, so they clearly recognise the need for transport for the disabled. However they have now increased the fuel duty to such an extent that many of these car sit in the driveways, their owners unable to afford fuel.

Not only is this a personal tradegy for the people concerned but it is a burden on the tax payer which has provided funds for an unused benefit.

As one guy in "disability now" magazine said "I don't know why Brown doesn't just come down here and nail my front shut?"

Always winners and losers, but a very small change in co2 emisions, which may or may not be linked to climate change (assuming that climate change actually exists - there's no proof) is excluding some members of society from an important part of their already limited life.

cheers

Chris

JoelP - 13/6/08 at 07:20 PM

energy costs will rise significantly in future. We're on borrowed time with oil and need to find alternatives. Can you imagine in 300 years time when there is essentially no oil, and we need to fuel EVERYTHING from something else? We are a very long way from being able to cope without oil. Rising cost will help to fuel research.

And as an aside, can you imagine how it will affect our economy as oil dwindles, price rockets, and we become slaves to opec?