Got Gas?

Gas Prices in a Car Free World

It was announced this week that Montrealers will pay just a little more tax at the pump (2¢/litre) to help offset such things as public transit and infrastructure costs. And of course there was a typical outcry from motorists who appeared in the news on T.V. – already having to cope with prices pretty much permanently above one dollar a litre. With crude oil stuck around the $80 per barrel mark, there’s little chance of relief in this department any time soon. But people of all walks of life should view this state of affairs as a good thing, for a number of reasons.

For one thing, we need to drive less (for countless reasons) and the greater the cost of fuel the more likely we are to eliminate frivolous uses of our motor vehicles. The more we explore the alternatives to driving the more we rediscover the fabric of urban community that the automobile so efficiently disintegrates. What’s more, chances are that it will involve getting more exercise.

The other main reason that this tax should be welcomed is that motorists really are the ones who should pay for the solution to traffic woes, which we all agree are acute. Let’s not forget that for years drivers have benefitted from subsidies in the form of highway infrastructure investment defrayed over the broadest taxpaying base. Why should someone who does not drive, or drives very little pay as much as someone who is a carbon/ asphalt glutton?

Another point worth considering is that if everyone used public transit (and the service was equal to the demand) there would likely be no transit system fiscal deficit, no traffic jams, and much less pollution.

Imagine that! In a car-free world gas prices would be largely irrelevant; and there may even be a glut in the supply of crude oil once again, bringing the cost of your monthly bus-fare, or train-fare down considerably!

But the main point I think should be emphasized here is that at $1.15 per litre, gasoline is still cheaper than most other liquid commodities I can think of. Even bottled water can cost as much, if you’re willing to pay for it. Milk is approximately the same. Though I realise the two are not interchangeable, a litre of gasoline contains far greater amount of energy than a litre of milk. In terms of energy it is pretty much the most rich and precious commodity we have come up with. So why is it so cheap?

I don’t want to try and answer that just now, but I thought a mental illustration might help us appreciate the real value of gasoline – it’s literal bang for the buck:

You’re stuck at the bottom of Av. des Pins and Av. du Parc and your Communauto car, stuffed with goodies from the flea market, has run out of gas. How are you going to return to the Mile End? Just the thought of pushing the car up the hill make your knees quiver – I don’t care how fit you are this is not an option. Therefore hiring some extra muscle may be the way to go. It would take four or five beefy guys to accomplish the task, and it may take them the good part of an hour to get you there. If they’re nice, they may do it for free; but if you have to pay them any more than 28¢ each for their services you’ll be exceeding the price of a litre of gas. And for sure that litre of gas will get the job done in about five minutes, whether the traffic lights work in your favour or not.

So why do we gripe so much when it comes to the price of gas? Would it not be more progressive to accept that gasoline’s preciousness deserves to be reflected in the price we pay for it and the way we use it?

And let’s not forget that for every benefit of easy motoring, there is a drawback in the form of pollution and danger. So perhaps using gasoline is a necessary evil at best.

As an alternative to cars, bike trailers are pretty incredible. There is so much dead weight in the structure of a car that would make the task of pushing I described above very unmanageable. But a trailer and a bike are not encumbered by any superfluous trappings, and make the proposition of transporting at least the stuff from the flea market quite doable. Unfortunately in this case the car would remain at the bottom of the hill.

So allow me to close with this plug for a local business who will take on the arduous task of pedalling, and moving your stuff with no carbon footprint whatsoever.

http://www.demenagementmyette.ca/

There is also the Cycle Bird http://www.thecyclebird.com/, an eco-friendly courier company offering a variety of services in and around the island of Montreal.

image from http://www.thecyclebird.com/

Or you may also consider the option of buying your own cargo-hauling supplement. I have a Burley trailer, or you might like to buy a three-wheeled cart, like the depanneurs use.

Also worth looking at:

http://www.biketrailershop.com/catalog/index.php

…A commercial hub for several trailer manufacturers, where you’ll find an extensive comparison of some of the best designs for bike trailers.