[stayathomedad]

the suv thing has gotten out of hand. we live in a city here, there are taxies, subways, buses. every business will deliver to you!!! you do not need a car!!! the streets are narrow, all one way with cars parked both sides all the way to the intersection. and then there are folks who still buy huge cars/trucks, and they never do anything 'real' with them but drive 5 miles to work, and spend most of their time at the jam on one of the tunnels and then they still have to pay for parking in manhattan....twice....where they live and where they work.
one of the points made was appropriate: poor allocation of personal income. but then if you can afford to pay for monthly parking twice around here where I live, then a 2 or 3 dollar gallon is nothing compared to your other bills.
I think that it will take a ten dollar gallon to make folks think about it....and then I go into the scrap metall business....

[PhilBiker]

SUVs are not moving like they used to. They are continuing to sell thanks to massive cash-back subsidies by the auto makers.

[Madpaddy]

Some sanity at last: Link

[smiley]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Jenab', 'I')n West Virginia's hills in the winter, motor travel requires 4x4 in four-low, traction tires, snow chains...and sometimes even that isn't enough to get you back up the hill to your house.
Remember the jagged-edged bluffs that Sheriff Tate (or a bear) would chase Sniffy Smith over in the old newspaper cartoon? That's about what the terrain looks like in places. The road up to my house has a steep part just east of here that the locals call "the hell climb." Not passable when snowy, except with traction-enhanced 4x4. When icy/slushy, it isn't passable at all.

[bentstrider]

This could be a tried and true tactic.
Those of us with small vehicles and motorcycles can get gas/diesel whenever we need to.
The whores and prissies rolling around in their Yukons and Expeditions will be severely limited by rationing caps.
This would also go for all those "macho-men" driving sports cars.

[khebab]

Why not, I think it is equivalent to gas rationing. Let'say 20 liters per family per month. It will push people to think twice before using their car.

[bentstrider]

At most, I only use 40 gallons a month in my Bronco II.
But thats just me. I also have to share the vehicle with my mom and my 16 year old brother.
One goes on pointless shopping excursions due to not being able to walk far distances, and the other is trying to feel macho.
I tell them about stuff like this, but one of these days, they're probably going to suffocate me if I don't shut-up

[MonteQuest]

Where's the link for this article?

[NeoPeasant]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('khebab', 'W')hy not, I think it is equivalent to gas rationing. Let'say 20 liters per family per month. It will push people to think twice before using their car.

[gg3]

Ask your brother which branch of the military he is planning to volunteer for. When he asks why, bring up the facts of life re. our overseas engagements on behalf of the illusion of unlimited petroleum. The just matter-of-factly go into the details of daily life in the service, choosing an MOS, learning how to work with people from all kinds of backgrounds, differentiating hostiles from innocents before pulling the trigger, waking up to incoming mortar rounds, dodging IEDs, and all the rest of it.
As far as gas stations refusing to sell gas to gas-guzzlers, the best way to handle that is to say, for example, "10 gallons maximum." That's enough to run a motorcycle of a hybrid for a solid week or more of heavy commuting, and a Hummer for maybe two days.

The first gas station that tries this is going to have to create a market incentive for people to buy gas in smaller quantities. Here's the angle:
"Gas-Kwik! No more waiting! Ten gallon limit, gas up & go!"
This will reward people who are using more efficient vehicles, and the gas guzzlers will tend to go to the station across the street, where they'll wait in a longer line to fill up their 30-gallon tanks, because all the people ahead of them are filling up *their own* 30-gallon tanks.
Hmm, this could be very interesting if it gets going.
See, this is the cool thing about free enterprise: You don't have to wait for government policy. You don't have to get a majority of the public to agree with you, all you need is enough customers that you can stay profitable, and that's a heck of a lot simpler to accomplish. If you're clever you can cause a decent ripple effect, even if you only have a small market share (think of Apple Computer).

So here we have something that any gas station owner could try. In financial terms it's replacing a smaller number of larger purchases with a larger number of smaller purchases, so it should be financially neutral. However it's possible that it could be more profitable, and one never knows until one tries. If it works, and it earns the same or more money, other gas stations would be more likely to try it. What happens beyond that point is anyone's guess.

[Specop_007]

I heard they did something like that in the 70's. Motorcycles could jump the line to fill up at the next available pump while cars had to wait in line

[JLK]

As I recall, some stations in the '70s (at least in NJ) hung yellow flags, which meant that you could only purchase a limited amount of gas, say $10 worth. This definitely favored smaller cars. A red flag meant out of gas, green flag meant all you could purchase.

[hymalaia]

The problem with this concept is it handicaps people who already own gas guzzlers, bought when gas was cheap. Boo hoo, you say? Maybe. But it's better that they drive them till they wear out rather than have them all go running to buy a more "fuel efficient" car. I'd rather my Dad keep driving his '98 SL500 Mercedes than dump it for a brand new Prius.

Maybe you could have something where older models get preference to cut in line at the "higher capacity" fill stations....

[savethehumans]

I'm thinking about buying a moped to go longer distances in town (our bus system is a disaster), so all of this sounds good to me!

First stations to sign up in my community get my business!

[larrydallas]

If a station did this they would have my business even if they charged a few more cents.

These days I am not that angered by SUV drivers. Back when gas was cheap I just used to hate how they never sped up merging from on-ramps, tapped the brakes for no reason, and too turns well below the marked speed when I am used to taking them at 30 mph over the marked speed.

I get a kick out of watching the SUV drivers fuel up. How stupid can you be?

[Specop_007]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('larrydallas', 'I')f a station did this they would have my business even if they charged a few more cents. ...
I get a kick out of watching the SUV drivers fuel up. How stupid can you be?

[Barbara]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I') drive it like I stole.

[Specop_007]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Barbara', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I') drive it like I stole.

[The_Virginian]

Hmm more SUV hate posts.
Dya ever wonder why moms who have kids drive big honkin' "trucks" (thats what SUV is classified under in Cafe standards)????
It's because they want to keep thier kids safer than in a Toyota. And no, your toyota with an "a" safty rating is not as good as a Chevy "Subdivision" because it's all "in its class" (vehicle size).
When the humongus gas guzzuling station wagons went out of favor (think a 77-78 caprice classic wagon!), the SUV's came into funny existance as "king of the road".
Many of you should also look up as to why consevation is not the long term answer, and may even be a short term folly.

[Specop_007]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('The_Virginian', 'H')mm more SUV hate posts. ... Many of you should also look up as to why consevation is not the long term answer, and may even be a short term folly.