In southern Ontario, gasoline now sells for $1.25 a litre, the equivalent of $5 a U.S.gallon - that's five bucks a gallon.
I used to cycle a long way into work for office bragging rights as well as for the conditioning and one small gesture for better air quality. But now there's a bigger incentive: to try and make a tank of gas last two weeks. And it would seem I'm not alone. There have been reports that bicycle shops in the Toronto area are turning away business because of a rush on sales and tuneups, as sticker shock at the pumps moves people to look for alternatives.
And, yet, it's still pretty lonely out there on the cycle commute: I'm still lost in a sea of cars; I pass, or get passed by, just a handful of cyclists over a 15-mile ride. Guess we really are addicted to our cars, expensive gas be damned.
What will it take?

They must have all moved to DC, I have never seen so many crazies on bikes.

For most people, it's too hard to ride a bike more than around the block, more than once a week.
As gas prices go up, people spend more time in front of the TV. (if that's possible)

I've noticed the same thing in NC. Although local TV and newspapers have run articles about bike commuting and increases in bike sales, I'm not seeing anyone else commuting on my route. Several people have talked to me about it, though. Maybe some of them will venture out during Bike to Work Week.

In southern Ontario, gasoline now sells for $1.25 a litre, the equivalent of $5 a U.S.gallon - that's five bucks a gallon.
I used to cycle a long way into work for office bragging rights as well as for the conditioning and one small gesture for better air quality. But now there's a bigger incentive: to try and make a tank of gas last two weeks. And it would seem I'm not alone. There have been reports that bicycle shops in the Toronto area are turning away business because of a rush on sales and tuneups, as sticker shock at the pumps moves people to look for alternatives.
And, yet, it's still pretty lonely out there on the cycle commute: I'm still lost in a sea of cars; I pass, or get passed by, just a handful of cyclists over a 15-mile ride. Guess we really are addicted to our cars, expensive gas be damned.
What will it take?

I laugh at people in Ontario complaining about the cost of gas.

I just paid $1.42 per litre and I live a LOT closer to the actual oil than anyone in Ontario.

...one of the local TV stations "reported" on it. I fully expect that we will see a rash of cycling-related injury reports, as "new" riders hone their skills on the street, which as you know can be a very unforgiving place even for a seasoned cyclist.

I laugh at people in Ontario .
You must be in Alberta - you're not freezing yourself in the dark now are you?

I think when I lived in Hong Kong about 5 years ago gas was quiv to like $6 a gallon. I think I must have only knew 3 cyclists the whole 6 years I lived there.

In Europe gasoline is more like $ 8-9 per gallon. People over there are usually drive more fuel efficient cars, no fat as* gas gussling trucks and SUVs like they do here in the USA. :mad2:

OT- who is going to see "Gashole"?

On the days I ride the bike to work, I'm lucky if I see one other commuter. Maybe it's the early hour (6:00 AM) that I leave, or the fact that I'm an exception in the area that I live and don't have a high six figure or seven figure salary to be able to fill up my gas guzzling Hummer, Yukon, Escalade or Maserati or Lamborghini to drive to the train station for my trip into NYC. Most people who you see at the gas station are paying with plastic and not cash, are they all using debit cards, or credit cards, one wonders why the countries economy is in shambles when most people have to overextend themselves with credit cards just to get the basic necessities. I'm not saying gas for the car is a basic necessity, unless it's the only way to get to work. At least the option of riding my bike is available to help keep my familys gas bill manageable.

Where I am, the price of gas does not phase most people. They are making a good buck and would never seek alternative methods of transport. I've been predicting they might take notice when gas gets to $10-$15 range.

Right around a thousand people work at my office. Other than me, I know of 2 others that commute regularly, and one of them is a starving college intern without a car. There are three more who commute occasionally. So being generous, 6 out of a 1000. Everyone complains about gas and being out of shape and overweight, yet I am the "crazy guy" who rides rain or shine. To be fair, the winters here make it tough to commute by bike, but 8 to 9 months out of the year its really not a problem.

With a few exceptions, how and where people conduct their lives in North America is completely linked to the buying, licensing, maintaining and use of an automobile. To think that bicycle commuting will ever become the norm in such an environment is akin to thinking that birds will dive into the sea and start swimming to their destinations instead of flying. :D

With a few exceptions, how and where people conduct their lives in North America is completely linked to the buying, licensing, maintaining and use of an automobile. To think that bicycle commuting will ever become the norm in such an environment is akin to thinking that birds will dive into the sea and start swimming to their destinations instead of flying. :D

++++++++1

The US as we see it today is totally built around the automobile. Many of today's retirees and soon-to-be retirees are counting on the auto industry to pay their way of life for the rest of their lives! Cars are everything. I don't foresee a day when bicycles dominate the world. Even if gas was 20 bucks a gallon we'd still be driving, and perhaps just as much! The cars would be different, and habits might change, but cars are here to stay. But cycling has always been an alternative, and many more might start to use it, not for economic reasons only, but for environmental reasons. I like to think when I bike commute that others can see it and wish they could. Maybe it inspires someone else to. Most likely, it just pisses 'em off and they wish they could run me over.....

In Europe gasoline is more like $ 8-9 per gallon. People over there are usually drive more fuel efficient cars, no fat as* gas gussling trucks and SUVs like they do here in the USA. :mad2:

They pay $9 a gallon; technically, though, they pay $7 a gallon because they pay a $2 tax that is included in the price.

With a few exceptions, how and where people conduct their lives in North America is completely linked to the buying, licensing, maintaining and use of an automobile. To think that bicycle commuting will ever become the norm in such an environment is akin to thinking that birds will dive into the sea and start swimming to their destinations instead of flying. :D

Wow this could not have been better illustrated by the lunch I just went to with my co-workers. The discussion got to alternate forms of transportation, because everyone is feeling the gas price pinch. The options discussed consisted of carpooling, buses, and motorcycles. I said something about cycling, it got a few chuckles, then back to the idea of carpooling. Cycling is just not even a remote possibility for these people. I'm not saying cycling is the only answer; carpooling and other options are good too, its just that its seems to be a NON answer for almost everyone I know.

apparently cycle to work:

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=c9d4ccd4-de55-4faa-ad00-19e24f595420

I have certainly noticed an increase over the last little while. I see lots of cyclists on my commute and have really noticed an increase in the number of bikes parked outside the bars and restaurants in my neighbourhood.

The numbers are much less in the suburbs though.

Gas is $1.37/liter for regular gas here in Vancouver Canada. And news said there will be a $0.25 increase by this weekend. So I guess it will be $1.56 by Monday

1.89/Litre in NZ. Consider yourselves lucky! Nevertheless, keep riding

Oh man, you guys are whinny :) . We pay the equivalent of 2.17 Can / litre here in Sweden. Fuel has always been, and always will be, more expensive here than anywhere in North America.

Oh man, you guys are whinny :) . We pay the equivalent of 2.17 Can / litre here in Sweden. Fuel has always been, and always will be, more expensive here than anywhere in North America.

Yea, but you could probably park your car for weeks and take decent public transportation to wherever you need to go. :) In North America, government on all levels has pretty much managed to shift the transportation of people onto the back of the private citizen. No car, no job.

As an aside, bicycle commuting in Europe isn't a good model for most of North America. Almost all bicycle commuting distances in Europe are less than 2 miles one-way. If you'd ride your bike 10 or 15 miles one-way to work in Holland or Germany, people would think you're, well, a little odd. Just like they do here. :D

As an aside, bicycle commuting in Europe isn't a good model for most of North America. Almost all bicycle commuting distances in Europe are less than 2 miles one-way. If you'd ride your bike 10 or 15 miles one-way to work in Holland or Germany, people would think you're, well, a little odd. Just like they do here. :D

2 miles?? You have to be joking. Have you ever lived and worked in Stockholm? Berlin? London? A lot of people commute to work, and believe me, it's longer than 2 miles. All I was pointing out was the price of fuel. You don't have to tell me about North America, I come from a Canadian city of 3 million people and commuted 15 miles each way for years - many people do.

2 miles?? You have to be joking. Have you ever lived and worked in Stockholm? Berlin? London? A lot of people commute to work, and believe me, it's longer than 2 miles. All I was pointing out was the price of fuel. You don't have to tell me about North America, I come from a Canadian city of 3 million people and commuted 15 miles each way for years - many people do.

Never Stockholm or London, but I lived in Berlin-Siemensstadt from 1974-80 and cycled to the Siemens Dynamowerk and back—about 1.5 km/1 mile one way. Can't recall anyone cycling to work for much more than 3 km/2 miles. Why would they, with decent public transportation? Perhaps times have changed.

Never said people don't cycle to work 15 miles one way. My point was that very few (certainly not many) both in Europe and North America cycle that far to work and back compared to those who drive or use public transportation.

/w

I used to ride to work only 1-2x/week when I lived 5 miles from work. Now I live 0.5 mile, I ride every day (only exception is heavy rain). My car gets filled up once/month. It's nice to not care about how much gas price is.

1.60 a liter here (just went up about 30 cents per liter on May 1 due to a new gas tax). Scads of people use public transit as well as bikes to get to work but everything is much more centralized here. No the usual commutes from the 'burbs. Used to live in Vancouver and there isa good commuting ethic there but I think it goes out the window when the skies open up for the winter monsoon season.

Takmanjapan

I hate the thought of paying $1.25/L for gas, but commuting by bike isn't the answer for me....Not yet anyway...

There's a few reasons why I don't commute at this point. One is the filth factor, my office doesn't have any shower facilities and I hate that grungy feeling I have to deal with all day. I know I can use the washroom and use a wet facecloth and such, but it just doesn't cut it for me. The second and more important reason is that I'm one of the lucky guys who has a wife who cycles...And I mean cycles. She rides right alongside me and we push each other to achieve the next level. Commuting by bike will seriously cut into our time together. My commute to work is about 26km one way and if I did that daily there was no way we could do after work rides together. At this point the cost of a tank of gas isn't worth missing that time out on the road with her.

Of course that will change at some point....I just haven't figured it out yet...

1.60 a liter here (just went up about 30 cents per liter on May 1 due to a new gas tax). Scads of people use public transit as well as bikes to get to work but everything is much more centralized here. No the usual commutes from the 'burbs. Used to live in Vancouver and there isa good commuting ethic there but I think it goes out the window when the skies open up for the winter monsoon season.

Takmanjapan

Interesting. I was trying to dig up some bicycle commiting statistics for Germany last night. Apparently, 7% of the workforce commutes by bicycle now. Almost all of these ride under 10 km one-way. The number of cyclists riding 10 km or more is reported as "statistically insignificant." I bike-commuted in Germany from 1974-80 and (as I said in a previous post) didn't think that anyone rode much more than 2 miles one-way. Perhaps that's changed, but I can't know from the "under 10 km" figure. I wonder how Japan compares to Germany?

In southern Ontario, gasoline now sells for $1.25 a litre, the equivalent of $5 a U.S.gallon - that's five bucks a gallon.
I used to cycle a long way into work for office bragging rights as well as for the conditioning and one small gesture for better air quality. But now there's a bigger incentive: to try and make a tank of gas last two weeks. And it would seem I'm not alone. There have been reports that bicycle shops in the Toronto area are turning away business because of a rush on sales and tuneups, as sticker shock at the pumps moves people to look for alternatives.
And, yet, it's still pretty lonely out there on the cycle commute: I'm still lost in a sea of cars; I pass, or get passed by, just a handful of cyclists over a 15-mile ride. Guess we really are addicted to our cars, expensive gas be damned.
What will it take?

People in S Ontario all pretend to be green when it comes to national politics. in reality they own more big gas suckin SUVs than the rest of the country.:eek:

the filth factor, my office doesn't have any shower facilities ...

I hear you, pal. My office does have a shower but when I use it, I feel like I'm in a Petri dish, it's so filthy. That's probably a big issue, especially in summer when you can't help but work up a sweat on the commute.
(And consider yourself lucky that you're attached to someone who can hammer.)