Snowed in, Vienna looks just like its version in "Amadeus"... <3

[max_und_moritz]

Gallon of gas costs 3.21 $ in the USA (Source: CNN. Worksafe.)

So... what´s their problem, exactly? Because:

1 gallon [US, liquid] = 3.8 liter
3.8 x 1.27 Euro/liter = 4.826 Euro/gallon
4.826 Euro/gallon = 7.04607 USD/gallon here

Comments

[silent_ic_river]

It's not so much the cost, as that a year ago we were shocked to be passing $2/gallon, now here we are seeing $3+/gallon. Most Americans realize we've had our fuel subsidized for ages now and we still aren't paying our fair share. Here's the thing, most Americans live somewhere that getting from home to work cannot be done except by car. Oh, sure, there may be some form of bus service, but it's unreliable, dirty and expensive. I cannot send my children to school via bus, it's just not possible. We don't have any sort of public transportation on our island. You can't get from our island to anywhere, there are no buses, none at all. We've a group of folks who are trying to out law golf carts here on island, and that is so many kinds of stupid, I can't tell you. The public school will not release children in Kindergarten, 1st or 2nd grade to walk home alone, a parent must come collect them. If you want to pick your child up on time you must go into the car pool line and wait, motor running. If you walk your child will be

[max_und_moritz]

I see, thank you so much for explaining! Then it´s like heating gas here, subsidised for decades by the Soviet Union (main gas producer) to all its "satellite" nations (currently, only Belarus, Russian´s bosom-buddy, enjoys such preferential rates, though they also have had to pay more lately).

Oh yes, you do have a problem there if there´s no public transport at all (especially in case of an emergency) - I had no idea you can´t let children go home alone, though I guess safety is the top priority, especially in traffic-heavy areas :/

80 USD a *week* just to drive your children to school? That´s outrageous... :( what about hiring a small old van and a different parent fetches on a fixed day a week all the children living in your neighbourhood, and you share gas and leasing costs among all of you (and save lots of time)...?

[silent_ic_river]

Yes, gas, roads, cars, etc., have all been subsidized for ages now. Perfectly good bus and trolley systems have been taken out of cities to increase car traffic. In huge cities, like San Francisco and New York, you can get around by bus and train just fine, however, most people have to drive to get from their homes to the train stations, the feeder bus service only works during the heaviest commute hours

[max_und_moritz]

Oh dear... it´s amazing how different national perceptions of what´s convenient (or not!) can vary so much! Here public transport (and school buses) are considered extremely safe, and most parents send off their kids to school either with the school bus, or train or else the provincial bus. Maybe it´s because in the (long) winter private cars have no guarantee they´ll arrive in time for school, but school buses are perfectly equipped to deal with snowed roads, black ice, etc., so they arrive in time no matter what

[silent_ic_river]

In the US buses are for the poor (well, that depends on what city you live in, clearly in SF or DC or NYC that's not the case, everyone uses public transit). Public transit also tends to be used more in cities with weather issues (or, you get cities like Detroit or Minneapolis, where you can use 'habit trails' to cross the city). Some cities, like Phoenix or here in Charleston, where the topography is flat and the weather is very, very hot, you get an increase in bus traffic in the summer and thankfully all buses have bike racks on the front. However, bus driver often will not stop for bike riders because they don't want to deal with the time spent getting the bikes on and off (and don't get me started on bus drivers leaving wheelchair bound people behind, I become a seething mass of rage on that one