"We are much better equipped than the U.S. to deal with higher prices and a more volatile market because we are so much less oil intensive than you are," said Noel, who bikes to work.
Europe generally has far better public transportation than the United States, with workers in countries like Britain, Belgium and France packing morning commuter trains and subways. Transportation planning increasingly factors in bike lanes, and more innovative mayors like those in Paris and London are designing schemes to facilitate alternative transport - and to make driving an ever more arduous option.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
$8 Dollar a Gallon Gas
In Europe. They've known about how to deal with high gas taxes for a long time. Even so some are feeling the pinch, but most have alternatives. Here is an article from the San Francisco Chronicle discussing the issue:
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3 comments:
The most concrete thing that article says about trains is that "Sweden put its first bio-gas train into service in 2005."
Never mind the fact that over 60% of Sweden's railways are electrified, and probably an even higher percentage of trains are electric. In Switzerland, this number is pretty much 100%. Coincidentally, both countries get almost all their electricity from hydro and nuclear, for a truly carbon-neutral transportation system.
$8 a gallon would mean more if Europeans earned their salaries in dollars. I'm not saying they aren't paying more lately, but to convert the figure into dollars is misleading and perhaps a sensationalistic method to sell papers.
Wholesale oil is priced in dollars, not in Euros. European gas prices are generally double what they are here, despite the difference in exchange rates.
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