We Run on Gasoline

Or, here is my stupid gas story from this weekend.

Last Friday morning, I get a call from my dad right after I get into work. One of his good friends does something with propane (maybe a supplier? I'm unclear) and that good friend has a fleet of trucks (he must be a supplier) and he's already being quoted gas at some ungodly price.

So my father advises me to get gas before Ike hits. I tell the aforementioned dad that I'm on the scooter, but I've already heard similar stories on the radio, so when I get home, I'll fill up the car.

I'm like a boy scout: I like to be prepared.

Friday evening, I get home and head to the gas station a block from my house. It's still got a great price on the sign and is surprisingly empty. And then I realize that's because all its gas is gone.

The station across the street is already a teeming, sprawling madhouse, so I head down the street aways to another station. The price seems reasonable and though there's an accident right in front of this gas station, it doesn't seem too terribly busy.

So I pull in and wait. It's going slow because an inordinate amount of people are having to prepay inside and I almost leave. Then I see other people swiping their credit cards outside like nothing's wrong. I stay.

Finally I get up to a pump and realize that this particular one has a broken screen. I'm feeling invested at this point (and it's not like it's going to be better anywhere else) so I go inside and prepay $30 worth and hope that amount will get me enough gas but not too much (I had more than a quarter of a tank at the time).

I get back to the pump and put the 89 nozzle in my gas tank. Nothing happens.

I go for the 91 nozzle. Still nothing (except I begin to curse like a sailor).

I try the 93, which is over $4 a gallon. But then again, I've already pre-paid so what am I going to do about it? There's a tense moment when I think that is gone, too, but it slowly lurches to life and I get a few precious gallons.

Not that I'm happy about it.

The AP is reporting that gasoline prices went up to $5 a gallon in some places because of the fear of gas supply shortages and a disruption in fuel production.

It's a self-fulfilling prophecy: People hear there is going to be a run on gas, so there's a run on gas. And we're so dependent on it; of course a legitimate fear about supply disruption is going to cause mass panic.

I'm just glad I wasn't one of those people filling up extra gas cans. (Of course, if Ike had done more damage, maybe I would be upset that I wasn't one of those people.)

Today's my carpool day, but tomorrow I'm back to the scooter.

Small Town Blues

In recent weeks, there's been a lot of talk about how higher gas prices might promote a shift of people migrating back to core cities from the suburbs.

The Kansas City Star had a story recently about how higher gas prices might also harm small town America.

From the story:

"For thousands of small-town residents across the country who drive long distances to jobs that pay little more than minimum wage, the high cost of gas is making that daily commute cost-prohibitive.

So much so that economists predict that over the next few years, the country could see a migration that would greatly reduce the population of Small Town America — resulting in a painful shift away from lifestyle, family roots, traditions and school ties."

I don't know about the painful shift, but I know that for my parents, the price of gas has actually meant spending more of their income in their teeny, tiny west Texas town (of course, they actually work in the town in which they live). The closest mall to them is about 50 miles away in Abilene, but their town has a few shops, a two-screen, double-decker movie theater, and a McDonald's.

A few years ago, they would drive to Abilene about once a week to buy groceries. It was kind of a trek, but it was worth it for the savings. Now, with the cost of gas, they're opting to buy from their local grocery store.

So, in at least one respect, it seems like high gas prices would be beneficial to small town America.

Transit talk

Well, I have to take slight exception to a piece in Grist today. The website reported that ridership on public trans is up, but that no one is talking about how to make the system better.

Public transit ridership in 2007 was at its highest level in 50 years and, so far, usage is up more than 3 percent from last year.

From the story: "The ceaseless climb of oil prices, the growing financial toll of congestion, and the looming cataclysm of global climate change have not yet shaken the men and women entrusted with the care of our infrastructure to act -- or moved politicians, the press, and the public to demand action. Why can we not bring ourselves to speak of the need for better transit?

This failure to speak, to act, represents a huge missed opportunity. Overall, the transportation sector, including cars, is responsible for roughly a third of the nation's energy use and carbon emissions. Department of Energy statistics show that, per passenger-mile, rail transit is substantially greener and less energy-hungry than an automobile -- and as transit use increases, systems grow ever more efficient."

But I think more people are talking about public transit, for the exact same reason that more people are using it. They are looking for options to higher gas prices. Of course, those people may not be the same ones who are in a position to actually improve the system ... but people are talking. Maybe it just hasn't reached critical mass yet.

So here's a question (with a nod to "Dump the Pump" day on the 19th): What would make local public transportation more attractive?

suburban stuck update

Today, the NYT has reaction to Paul Krugman's "Stranded In Suburbia" column (referenced here on the 19th).

Like usual, some people agree; some don't. Just thought I'd point out that one of the letters to the editor is from former Memphian and CEOs for Cities pres Carol Coletta.

gas and geography

In the NYT today, Paul Krugman says he sees the future.

He's in Berlin, and he's talking about a future where people own more fuel-efficient cars and drive them less, because they live in a place where they don't have to:

"To see what I’m talking about, consider where I am at the moment: in a pleasant, middle-class neighborhood consisting mainly of four- or five-story apartment buildings, with easy access to public transit and plenty of local shopping.

It’s the kind of neighborhood in which people don’t have to drive a lot, but it’s also a kind of neighborhood that barely exists in America, even in big metropolitan areas. Greater Atlanta has roughly the same population as Greater Berlin — but Berlin is a city of trains, buses and bikes, while Atlanta is a city of cars, cars and cars."

And Atlantan soccer moms behind the wheel, cursing every minute of it.

I mention that because what Krugman is talking about is a huge cultural shift, one that will only happen as individuals change their behavior. And sometimes those take time to build critical mass. But if there's any group that can enact a cultural shift, it may be soccer moms.

Suburban Shrink

So I've been playing with the idea of moving recently. I love my house, love everything about it, except for one thing ... its location. (I know! First rule of real estate!)

I still love the actual neighborhood and the physical surroundings, but the morning and evening commutes are annoying, and getting more annoying as they get costlier.

When I first started looking for a house several years ago, I quickly realized I couldn't afford to buy in Midtown (what a surprise that was!) without buying a huge dog. Or two. All the houses in my price range were either next to meth labs or were meth labs.

Now I'm wondering if it wouldn't be better to move closer to the core city, meth labs and all. So I was interested to see this BusinessWeek Q&A with author James Howard Kunstler about how the oil crisis could mean an end to suburbia.

"Given the supply constraints, he says the U.S. will have to rethink suburban sprawl, bringing an end to strip malls, big-box stores, and other trappings of the automotive era. Kunstler, 59, predicts a return to towns and cities centered around a retail hub."

Kunstler thinks that we'll be in serious trouble within the next five years. Of course, the article notes that Kunstler predicted a Y2K meltdown, as well, so it might be he's just a doomsday-er.

But Kunstler's not the only one. Unless he was sitting in the booth behind me last night at The Cove, this is exactly what people are thinking and talking about.