The bright side: Gas is still under $4.40 a gallon

Just a note: I started publishing gas price photos back on April 25, when I passed the station pictured above, which is on Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica. At the time, regular was $4.09 a gallon. I drove by again today, and you see the result: up 30 cents in a month. It may not get your attention, but it's got mine.

Your thoughts? Comments? Upload your gas photos to the Pain at the Pump gallery in Your Scene at LATimes.com.

Comments

[IToldu2CashOut]

Good, keep going up. Maybe we'll get a better subway system, cleaner cars, and cleaner air. I hope it goes to $10.00.

[Fred]

If it goes to $10, the U.S. will collapse like the Soviet Union.

[Cal]

Saw this over on piggington, foreclosure garage sale:

http://colinahardluck.wordpress.com/

Advertising that everything goes (kitchen sink and cabinets too) before the bank takes possession.

[Laker]

Peter two thing,
1) "Gas is still under $4.40 a gallon" Only if you put regular...
2) It "only" went went up 30 cents, that's 7.3% per month or 88% annual...only....
I thought the FED said that inflation was last month 0.2%...

[Tim K.]

"Good, keep going up. Maybe we'll get a better subway system, cleaner cars, and cleaner air. I hope it goes to $10.00."

What makes you think that even if gas goes to $20 that we'll see any improvements on our subway system? If anything, what they will do is just raise the daily $5 pass to $20. All of that fuel is needed to expand the system - if it gets expensive, so will the cost of operating the buses and the trains.

LA is not going to get a better subway and mass transit system - the destinations are too randomly distributed for mass transit to work. Sadly, I think it's going to stay like this.

More likely what you will see is that electric vehicles will become more common, and so will mopeds. You will perhaps have cleaner cars and cleaner air, but the traffic will only get worse.

[LA]

Fred wrote: "If it goes to $10, the U.S. will collapse like the Soviet Union."

That's like comparing apples and vodka. The culture is exceedingly different here. The American Dream is all about innovation, adaptation, new ideas, new products, and work-arounds, often in pursuit of a buck or three.

We have PLENTY of alternatives to crude. The less whiny of us have already made better choices. Once we have some real leadership in this country, we can take bolder steps toward alternative energy sources and stop wasting $$$ on fighting over oil. Let's direct all that money and energy into what we do best - innovating.

$10 gas - bring it on! Imagine the possibilities!

[m]

The gasoline around my apartment in the East San Fernando Valley shot up 20 cents just in the last week. Considering I fill up once or twice a month, I thought I was making the smart choice by not filling up last weekend. Haha. I was wrong.

[yours truly, Johnny Dollar]

Why are you driving a vehicle that you are making payments on? And if you are, then stop complaining
about the price of fuel.
Drive a car that is paid for; then, no matter how much
fuel is, you are still ahead of the game.
PS: the federal government's profit on a gallon of
fuel is 11 cents; the oil company's profit on that same
gallon of fuel is 8 cents.
How much effort does it take the oil company to get its
8 cents? How much effort does it take the federal
government to get its 11 cents? Just who is the
bad guy here?

[Tim K.]

"$10 gas - bring it on! Imagine the possibilities!"

Do you seriously believe that companies like GM working on the Volt, and Tesla Motors are just sitting on their hands because it isn't economically viable? We have some very serious battery engineering problems with electric vehicles. We have some much bigger problems with hydrogen infrastructure. These problems are ALREADY economically viable to be solved with gas prices at TODAYS PRICES.

You will not accelerate the process of innovation by increasing the price of gas. Granted, you might decelerate it if gas suddenly went to $1 again. But a lot of technical innovation can't be solved by just "throwing more people at the problem." You probably have some vague notion that we're waiting for a breakthrough ala the Manhattan Project, and if we just find the right Einsteins and Oppenheimers we'd be on our way.

Wishing for $10 gas isn't going to bring about change. If you really want to do something, and actually have a good science background, you actually have to DO SOMETHING not just sit around hoping your Magical Market Forces will just conjure up a smart engineer who will decide it's worth his time to do it.

I can assure of this - if gas per gallon goes to say, $20 per gallon, what will happen is many jobs will simply empty out because minimum wage works will not bother to travel those distances anymore. We'll have a MUCH slower economy, and your electric cars/public transit will arrive, maybe after 50 years when our economy recovers after the smart engineers all move out of the area.

[yours truly, Johnny Dollar]

If you think the oil companies are ripping you off,
just read the back side of your credit card statements
and your phone bills.
(I've omitted reading your mortgage agreement).

[Tim K.]

One thing I can assure you of, if gas prices continue to climb - you will see a big increase in the theft of gas.

And no, your silly locking gas cap won't be able to stop people a thief with a screwdriver You will have to guard your car because young kids will be running around parking lots siphoning gas for profit. THAT will be the new growth and innovation, not cleaner cars.

[Steve]

Good, less likely Mcain will win.

[Jeremy R]

“What makes you think that even if gas goes to $20 that we'll see any improvements on our subway system? If anything, what they will do is just raise the daily $5 pass to $20. All of that fuel is needed to expand the system - if it gets expensive, so will the cost of operating the buses and the trains.”

Actually, construction expends less fuel than all of LA driving for a day. It is a drop in the bucket. New buses are hyrbrids than run on biofuels and natural gas. It has far less to do with the price of crude. As more people ride the bus, the more profitable buses will be because more fairs will be taken. All in all, the price of typical gasoline will have a dramatic effect on single passenger cars, not mass transit. Subways use electricity.

“LA is not going to get a better subway and mass transit system - the destinations are too randomly distributed for mass transit to work. Sadly, I think it's going to stay like this”

Sure it is. The mass transit today is far better than 15 years ago. It continues to get better. Please visit the metro map for its long range plan. Sure it is 30 years in the making, but if gas hits $10, it will go from a 30 year plan, to an 8 year plan.

“More likely what you will see is that electric vehicles will become more common, and so will mopeds. You will perhaps have cleaner cars and cleaner air, but the traffic will only get worse.”

Even though I want LA’s transit to expand, I think forcing carpools, freeway tolls, congestion pricing on surface streets, and electric cars will have to do a huge part in solving LA’s traffic problems. I envision 35% of daily commutes being served by transit if gas and density continues to increase, so though other 65% will have to be served by electric cars.

[mike]

i factor 10 dollar fuel into my expenses. that should keep me in the black for 1-2 years. i also got a job close to home and drive a used paid for piece of s$%^#it FOUR cylinder automobile. i eat beans and rice and chicken. no steaks or any other good food. i am able to do the one thing i like which is ride dirt bikes. we are joining up with the rest of the world or they are joining up with us. we will survive just like europe has on 10 dollar fuel. we will NOT be wealthy like we have in the past 200 years and that is what everyone is up in arms about. we have to act like the rest of the world. i am not happy about it either but that is the way it goes. besides there are probably alternative fuels avilable but the big guys will not release them until gasoline becomes unprofitable. the best thing is that america is still the best place to be on the cutting edge of new technologies so when they do become avilable..........

[Tim K.]

Here's the thing mike - YOU are able to make those sacrifices because you are already here.

But many folks have to make a rational decision about whether to MOVE here. Many of those folks are recent college graduates, and many of them are offered their first job in someplace other than Los Angeles. Many more of them will not want to make that sacrifice, since they can do better elsewhere.

Jeremy R - I would like to think carpooling will be part of the solution but as someone who had a nearly perfect carpool situation, it doesn't work out unless you have identical work schedules, an accomodating work environment, and be willing to add about 20% to your commute time. I also have lived in Los Angeles for the last 45 years and as much as the Metro maps look like they've improved dramatically, it pales compared to what's needed. Even the London Underground does not help with their traffic congestion problems, and we are nowhere near that level of track mileage.

[David]

I like the higher gas prices. I am waiting in traffic a lot less the past few weeks. I am looking forward to $5 gas and the lightened traffic it will bring.

[jb]

I predict $5 gas this summer..... that will magically drop to $3 during the election.