It is well known that gasoline prices are rising everywhere in the world and this has a direct impact on our transportation choices. Gas prices are almost at $4 per gallo
n of regular and as gasoline prices continue to rise people are less likely to drive to their destinations. A new report from the American Public Transportation Association finds that $4 per-gallon gas prices could result in an additional 670 million public transit passenger trips. If pump prices jump to $5 a gallon, the report predicts an additional 1.5 billion passenger trips can be expected. (http://transportation.nationaljournal.com/2011/03/the-impact-of-high-gas-prices.php)
Gasoline prices are rising because it is becoming increasingly harder to find and drill for oil. The current transportation modes of choice are becoming more and more unsustainable and something must be done to curtail this trend. We need to invest more in alternative sources of energy and get our environmental record out of the gutter and back on track.
From what I hear, despite the “high” gas prices of $4/gallon, it is actually considered low, considering the amount of supply and demand of gasoline there are and the fact that gasoline-consuming cars can lead to negative consequences. I took two energy-related seminar classes with Prof. Hornfeck and he even insists that $4 is such a cheap price. Of course, it does look expensive to Americans since as recent as ten years ago, the gas prices were less than $2/gallon (it was common to pay close to $1.30-1.50/gallon). However, some places has higher gas prices. In Europe, the gas prices can hover around $10/gallon (USD). Also, despite the fact that nearly everything is cheaper in South Korea (including public transportation), gas prices are also relatively expensive (approx. 2000 Korean won per liter, which is approximately $7.20/gallon).