High gas prices have been discussed ad nauseum by our news media and it has been the topic of many water cooler conversations. To all those holding on to some hope that gas prices will return to their old levels, the world may just leave you behind. The fact is gas prices will probably never go back to their old levels. The world is changing; with 1/3 of the world’s population (China and India) suddenly moving from their bicycles and ‘two-wheelers’ to driving cars. The increased demand for gas will prevent gas prices from ever dropping to past levels. Instead of looking back, let’s look at different responses to the situation. The Rocket Riders These are the people who raged at the gas prices and decided they didn’t need a car. TTC fares haven’t gone up nearly as much as gas prices. Save yourself hundreds by ditching the car and insurance and travelling ‘The Better Way,’ The New Elitists Hybrid cars are all the rage, with governments giving rebates or subsidies for hybrid car purchases. Hybrid cars have definitely come a long way from their predecessors and provide great fuel-efficiency. The tree-huggers ditched their old gas guzzlers and moved to hybrids. They now look down their nose at all those who don’t drive hybrids and have formed the self-proclaimed car elite. The Early Adopters While hybrid cars are popular now, we all know it’s simply a transition model to a fully electric car. And we’ve now started to see fully electric cars on the market. This not only saves on gas, but saves the environment with no emissions. Now the question to all the electric car owners is, ‘where do you charge your car and what does your electricity bill look like?’ The Fitness Freaks Yes, there are those amongst us who bicycle or walk wherever they need to go. This is great since it not only takes you from point A to point B, but helps lose that cage as well. This group is growing substantially as we’re seeing more and more bicycle lanes being thrown down throughout the city. The Old School These are the people who still drive gas cars. The tried and true method of saving money on gas apply here: car pooling is a great way to reduce gas costs. Other ways include finding as well as shopping and nights out closer to home. Keep your car properly maintained to ensure it runs efficiently to maximize gas mileage.
We’ve all started to make concessions regarding gas prices and in the end it all boils down to how we respond to it in the long run. Gas cars do not have a future and we’ll all need to move away from them sooner or later. When that time comes, which camp will you fall into? – Suren Srinivasamoorthy