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LA Times: U.S. Love Affair With The Car Ending



 
 
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  #11  
Old January 26th, 2007, 08:05 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada,ba.transportation,misc.transport.urban-transit
Dave Smith
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Posts: 655
Default LA Times: U.S. Love Affair With The Car Ending

Calif Bill wrote:

What the government should do is to set the price of fuel higher for the
vehicles that have higher fuel consumption. In some ways they are doing
this, with the tax credits for hybrids, but they should extend it to all
vehicles with MPG ratings of 40 or higher, and make it a recurring tax
credit, not a one time thing.


Screw the people who need a bigger vehicle for business, or a larger family
or have to tow something. Buy a 40 mpg vehicle and you save on gas costs
over a 20 mpg vehicle. That should be enough incentive.


I have heard a number of comments from people that if you can afford the
big gas guzzling luxury SUV you can afford the extra gas. Fine, then tax
the hell out of them. If they can afford the big SUV and all the extra gas
it consumes they can afford to pay a ****load of tax. Meanwhile, make
parking spots smaller and levy fines against those who take up more an one
space. Pay lots can charge double for larger vehicles.
  #12  
Old January 26th, 2007, 10:27 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada,ba.transportation,misc.transport.urban-transit
AZ Nomad
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Posts: 140
Default LA Times: U.S. Love Affair With The Car Ending

On Fri, 26 Jan 2007 12:10:21 -0600, James Robinson wrote:


The problem with the EPA highway estimate is that it is based on a speed
profile that assumes the average speed is 48 mph, and doesn't go above 60
mph at any point. It is therefore completely useless when comparing
vehicles at the speeds seen on interstates.


That made sense back in the days of the 55 NSL. The tests are being revamped
starting in 2008 and will include more high acceleration high speed testing.
  #13  
Old January 26th, 2007, 11:04 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada,ba.transportation,misc.transport.urban-transit
Keith Keller
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Default LA Times: U.S. Love Affair With The Car Ending

On 2007-01-26, James Robinson wrote:

"SMS" wrote:

A Toyota Corolla driven at 65 mpg gets better highway mpg than a
Prius driven at the same speed, without all the environmental issues.


The problem with the EPA highway estimate is that it is based on a speed
profile that assumes the average speed is 48 mph, and doesn't go above 60
mph at any point. It is therefore completely useless when comparing
vehicles at the speeds seen on interstates.


The site http://www.greenhybrid.com hosts comparisons which claim to
be real-life users entering their actual mileage. Obviously there's
no way to substantiate any of the mileage claims, but I guess for
the most part it's relatively accurate.

I routinely drive at or near 60mph, and we're getting approximately
48mpg in our 2005 Prius after 18 months. I can't imagine we'd get
anywhere near that kind of mileage in any comparably-sized automatic
car currently available in the US. (Part of the problem in our
situation is the EPA estimate of 60mpg city, which in San Francisco
is all but a cruel joke.)

--keith

--

(try just my userid to email me)
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  #14  
Old January 27th, 2007, 06:23 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada,ba.transportation,misc.transport.urban-transit
Jack May
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Posts: 71
Default LA Times: U.S. Love Affair With The Car Ending


"Beavis and Butt-Head" wrote in message
ups.com...

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...home-headlines


In this story the entire trend is a story about what a couple of individuals
are doing. Not exactly a predictor of anything.


  #15  
Old January 27th, 2007, 06:31 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada,ba.transportation,misc.transport.urban-transit
Jack May
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Posts: 71
Default LA Times: U.S. Love Affair With The Car Ending


"SMS" wrote in message
...
Calif Bill wrote:


Actually what needs to be done is to find ways to encourage people to
leave the SUV or mini-van at home, and use a smaller vehicle for
commuting, and use the larger vehicle only when necessary.


For people where the cost of gas is significant, the vehicle use will be
self correcting. For higher income people, the cost of gas is not
significant.

The last thing we need is a bunch of idiot legislators writing simple minded
behavior rules for a complex society.



  #16  
Old January 27th, 2007, 07:56 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada,ba.transportation,misc.transport.urban-transit
SMS
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Posts: 899
Default LA Times: U.S. Love Affair With The Car Ending

Calif Bill wrote:

Screw the people who need a bigger vehicle for business, or a larger family
or have to tow something. Buy a 40 mpg vehicle and you save on gas costs
over a 20 mpg vehicle. That should be enough incentive.


Actually what needs to be done is to find ways to encourage people to
leave the SUV or mini-van at home, and use a smaller vehicle for
commuting, and use the larger vehicle only when necessary.
Unfortunately, besides the initial cost of the vehicle, there are the
recurring costs of the extra insurance, extra licensing, etc., so unless
you have a really long commute it never makes sense to buy the commute car.

If not for being able to use the carpool lane with a hybrid, few people
would be buying them, as financially and environmentally they make no sense.
  #17  
Old January 27th, 2007, 07:59 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada,ba.transportation,misc.transport.urban-transit
SMS
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Posts: 899
Default LA Times: U.S. Love Affair With The Car Ending

Bob Gardner wrote:
I was bemused by the mention of hybrids in the president's speech....when
you cut off the tax benefit after only 60,000 cars have been sold, you're
not doing too much to help.


The tax benefit should be based on the actual mpg, not whether or not
the vehicle has some batteries in the power train.

A Toyota Corolla driven at 65 mpg gets better highway mpg than a Prius
driven at the same speed, without all the environmental issues.
  #18  
Old January 29th, 2007, 05:38 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada,ba.transportation,misc.transport.urban-transit
RJ
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Posts: 26
Default LA Times: U.S. Love Affair With The Car Ending

On Mon, 29 Jan 2007 07:14:42 -0800, Scott en Aztlán
wrote:

SMS said in misc.transport.urban-transit:

Actually what needs to be done is to find ways to encourage people to
leave the SUV or mini-van at home, and use a smaller vehicle for
commuting, and use the larger vehicle only when necessary.


Or, better still, use public transit for commuting, and *rent* the SUV
when you actually need one.


The major rental companies will not let you take even a 4x4 SUV off
paved roads. So if that's what you want an SUV to do, you have a
problem
  #19  
Old January 29th, 2007, 06:10 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada,ba.transportation,misc.transport.urban-transit
Bolwerk
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Posts: 87
Default LA Times: U.S. Love Affair With The Car Ending

Jack May wrote:
"SMS" wrote in message
...
Calif Bill wrote:


Actually what needs to be done is to find ways to encourage people to
leave the SUV or mini-van at home, and use a smaller vehicle for
commuting, and use the larger vehicle only when necessary.


For people where the cost of gas is significant, the vehicle use will be
self correcting. For higher income people, the cost of gas is not
significant.


Good thing at least *some* people recognize that public policy shouldn't
be overly concerned with the desires of "higher income people."

If gasoline goes up to $6/gallon, you can be assured that people will
suddenly be concerned about it unless they're "higher income" to the
point of being independently wealthy.

The last thing we need is a bunch of idiot legislators writing simple minded
behavior rules for a complex society.


They already did that. That's how we ended up with so many highways in
the first place.
  #20  
Old January 29th, 2007, 08:59 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada,ba.transportation,misc.transport.urban-transit
Jamie Brinkoeter
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Posts: 19
Default LA Times: U.S. Love Affair With The Car Ending


"Scott en Aztlán" wrote in message
...
SMS said in misc.transport.urban-transit:

Actually what needs to be done is to find ways to encourage people to
leave the SUV or mini-van at home, and use a smaller vehicle for
commuting, and use the larger vehicle only when necessary.


Or, better still, use public transit for commuting, and *rent* the SUV
when you actually need one.



You have to live somewhere that actually *has* public transit to use it.


 




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