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The Forum > Article Comments > Why is petrol so expensive? > Comments

Why is petrol so expensive? : Comments

By John Mathews, published 8/8/2006

Australia, as a member of the 'Coalition of the Willing', cannot escape the consequences of its actions in Iraq - rising oil prices.

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Bazz, what I'm saying is there's no chance of having a real public transport system in any of our big cities...so people need to give up the fantasy of public transport in this country. We either need millions more people in much closer proximity to service a subway or proper train system, OR we need cheap petrol. If you read carefully, THIS is what I meant.

I was making the point that the small-scale countries with expensive petrol have proper public transport - so people aren't left without a transport option. Australia seems to be heading down the road of expensive petrol and hopeless public transport - typical. Just like the water "crisis", or hospital beds "crisis". It's all just lack of investment and planning. And sorry, I believe that demand for public transport will only come when people feel it is a suitable replacement for their needs. NOT the other way around.

Oh, and I'm completely aware of what I'm saying regarding a two minute service on lines...I used to catch it every day in Japan. It just takes planning, attention to detail, good organisation, hard work and proper investment in public infrastructure - all in short supply in Australia. Bazz I suggest you go to Tokyo and have a look a look at how transport works there, maybe then you'll realise that little parochial Sydney, 10 times smaller than Tokyo, is just not the greatest city on the face of the Earth.
Posted by Kvasir, Saturday, 12 August 2006 9:31:55 AM
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Why is the price of petrol so high?

Hmmmmm?

Maybe it has something to do with the high price of oil.

If you thing its high now, you aint seen nothing yet.

Buy oil stocks and use the rising value of those to compensate for the rising impact of fuel costs. Otherwise keep whinning about a problem you can easily mitigate.
Posted by trade215, Saturday, 12 August 2006 7:53:57 PM
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Kvasir

As has been said by many, our profligate lifestyle, high employment, freedom of independant car travel, etc are all a product of finite, cheap energy sources. Many billions of other 3rd world countries now want to tap in to that energy too and enjoy the same standards of living. And while we as a nation are blowing our dough, some of those countries - China especially, are developing huge reserves and buying up oil fields.

The point you seem to miss seems also to not be apparent to most people. When petrol is $10 a litre or higher, and progressively more scarce, you will be pleased to wait 15 minutes for the next train, which will be energised by coal powered electricity. However the Tokyo system will grind to a crawl as they will have no oil to drive their electricity turbines.
Posted by Greenlight, Tuesday, 15 August 2006 11:16:12 PM
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To Kvsar & Greenlight
We are getting very close to the point where very large numbers will abandon the car and switch to public transport.

I recently added up the cost for someone working somewhere west of the end of the M2 and working in the Mascot area.
I added up the motorway charges and then added petrol at $1-50 a litre for a car using 1 litre per 10 km for five days
a week and the cost was well over $100.
If the motorway is not used the petrol consumption is higher.
This was not taking into account other car costs such as service tires and depreciation.
It will only take another jump in petrol prices to make it impossible for those people to drive to work.

Already, I am told, that the bus service on the M2 leaves people standing at the bus stops.
The government is going to buy more busses for the company that runs the service.

The state government is putting the busses now being taken out of service into the sheds for future use as
they will not be able to get quick delivery of new busses as all
cities will be trying to place orders for busses.
Posted by Bazz, Wednesday, 16 August 2006 8:45:40 AM
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