IPPR Says Fuel Prices Should Rise
The IPPR is reported to be saying that fuel prices should rise, much to the dismay of motorists. It’s all here in the Telegraph.
I don’t care what happens to fuel prices personally, as I don’t have a car and I get my public transport in the London area free.
But I’ve always felt that fuel prices are too low, as this increases consumption, which increases global warming. It also reduces the pressure for vehicle manufacturers to make more fuel-efficient vehicles.
Concerning the latter, I have a lot of hybrid-buses near me, including of course, the New Bus for London. All of these hybrid buses deliver much higher lower fuel consumption and in addition, quantities of black smoke and noise.
Rises in fuel prices would improve our vehicles in other ways.
The Anonymous Widower 
Fuel prices are a big issue for older and poor people, especially those who have lived all their lives in the country with all their friends and relatives there. With very little public transport these people are dependant on their cars, cannot afford electric cars, and are also dependant on fuel oil for heating. I would prefer to see a road usage tax based so that those who need their cars, and often do fewer miles per year, can benefit from their lower road usage and lower carbon footprint. With modern electronics it would be easy to track car usage and charge for the distance travelled, the types of road used, and the times of travel. This would also capture the miles used by visitors to the country, particularly heavy goods vehicles that purchase their fuel abroad where prices are lower.
Comment by John Wright | August 23, 2012 |
The rural problem is best served by better bus services. On my travels round the UK, in more than one place, I was told that the bus services are crap, as the taxi drivers have a lot of control on the Council. Bad rural transport has a lot to answer for and improving it would be to everyone’s advantage. Even here, I’ve come across a lot of youngsters, who’ve got jobs since the opening of the new Overground, has allowed them to commute easily.
Comment by AnonW | August 23, 2012 |