Editorials

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   HAVE YOUR SAY Feel strongly about something? Share it with the community by writing a letter to the editor. You’ll need to include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) We reserve the right to edit letters, but if you keep yours to 250 words or less, we won’t ask you to shorten it. If your letter is published, please wait 30 days before submitting another. Send it to: E-mail: letters@heraldnet.com Mail: Letters section The Herald P.O. Box 930 Everett, WA 98206 Fax: 425-339-3458 Have a question about letters? Contact Carol MacPherson (cmacpherson@heraldnet.com or 425-339-3472).   Published: Monday, May 12, 2008 See, there really are ways to cut back on gas For the first time in three decades, Americans are driving less. See, there is a good side to high gas prices. Most Americans say they are cutting back on other household expenses, seriously considering buying more fuel-efficient cars and consolidating daily errands to save fuel, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll. Good. It's time to stop acting like oil is a limitless resource, which low prices encourage. The Federal Highway Administration reports that February was the fourth consecutive month in which miles driven in the U.S. fell. The last time there was a decline was in 1979, when gas shortages caused long lines at the pumps. The poll also shows that eight in 10 Americans say they use the most fuel-efficient car they own whenever possible. Six in 10 share rides with friends or neighbors. Three-fourths say they are getting tuneups, turning off the air-conditioning or driving slower to improve gas mileage. Another USA Today report states that ridership on mass transit is up sharply in many cities, with the biggest increases on commuter rail lines. According to the article: "It's a pattern repeated over and over: In places where commuters have a transit option, they're taking it." The sale of fuel-efficient motor scooters has increased sharply and more people are using bicycles regularly. For Americans, these types of lifestyle changes are often as not labled as "hardships" due to the high cost of gas. Except for low-income people, this is baloney. They are lifestyle changes long past due. People may not like driving their fuel-efficient vehicle more than their Hummer, but hey, it's time we all made sacrifices. Another result of higher gas prices is that the value of used SUVs has dropped dramatically, USA Today also reports. "It's a challenge," says Adam Lee, president of the Lee Auto Malls dealership in Maine. "How do you tell a good customer, 'You paid $32,000 and now it's only worth $17,000?' '' Perhaps some real estate agents in hard-hit parts of the country could help him with that one. Some might consider the fact that big, expensive, fuel-guzzling SUVs have lost trade-in value a kind of Karmic justice. Or at least a taste of reality. So, Ride Your Bike to Work Week arrives at a perfect time. And the less cars on the road, the better to ride your bike. Creating bike paths is an inexpensive way to make this option more realistic for many. And if you can't bike, it can just as easily be transit week, walk week, carpool week, or vanpool week.

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