Angelenos are feeling the pinch at the pump as soaring oil costs push gas up to $1.80 per gallon. But public transportation options are few and far between in a city of hulking Hummers and SUVs. So the Business Journal asks:
How will the fuel price hike affect your transportation choices?
Victor Larivee
Owner
Bicycle Workshop
It has changed my routine a little, but only because it’s been raining the past three weeks, which is when the prices went up. Because of the rain I’ve been driving to work I have a Toyota RAV-4 and it does pretty well as far as mileage. But weather permitting, I usually ride a bicycle every day to work. I have done that for about 35 years. It’s a seven- or eight-mile ride, and it adds about three or four years onto the life of my car.
Kimberly Tooke
Manager
First Federal Bank of
California
I was thinking about buying an SUV, but now I’m reconsidering it. I drive a Saturn right now, and the gas mileage is pretty good. My commute is not that bad, but lately it is costing more. They were talking about the price going up to $2 per gallon by the summer, which is when I was planning on getting a new car. If it goes up to $20 to fill up my Saturn’s tank, I won’t purchase an SUV for sure. I’ll get an economy car.
Sharon Gerner
Sales Associate
Century 21 Grisham-Joseph
I live two miles from my office, but I need my car to look for houses for my real estate clients, so public transportation is not an option. I currently have a Crown Victoria and I have no intention of getting rid of it at this point. It works great for driving clients around and it gives me room to carry all my signs and things around. It costs me $30 to fill it up when I’m on fumes. As long as the price of gas doesn’t get too bad, I’ll hold onto the car. When you start inching up toward $3 a gallon for premium gas I have a V-8 engine I might consider switching to something like a Mercury Sable.
Chris Turner
Vice President and Area Manager
Charles Pankow Builders
The prices going up won’t change my typical pattern too much. I live about five minutes from my office, but I travel during the day. I really need to have a car to get from meeting to meeting and from site to site. People from the office try and travel together to meetings so we can get in the carpool lane, but that’s more in the interests of time. But I’m often out of town on business. I would be more likely to fly now, since we haven’t seen the price hike transfer to fares yet.
Robert Weiner
Senior Director of
Development
Optimist Youth Homes
In the last couple months I have tried to be considerate of others because of the jump in prices. I tend to do teleconferencing discussions with vendors rather than making them drive to our site. On a personal basis I have decided against purchasing an SUV. We have a child, so it would be nice for the room, but we don’t really need a gas-guzzler. We’re going to continue driving our six-year old, fuel-efficient car.
Cindie B. Zimmerman
Programming and Development Manager
Tribune Entertainment Co.
I just bought a car a week ago. I had heard about the rise in prices at the time I bought the car, so that swayed my decision away from my other choices, which were SUVs, and toward an Infiniti sedan. When I got gas just yesterday I noticed a three-dollar increase, and I didn’t even fill up. So I’m glad I chose the sedan. As far as not using a car, I take subways when I’m in other cities, but I haven’t really tried it here. I would take a cab in a pinch, but L.A. is terrible for public transportation.
