How will fuel prices affect development in Chatham County

[chrstnhsbndfthr]

Out West there are vast stretches of vacant land that sells for pennies on the dollar.  There is no industry, no work, just land in the middle of nowhere.  Many of your elite and Hollywood folks go there to buy thousands of acres of land for privacy.

CB perhaps you and I are just reading this from our own perspectives, but I took this to mean the western United States, not western Chatham.  Isn't that what folks mean when they say, "out west?"

Many of your elite and Hollywood folks go there to buy thousands of acres of land for privacy.

Ooooh! Don't toy with us Bumster, who are all these Hollywood stars buying up Chatham County? Is it time for me to develop my Maps to the Hollywood Stars business? I went out this afternoon and made a down payment on a retired Chapel Hill Transit bus to get my business off the ground. Please, please don't disappoint me. I know everything you post here can be taken as gospel.

[Silk_Hope]

500 a month is absurd.  There's no reason to be spending that much on gas, unless you're commuting to a different state.  When I was commuting 100 miles round trip every day, I don't think I used that much.

at $5/gallon, which we're not at yet, that's 100 gallons.  Given a 15 gallon tank, which is generous, that's almost 7 fillups a month.  If you're filling up that much, you needed to change your driving habits a couple of years ago, in my opinion.  I certainly don't see how it could be representative.

Sorry Heel.. $500 is easy to do in a month's time. Even carpooling we hit close to $300. If we can't carpool and have to fill another car that can run $50-$75. Filled my other small car today because I am traveling for business, $50.00. Taking the SUV later this month to the beach (up north) on vacation towing a trailer, planning on $4-500 for gas round trip. It adds up.

[Claude Bowles]

CB perhaps you and I are just reading this from our own perspectives, but I took this to mean the western United States, not western Chatham.  Isn't that what folks mean when they say, "out west?"

Oh, dude, you are such a rally killer. Now what the hell am I gonna do with the bus?

[chrstnhsbndfthr]

CB perhaps you and I are just reading this from our own perspectives, but I took this to mean the western United States, not western Chatham.  Isn't that what folks mean when they say, "out west?"

Oh, dude, you are such a rally killer. Now what the hell am I gonna do with the bus?

Perhaps you could take the old advice and "go west, young man!"

[Claude Bowles]

CB perhaps you and I are just reading this from our own perspectives, but I took this to mean the western United States, not western Chatham.  Isn't that what folks mean when they say, "out west?"

Oh, dude, you are such a rally killer. Now what the hell am I gonna do with the bus?

Perhaps you could take the old advice and "go west, young man!"

Please clarify . . . is that western Chatham. The bumster always writes about Chatham. I can't believe he had me buy a bus to visit movie star's homes and they are not in Chatham. You folks are being deliberately deceptive.

[VAHeel]

You're taking a trip, "up north," I have no doubt big months like that happen from time to time.  I would love to hear what kinds of travel plans mandate a $500 monthly gas bill on a regular basis.  You said earlier you had a ridiculously long commute, and yet you're still only at $300.  If you and your wife commuted separately that would put you at $600, but you have an anomalous situation. 

I don't believe $500 is representative, and I think it is disingenuous of the article to represent it as such.  CERTAINLY if you're spending that much on gas you should think about moving.

500 a month is absurd.  There's no reason to be spending that much on gas, unless you're commuting to a different state.  When I was commuting 100 miles round trip every day, I don't think I used that much.

at $5/gallon, which we're not at yet, that's 100 gallons.  Given a 15 gallon tank, which is generous, that's almost 7 fillups a month.  If you're filling up that much, you needed to change your driving habits a couple of years ago, in my opinion.  I certainly don't see how it could be representative.

Sorry Heel.. $500 is easy to do in a month's time. Even carpooling we hit close to $300. If we can't carpool and have to fill another car that can run $50-$75. Filled my other small car today because I am traveling for business, $50.00. Taking the SUV later this month to the beach (up north) on vacation towing a trailer, planning on $4-500 for gas round trip. It adds up.

[doorman]

What if you're self-employed and have no choice but to spend $500 or more? Going to work and feeding my family certainly is a reason.

[belle]

You're taking a trip, "up north," I have no doubt big months like that happen from time to time.  I would love to hear what kinds of travel plans mandate a $500 monthly gas bill on a regular basis.  You said earlier you had a ridiculously long commute, and yet you're still only at $300.  If you and your wife commuted separately that would put you at $600, but you have an anomalous situation. 

I don't believe $500 is representative, and I think it is disingenuous of the article to represent it as such.  CERTAINLY if you're spending that much on gas you should think about moving.

500 a month is absurd.  There's no reason to be spending that much on gas, unless you're commuting to a different state.  When I was commuting 100 miles round trip every day, I don't think I used that much.

at $5/gallon, which we're not at yet, that's 100 gallons.  Given a 15 gallon tank, which is generous, that's almost 7 fillups a month.  If you're filling up that much, you needed to change your driving habits a couple of years ago, in my opinion.  I certainly don't see how it could be representative.

Sorry Heel.. $500 is easy to do in a month's time. Even carpooling we hit close to $300. If we can't carpool and have to fill another car that can run $50-$75. Filled my other small car today because I am traveling for business, $50.00. Taking the SUV later this month to the beach (up north) on vacation towing a trailer, planning on $4-500 for gas round trip. It adds up.

some of us bought our homes 25 years ago, and they represent our wealth. but you say, just move?

when kids drive themselves that is another commuter. high school kids commute, or spend 10-15 hours a week on a bus.

[VAHeel]

I'm not really sure what you mean, but even at these prices, $500/month is a lot of gas.  Like I said, 7 fillups!!  I have a smaller tank than I used int he calculations above, and I *might* fill up twice a month.  I am lucky, though.  My husband has long commute and a big truck, he still only fills up once a week, at worst.

I'm SURE $500/month happens, but it is NOT the norm.  I also think MOST people who spend that much could cut back on their driving.  I think a lot of the "hardship" around the cost of gas in America is that we are STILL not willing to adjust to the fact that gas is no longer cheap and plentiful.  You have to be conscious of when you're using it, what for, and is it worth it.

belle: no, I don't think you should "just move," my point is that gas is NOT that much of a hardship that most people are going to move, or change their priorities about where they live.  When it is, we will, but I think that's an awfully long way off.

Teenagers don't need to drive, they can take the bus.  There's another choice we make that uses more gas, even though we have other options.  The time on the bus is certainly unfortunate, but if gas was really that much of a problem, it would happen more.

[NCRecruiter]

A normal $500 month for gas is not that hard to imagine if you have 2 people working.  If you had 1 spouse working in Greensboro and 1 in RTP with both living in Siler City, that's fairly easy to expect.  That assumes a 40 mile average commute each way, meaning they drive a total of 3200 miles per month, in cars that get 25 mpg, and with gas at a price of 3.949 per gallon.  This does not include any driving outside of the commute.

[VAHeel]

I think 40 miles each is excessive.  I'm beginning to accept, though, that that may just be bias stemming from my experience.

I guess having one spouse in Greensboro and another in RTP is another luxury that will have to go away, soon.

[Silk_Hope]

I guess when you live in the sticks and you have to drive everywhere dealing with the gas prices is a fact of life. Too bad we don't have good jobs in Chatham to allow us to work in county. With the rise of fuel prices making us work from home and make only essential trips, we are becoming a secluded Internet communicating society. Community suffers without interaction.

[WolfpackFan]

I live in PBO and drive to RTP 5 days a week, I spend about 170 a month.  So while my wife's commute is much shorter, if she had to drive as far as I do, you are only looking at 370 a month.

[NCRecruiter]

Correct, but you're probably getting somewhere around 30mpg and using about 2 gallons per day.  If someone was commuting the same distance with a car that gets say 24mpg, then you do get closer to the $500/month.  Still and all, we're going to have to make changes to cope with the rising costs.  We're fortunate that one of us works in town and the other can telecommute as needed.

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