Been here before. Not by car any more, though.

The low-carbon road out of poverty

The sooner some figure that many live outside of well-served urban centres the better. And many of those don't work near where they have to work or when such systems as do operate.

My Mum's carer is being hit hard trying to get around 10+ clients in a day round the county, and doesn't get her miles covered by taxpayer (but those already ill-positioned to help her with the rate hike will... or the tax-payer) as do our political or LA or quango classes, and using a bus or hitching a ride from a passing lifshare is not quite going to meet the flexibility or shift criteria.

So whacking her for her car choice a decade ago, plus her total lack of choice in operational cost ain't going to cut it alone.

Sorry if that doesn't gel with the bike (or taxi if it's raining) brigade in Islington or Prius types being chauffered from Westminster, but a bit more joined up national thinking might be needed to address the problems being faced without just looking like acting whilst actually crippling those trying to keep up with one knee jerk after the next.

In fact, this whole thing is shaping up as a pretty elitist, city-centric, nice-if-you-can-afford it number for the establishment brigade to wring their hands over whilst crushing those they purport to represent and/or have sympathy for, whilst just doing what they can afford to do on the backs of those who cannot.

And so it begins ....... again?

Another classic from cartoon genius Matt of the Telegraph to preface this post about rising fuel prices.



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Now the last time the haulage businesses started protesting at the price of fuel, it wasn't too long before it turned into a blockade of fuel depots and the UK ground to a halt.

As this from the Telegraph highlights, it looks very much like things are headed the same way. One thousand large lorries crawling through London is pretty much going to grind things to a complete standstill. And it seems human nature that when enough people protest, others start to join in.

I wonder what the chances of our Gov taking any notice are? Especially given the fact that some oil futures are now trading just short of $140/barrel and each 5p/litre rise sticks another several £Billion in their coffers each year.

It will probably happen over here too!

Fuel price rises are causing a few rather unexpected problems over in the USA too. This from MSNBC reports on the fact that waste cooking oil (known as french fry grease over there) is now being regularly stolen by 'rustlers' who transesterify the oil into bio-diesel in home made backyard stills.

A few years ago waste cooking oil was a commodity that you had to pay people to take away. Now they pay you for it. The increasing cost of petrol and diesel has now made it a commodity worthy of theft!

Watch out for the grease rustlers near you soon!

Stingers on the forecourt

This from Metro.co.uk is symptomatic of the craziness that is resulting from what the ever increasing cost of fuel is doing to the world.

The number of non-paying drive aways on petrol forecourts has increased to the point that service stations are now fitting automated stingers to shred the tyres of any car that attempts to drive off without paying!

What next? Maybe armed guards with machine guns?