Oh the humanity, the good ol' days are over!

"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
11/01/2016 at 07:26 • Filed to: None

Last night the gas tax in NJ jumped approximately 20 cents. So now the average price for regular gas is over $2 per gallon. What a tragedy, I do not know how anyone can live any longer on this!! It is crazy that people are actually freaking out about this. Sure gas went up 20 cents per gallon, but it is still quite cheap. Yeah I saw premium selling today for $2.70 (I paid $2.29 last night) but it still only equals a few dollars with my 12 gallon tank. As long as they actually fix the roads with said extra money, I would be ecstatic about it. But I bet Christie is instead going to take the money to fund more donuts and bridge obstructions.

DISCUSSION (49)

pip bip - choose Corrour > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/01/2016 at 07:30

as they say “never get between a politician and a bucket of money”

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/01/2016 at 07:34

Bruh. I pay $2.90 for regular.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/01/2016 at 07:42

Filled up at 8pm last night to avoid today

duurtlang > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
11/01/2016 at 07:52

Bro. I pay $6,25 for regular.

Dusty Ventures > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/01/2016 at 08:04

I can hear California warming up their tiny violins

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/01/2016 at 08:05

Boo fucking hoo, America. Gas is $6-7 here.

-Europe

Dusty Ventures > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
11/01/2016 at 08:05

Jesus, it’s probably almost cheaper to take the ferry to the mainland to fill up

Dusty Ventures > duurtlang
11/01/2016 at 08:05

What is the octane rating of regular there?

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem
11/01/2016 at 08:09

Yup, hence why I think it’s ridiculous the lines I saw at gas stations yesterday and how much people talked about this around me. Even driving a smart car in Italy, I recall paying high 40 to 50 Euros for a tank of gas so I could see how expensive it can get there. Plus gas is relatively cheap there compared to other places in Europe.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Dusty Ventures
11/01/2016 at 08:12

See the issue is the gap between regular/premium. Regular gas in California is actually cheaper than premium in NJ now. See there is like a 20 cent differential there and a 50-60 cent differential here. Although, it depends where in California you are talking. LA seems to be A LOT cheaper than other areas. I recall seeing $5+ per gallon in Sausalito.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Dusty Ventures
11/01/2016 at 08:15

Generally 87, but in some places with higher altitudes like Colorado have 85 regular.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Dusty Ventures
11/01/2016 at 08:15

And that’s just for regular. My car recommends at least 89.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > duurtlang
11/01/2016 at 08:18

But we all know gas prices are ridiculous in Europe. For an oil rich country like ours, my prices are unheard of.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Dusty Ventures
11/01/2016 at 08:23

During that oil crisis a few years back we were hitting almost $4 while everybody else was bitching about paying 3

Dusty Ventures > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
11/01/2016 at 08:29

Duurtlang lives in Europe, that’s why I was asking about octane. I know it’s 87 here in the States

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
11/01/2016 at 08:31

Anything below $3 is cheap, that is how I have always looked at it.

Bourbon&JellyBeans > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem
11/01/2016 at 08:54

Kind of apples/oranges right? In general cars in Europe are more fuel efficient and commutes are shorter. So yeah it’s more expensive but I’m filling up once a week or so. I could be wrong tho!

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/01/2016 at 09:00

Those prices you list from last night have been the norm where I am for the past few months and the lowest since Hurricane Sandy. Right after Sandy I was paying almost $5/gallon.

Stapleface > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/01/2016 at 09:16

You know, I’m not crazy about the gas tax going up either. But, it’s a necessary thing, if it’s used for what it said it was going to be used for. Our roads and bridges are a mess, and they do need help.

What I didn’t agree with, and am glad they didn’t pass it (for the most part) was lowering taxes elsewhere. I get it, you don’t want the people of the state to have an unfair tax burden (too late, we live in Jersey). But raising one tax just to lower another is assinine. Are they trying to tell us they didn’t need the estate tax or whatever else was on the table? Or will they just stick their hand in the new cookie jar that is the gas tax?

There’s a reason they needed to raise the gas tax. Let them collect the tax and use it where it needs to be used.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Dusty Ventures
11/01/2016 at 09:21

Shit. I saw the first letter of the alias and thought it was him asking about the US.

I’m an idiot and can’t read. Sorry.

duurtlang > Dusty Ventures
11/01/2016 at 09:29

The lowest octane available here is 95 octane. That’s our regular. This is 95 RON, which is equivalent to about 90 octane (AKI) you’ll see in the US.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Stapleface
11/01/2016 at 09:42

Oh yes, roads are quite bad in some areas. I feel like my car is going to rattle apart sometimes. Since the mounts on one of my headlights are broken, it is excessively annoying at night time.

Thomas Donohue > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/01/2016 at 09:45

Agreed. They should have been adding the tax incrementally a year ago while prices were falling. No one would have even known. Hopefully some of the money goes to the right places.

Sadly, the other side of the story is that they are decreasing the state tax from 7% to 6.875% (really? Is anyone going to notice???) and making changes to (and eventually eliminating) the estate tax. These two things will cost us $1 billion in revenue a year, offsetting the gas tax.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Thomas Donohue
11/01/2016 at 09:47

I believe the other tax reductions didnt actually get passed. I know those were proposed (which is stupid to begin with) but I think it is staying with just the gas tax.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/01/2016 at 09:48

Last week I payed 2.09 a gal for regular. But with the pipeline explosion again who knows what it’s going to be.

crowmolly > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/01/2016 at 09:56

It is crazy that people are actually freaking out about this.

...

As long as they actually fix the roads with said extra money, I would be ecstatic about it. But I bet Christie is instead going to take the money to fund more donuts and bridge obstructions.

Bingo. That’s why I am grumbling. Not the $, but because only a fraction of it will be used for its intended purpose.

Benjamin Rolland > pip bip - choose Corrour
11/01/2016 at 10:01

Never get between Chris Christie and a bucket of chicken.

Thomas Donohue > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/01/2016 at 10:02

They were passed.

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/10/christie_signs_23-cent_gas_tax_road_funding_deal.html

The final product, signed into law Friday, eliminates the estate tax .....and rolls back the sales taxes three-eighths of a percentage point.

Moody’s Investors Service weighed in , saying the lost revenue, “equivalent to 2.9 percent of current revenues, will worsen the state’s existing budget challenges.”

Sadly, what didn’t get passed in the bill was the measure that stipulated that the new gas taxes will go towards transportation projects. We need to vote on that next Tuesday.

Please vote for that if you live in Jersey. Otherwise the money might in fact just go into a bucket that politicians drink out of.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/01/2016 at 10:15

Here in norther Wi gas hasn’t gone under 2.20 in months. But 1 hour west in Duluth/Superior it’s 1.85.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/01/2016 at 10:41

The gas prices have actually come down a bit to moderate prices recently. They were at almost $10 a gallon just two to three years ago. Here in Germany the price of gasoline consists of almost 70% taxes. Crazy shit

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > Bourbon&JellyBeans
11/01/2016 at 10:46

I don’t know how much you pay for filling up your car but imagine spending $55-65 a week for gas.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Thomas Donohue
11/01/2016 at 13:24

Oh yes, I care more about voting for that than the president for sure.

I do think it’s absurd though that they can raise the tax on something without specifically earmarking a reason for it. Taxes arent supposed to be a sea-saw to balance out the budget, they are supposed to directly fund things that people need.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem
11/01/2016 at 13:28

That’s how it should be. Having such a high tax actually encourages people to drive less. I could care less if gas is 3, 4, 5, or probably even 6 dollars a gallon; it would still be cheap relatively. But if gas were upwards of $10 a gallon, I would certainly drive less or at least think about mileage. Maybe it would get all the pickups and tanks off the road too!

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/01/2016 at 13:37

It really isn’t all that expensive to own and operate a car here but the public transport in Europe is very developed here and is a real alternative to driving. That’s not the case for most of the US.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem
11/01/2016 at 13:47

Well yeah, if I didnt drive to work my only option would be to carpool with someone else. Or maybe pick up biking, but that would be rather dangerous here, especially in the dark. I suppose I could Uber too but that would get expensive. I really do wish biking was considered enough around here though, since I would gladly ride ~7 miles on flat ground if there were a dedicated bike path alongside the highway.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/01/2016 at 14:00

So much wasted potential, I could imagine many people taking the bicycle to work if dedicated lanes and paths existed.

DynamicWeight > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/01/2016 at 14:15

This is my commute. I ride a mile and a half in a bike lane to get to 4 miles of bike path completely off a road and then about a mile on mostly bike lane to get to work. All in all its about 7.4 miles. I love it. Makes me feel better about owning a truck.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > DynamicWeight
11/01/2016 at 14:37

Oh yeah, I would totally do the same. Then I would feel less bad about driving like 200-300 miles every weekend just for fun lol.

DynamicWeight > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/01/2016 at 14:45

I’m right there with you. I don’t drive much “in town” or commuting. But the weekend? I’m often taking mini road trips. In fact, this weekend I’m driving 300 miles to go camping.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem
11/01/2016 at 14:48

Well it just isnt practical in this area. Very few people are commuting locally, there are not really a whole lot of business in my area. I just happen to live near work. Plus most of winter and hot days in the summer would be pretty sketchy to bike in. It would work well for me but I doubt it would see enough usage to justify it. There is certainly enough space though.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > DynamicWeight
11/01/2016 at 15:07

Hah, I am doing the exact same thing this weekend. Trying to head out to Ricketts Glenn in PA since the weather is unseasonably warm. Ive been camping in October before and ended up in 29 degree weather, so seeing lows in the 40s in November is excellent.

DynamicWeight > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/01/2016 at 16:02

We’re headed to Big Sur. It will be “freezing” according to my girlfriend at a dreadfully cold 72. Reaching at low as 54 at night! Good thing we have a ton of firewood and a propane heater ;)

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > DynamicWeight
11/02/2016 at 07:48

Haha that is downright frigid to California people. That will be a lovely trip though for sure. I have only spent time driving through that area and really want to camp there at some point. You going to a specific campground there? There has to be some really good star gazing out there too.

DynamicWeight > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/02/2016 at 14:30

There is a primitive campground there. So they have some fire circles but no bathrooms or tables or anything like that. No fees and you need to drive a 4WD road to get there (a plus in my book). I’ve camped there before and it’s fantastic. You are perched on the top of the mountain with the ocean right beneath you. It’s a hell of a view. No campground host. (but you have to bring a shovel hah)

Here’s a picture I made. The blue circled road is Naciemento Ferguson. The yellow is the path you take from HWY 1. The red circle is the campground. Plaskett creek campground is also close by but is more traditional. There is also a campground right at naciemnto and HWY 1 but I’ve only used their toiler, never camped there.

Kinja'd!!!

Here is a link to a paragliding site about how to get there (which is how I found out about it, the launch is in the campground): http://www.paragliding-lessons.com/big-sur-flying-site/

I’ll take some pictures and post them up next week! =)

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > DynamicWeight
11/02/2016 at 15:07

That’s awesome, definitely look forward to the pictures. I plan to be moving out to the LA area next year so I will be sure to hit that site up (and many others) shortly thereafter. I look forward to winter being “winter” and still offering plenty of outdoor activity time.

Wonder how serious of a “4WD road” it is. Think a Miata could trek it? lol

DynamicWeight > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/02/2016 at 15:16

It is not very serious. I saw a guy in a brand new mustang (that he borrowed from a friend of his!!!) up there. If you took your time the miata would make it. There are a couple spots that would be pretty sketch though.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > DynamicWeight
11/03/2016 at 08:31

Excellent. I tend to treat my Miata like a backpack and enjoy twisty roads and then camp out with a backpacking tent. Always fun to combine both hobbies! I intend on getting a vehicle with more ground clearance as a daily driver but no way could I take something other than a Miata on the PCH.

DynamicWeight > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
11/03/2016 at 11:28

Fantastic. My miata hasn’t ventured that far and I haven’t camped in it yet. But I would estimate fifty percent of the times she’s left my drive way her tires have caressed the PCH. I bought the truck for camping because we bring a lot of shit. I know people make fun of it but honestly bringing all that shit makes camping so much fun! And much more comfortable. I’ll have to try taking the miata though for some back to basics camping fun.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > DynamicWeight
11/03/2016 at 13:45

Camping with my Miata IS bringing a lot of shit lol. Since I can fit more than just my backpack and weight is a lot less important, I can pack a wood splitter, a chair, a nice pillow, and even a cooler. That is living luxury! I feel you though, I enjoy camping with a ton of supplies, it just makes the experience far more enjoyable than living out of a backpack. But I have been focusing on pairing my stuff down to the essentials like bacon, steak, and more bacon.