Back about mid-summer of 2006, when gas prices at the pump (seemed to have) hit real highs—around three-and-a-quarter a gallon—for the first time, I distinctly remember commenting to someone filling his tank in the lane opposite mine, that "someday we will think this is a cheap price for gas." A nice guy, he went along for the laugh but it was apparent that he didn't get it, and thought I was nuts for suggesting that gas could get any more expensive. I'm here to tell you, in October of 2008, that day came just about two weeks ago, when gas in Chicago went back down to $3.25 after peaking more than a dollar higher, at $4.39 a gallon for regular.
I admit I haven't done my part to slow demand for oil in the form of jet fuel (too many trips in too short a span of time, from every perspective), but I don't use my car much. It's a VW Jetta, more than five years old, and it has just over 17,000 miles on the odometer. Of course I'm lucky, I live in a city where excellent public transportation is abundantly available, and when I do drive, most destinations aren't very far away. I can and do walk lots of places. My heart goes out to friends who live in truly rural areas, who have no options other than to use their car.
Thanks to ChicagoGasPrices.com for the historical data.
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