Today on my walk to work through the streets of environmentally progressive San Francisco, I couldn’t help but notice three SUVs for sale. Yesterday I saw two more. The day before, another two. All were at prices so low the surfer in me had a brief moment of “oooh that would fit a board, and at such a low cost!” In all reality though, it is that same surfer who loves the Earth too much to drive one of these guys.
Across the city, it looks like people are surrendering to gas prices that have just hit a new high at $4.25/gallon. Gas guzzling drivers are now paying the price for their unfriendly environmental decisions of the past; with the increase in gas prices, the selling value of their SUVs is falling. And while a writer at Treehugger admitted recently to buying an SUV, the overall sales of them in the US are rapidly declining. GM announced in early June that it will no longer manufacture pick up trucks and SUVs in the United States. Even the Hummer is likely to disappear from the company’s line up to make room for more efficient vehicles. CNN has gone so far as to say SUVs are on the verge of making their way onto the endangered species list, quite an ironic statement in light of the environmental damage the SUV craze has caused.
The New York Times recently reported that Americans everywhere who are buying cars are going the smaller route. As San Francisco drivers rush to sell their SUVs, Smart Cars are popping up everywhere to join the already present army of the Prius. While the car has received some iffy reviews, including this one from Treehugger, maybe its inability to hit the highway comfortably will get drivers traveling not only in smaller rides, but more locally too. Wouldn’t that be nice?
With $4 gas prices, the U.S. is definitely rethinking transportation. Bikes sales are increasing and more and more people are pedaling to their city jobs, many here in San Francisco decorating their rides with “Bicycling Against Oil Wars” banners. Offices here are even offering incentives to employees who nix their cars for open air cruising.
As fuel prices continue to dance steadily upwards, all this news of movement towards more conscious transportation has given me a slight glimmer of hope that with peak oil, maybe people are waking up and consuming differently. Despite the fact that higher oil costs will be key to creating a shift in American fuel consumption, maybe we’re already on our way towards better city bike routes, local travel, more telecommuters, 4 day work weeks and the death of the Hummer.
