I noticed today that the price of petrol here in New Zealand has exceeded $2 per litre. At today's rate of exchange, that is nearly US$6 per gallon.
The latest BP press releases (at right) tell the story for the last couple of months. They haven't even posted press releases for the last two increases over the past week! The most recent time the price of fuel went down was 11 February 2008. Forecasters say "get used to it".
Although I ride my bicycle to work every day that I can, it is now more expensive to drive the car 12 km to work than it is to take the bus ($1.90 one way). I prefer riding my bike in any case because I find driving in traffic frustrating, and the bus takes twice as long (an hour vs 30 minutes). Not to mention, of course, the obvious health benefits of getting at least 5 hours of full-on exercise per week.
Last weekend, Amy and I walked into town, ran some errands, saw a movie, picked up some groceries, all without using the car. I really enjoy living in a city where we can do that.