The British perspective:
Pump prices have risen by one third over the past year and in some parts of the US have topped $3 (£1.68) a gallon. Among the ultra-rich of Beverly Hills, the cost of fuel has even slipped over the $4 mark.
This is, of course, still far less than the equivalent of about $8 being paid by British motorists, but such comparisons hold little sway in the US where, for many, the unfettered freedom of the individual to drive across wide-open spaces is almost part of the Constitution. By contrast, public transport has, historically at least, been regarded as un-American.
Un-American? I ride my bike; guess that makes me positively Bolshevik.
Talk is buzzing about temporary suspension of gas taxes and I'd strongly oppose that. The only, only, only thing that's proven to get Americans out of their SUVs and into their buses or onto their bikes and feet is high gas prices, and $3 a gallon seems to be the price that starts to have an impact.
The ‘Extreme Commuters’ driving up to 156 miles - one way! - have made a lifestyle choice, and we subsidize the infrastructure that lets them do it. High gas prices? Too bad for them. I've made the lifestyle choice to live a reasonable distance from work and shopping so I can walk or bike whenever possible, in a city that makes that possible. Sure, I'm being a little smug and self-righteous about it, and I know not everyone has the health or flexibility to do that. But a lot more people could.
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