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I wish that was true. In my country taxes on gas are incredibly high, they account for more than 70% of the cost at the pump, still we have one of the highest

I wish that was true. In my country taxes on gas are incredibly high, they account for more than 70% of the cost at the pump, still we have one of the highest number of cars per capita in Europe. for comparison in USA gas costs around 70 Euro cents per liter, while here is close to 2 euros per liter (depending on the brand between 1.79 and 1.89).

nradov 5y ago
The number of cars per capita isn't the real issue. The problem is with CO2 and particulate emissions from car engines. That problem could be significantly reduced with a change in tax policy.
- peoplefromibiza 5y ago
  those cars are not standing by in some residential neighborhood with a lawn, they are constantly moving on the streets of our cities. I think it would be hard to make people pay more than that, look at what happened in France with the gilets jaunes when they tried. The only possible way I see to reduce car traffic is to stop making new roads, gradually close existing ones and enhance public transport and proximity to allow people to walk.
NumberWangMan 5y ago
People do respond to the price of fuel -- if people are driving a lot at that price, they'd be driving a lot more if the price was lower. But a lot of people's driving habits comes from the way that cities and towns are laid out, too. High fuel prices can discourage driving, but if most people have no choice but to drive in order to access work and other places they need to go, then it won't have as much of an effect, and people will compensate by cutting spending in other ways.
- PaulDavisThe1st 5y ago
  > People do respond to the price of fuel -- if people are driving a lot at that price, they'd be driving a lot more if the price was lower. Massive claim, particular if you're trying to map over both North America and Europe. Far from clear that this is true in the European case. Happy to see citations that prove otherwise.
  - NumberWangMan 5y ago
    You're right, it is a big claim, and I should probably walk it back. It's possible that there's such a high demand for driving that the main reason people don't do more of it is, say, the congestion, rather than the cost of fuel. This is definitely true in parts of the USA. It does depend on the price elasticity of the demand for driving. I found this article [1] which finds that if fuel prices go up by 10%, people drive 1% less in the short term, and over the long term, about 3% less. This of course varies greatly from place to place, among different income levels, etc. [1] https://www.vtpi.org/elasticities.pdf https://www.vtpi.org/elasticities.pdf

nradov 5y ago

The number of cars per capita isn't the real issue. The problem is with CO2 and particulate emissions from car engines. That problem could be significantly reduced with a change in tax policy.

peoplefromibiza 5y ago
those cars are not standing by in some residential neighborhood with a lawn, they are constantly moving on the streets of our cities. I think it would be hard to make people pay more than that, look at what happened in France with the gilets jaunes when they tried. The only possible way I see to reduce car traffic is to stop making new roads, gradually close existing ones and enhance public transport and proximity to allow people to walk.

NumberWangMan 5y ago

People do respond to the price of fuel -- if people are driving a lot at that price, they'd be driving a lot more if the price was lower. But a lot of people's driving habits comes from the way that cities and towns are laid out, too. High fuel prices can discourage driving, but if most people have no choice but to drive in order to access work and other places they need to go, then it won't have as much of an effect, and people will compensate by cutting spending in other ways.

PaulDavisThe1st 5y ago
> People do respond to the price of fuel -- if people are driving a lot at that price, they'd be driving a lot more if the price was lower. Massive claim, particular if you're trying to map over both North America and Europe. Far from clear that this is true in the European case. Happy to see citations that prove otherwise.
- NumberWangMan 5y ago
  You're right, it is a big claim, and I should probably walk it back. It's possible that there's such a high demand for driving that the main reason people don't do more of it is, say, the congestion, rather than the cost of fuel. This is definitely true in parts of the USA. It does depend on the price elasticity of the demand for driving. I found this article [1] which finds that if fuel prices go up by 10%, people drive 1% less in the short term, and over the long term, about 3% less. This of course varies greatly from place to place, among different income levels, etc. [1] https://www.vtpi.org/elasticities.pdf https://www.vtpi.org/elasticities.pdf