By the way, I've seen US prices are about $3 per gallon. I am paying about £0.94 per litre. That works out as about $7 per US gallon.
$3.57 a US gal. at the cheap station down the street. The difference between your cost and ours is, you get benefit from your higher gas prices. We get potholes.
What benefit? One of the biggest complaints of motorists here in the UK is that all motoring taxes, fuel, annual "road fund" tax, new vehicle tax (on top of the general VAT) and much of the speed camera revenue, simply goes into general taxation. I have seen a figure, but can't confirm its authenticity, that something like one tenth of the motorists' taxes goes into maintaining the road network. The motorist is seen by the government as just another source of revenue.
Potholes abound, it is rare for congested roads to be updated. The general policy is to squeeze the motorist both in taxation and congestion, with little return.
And, to add to the potholes, speed bumps abound. These cause more noise as vehicles brake and accelerate, increase fuel usage and CO[SIZE=8pt]2[/SIZE], cause significant damage to vehicles, and encourage the use of large 4x4s so increasing fuel consumption, CO[SIZE=8pt]2[/SIZE] emissions and congestion.
There! I feel better now! Thanks for the opportunity to get that lot out!
The reality is I would not be using my bike for commuting except that it saves me 10 to 20 minutes in my 3-mile journey. (It adds 10 minutes dressing and un-dressing, but that's much less frustrating!)
Oh, how I'm looking forward to my Scotland trip, only 25 days to go ...