The seemingly unstoppable rise in petrol and diesel continues to cause concern. This time, it's Gaddafi's fault. Oil speculators like stability, not uncertainty. So, things can only worsen.
Which is bad news for Rhuthun/Ruthin. The town depends on fuel for its daily business. Rhuthun is a dormitory town. By this I mean that there are insufficient jobs, especially "quality" ones, for the town's population size. A high proportion of our citizenry works outside the town and must therefore travel. Because of where we are, this isn't a 10-minute commute. Commuting in itself is not a bad thing. People choose to live here for its environment & quality of life but this nevertheless comes with a penalty—fuel costs.
But that's not everything. People rely on their car for other things. Depending upon which you chose, the nearest:
Diesel's not been much better. Diesel hit £1.379 a litre on the last day of February but went down by 1p at the last moment. Now, at Bridge Services, it’s £1.389. That’s equivalent to £6.31 per gallon and it means an average Ford Focus costs £76 to fill. That's a 37 per cent increase since January 2009.
Little wonder I sold my large Jag last month. I was tending to use the Focus anyway. I now wish I'd bought a Ka instead. And the moral is, go local. Where you can.
The graph shows the cheapest petrol and diesel prices in Rhuthun between March 2008 and yesterday, 6 March 2011.
Which is bad news for Rhuthun/Ruthin. The town depends on fuel for its daily business. Rhuthun is a dormitory town. By this I mean that there are insufficient jobs, especially "quality" ones, for the town's population size. A high proportion of our citizenry works outside the town and must therefore travel. Because of where we are, this isn't a 10-minute commute. Commuting in itself is not a bad thing. People choose to live here for its environment & quality of life but this nevertheless comes with a penalty—fuel costs.
But that's not everything. People rely on their car for other things. Depending upon which you chose, the nearest:
- Regional shopping centre is 18 or 24 miles distant. The return trip in diesel costs £5.68.
- A&E and large district hospital is 17 or 18 miles away.
- Cinema is 18, 19 or 24 miles away.
- B&Q is 17 or 18 miles away.
Diesel's not been much better. Diesel hit £1.379 a litre on the last day of February but went down by 1p at the last moment. Now, at Bridge Services, it’s £1.389. That’s equivalent to £6.31 per gallon and it means an average Ford Focus costs £76 to fill. That's a 37 per cent increase since January 2009.Little wonder I sold my large Jag last month. I was tending to use the Focus anyway. I now wish I'd bought a Ka instead. And the moral is, go local. Where you can.
The graph shows the cheapest petrol and diesel prices in Rhuthun between March 2008 and yesterday, 6 March 2011.
Tags:
Petrol