I had a fun moment of perspective this afternoon when I thought that this U.K. “gas guzzler” could be picked up and put in the back of a U.S. gas guzzler.

I have often felt that it is too easy for Americans to be lazy, it reflects in many areas of lifestyle, and the urban use of cars is one of the most apparent. Perspective can often have positive impact on people, perspective with intense pressure can be even better. When we look in the mirror if we don’t like what we see we have a moment of opportunity to change, and it often is just a moment. Laziness in that moment can lead to complacency, but pressure can lead to real, positive and lasting change.

After living in the urban sprawl of Sacramento California for a couple of years I have seen how obsessed some Americans can be with their Transportation. I am not fond of peoples love affairs with their cars, I could blame marketing, or industry, or American selfishness but whatever the reason the effect is that mass transit, or transit alternatives are terrible in most of the sprawl, throughout the country. How much are Americans really able to change if our perspective is this skewed?

I will be driving on my upcoming trip to California, and while I am driving I am going to be secretly encouraging gas prices to go up. I feel that the best thing that could happen to our nation is for world wide gas prices to continue their increase. The U.K. pays the equivalent to $5.79 a gallon right now, It will be an exciting day for me when I see gas prices soar above that.

Paul Clark, the Transport Minister, told a conference of road-pricing experts about plans to introduce tolls on specific lanes of motorways or hard shoulders.

On top of the predicted £1.30-a-mile charge he did not rule out an additional toll for cars that emit the highest levels of carbon dioxide.

Mr Clark said trials into road-pricing would start in the new year, with hundreds of drivers taking part in test runs.

Article from Telegraph