Motorists need to be fuel savvy

2/21/2013
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Now that gas prices have shot up again, we will go through needless gnashing of teeth (“Gas prices rise locally, 32 days straight in U.S.,” Feb. 19).

Drivers may take their frustration out on the clerk at the gas station. Instead, they should examine their driving habits, and what they could do to raise the miles per gallon their vehicles could get.

Motorists use their remote vehicle starters and let the engines run for 15 to 20 minutes, zoom out of their driveways, exceed posted speed limits by 10 to 15 mph, stomp on the gas at each light or stop sign, and slam on the brakes at the next stop, then wonder why their vehicles use so much gas.

Some of these drivers don’t use cruise control on highways, even though it is a gas saver.

Few people will look at their driving habits, but instead blame the oil companies.

LARRY REED

Maumee

 

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Sponsorship, fines play role in hikes?

Marathon Petroleum Co. LLC became the new sponsor of our region’s Ladies Professional Golf Association event. Then the Speedway gas station near my house raised the price of gasoline by 50 cents a gallon.

Speedway is a subsidiary of Marathon. Coincidence? I doubt it.

BP was ordered recently to pay $4 billion in fines and penalties for the 2011 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The price of gas went up and continues to climb.

As consumers of gasoline, we get to pay for Marathon’s sponsorship and BP’s fines. As we consume less gas, the price rises so that Big Oil can maintain the lifestyle that it’s used to.

Other countries are having their Arab Spring. The United States needs an American Spring.

JOHN BOMBRYS

West Alexis Road

 

North Ohio bears brunt of turnpike

There is no guarantee that 90 percent of the money generated by borrowing against the Ohio Turnpike will be used here (“Turnpike borrowing plan still disputed; Locals insist on 90% of funds for N. Ohio,” Feb. 7).

Politicians are saying that a one-time sale of bonds, repaid by future revenue, is sustainable. But raising the gas tax for all Ohio residents is not?

Throwing up E-ZPass gates is easy. Why shouldn’t everyone in Ohio get to experience the same thrill we in northwest Ohio get when we go through the turnpike gates and know our credit card is getting charged?

Gov. John Kasich says he wants to unlock wealth from the turnpike. That wealth is coming from us.

CELINDA NIGGEMYER

Ottawa Hills

 

Put toll on roads among other cities

Governor Kasich’s solution to Ohio’s need for money to fix highways is to use the Ohio Turnpike as collateral for bonds. Northern Ohio will pay the bill for repairing and upgrading not only northern but also southern Ohio roads and bridges.

The state should collect tolls on major highways connecting Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati. In that way, the burden would be more evenly distributed throughout the state.

JACK HARBAUGH

Hudson, Mich.