Petrol prices are hitting record levels, something that’s been predicted for some time by the Peak Oil people.

On Sunday I took the kids across town to visit their grandad’s/my dad’s place, for his 74th birthday. With my last petrol fill-up costing over $60 (thankfully it’s only about fortnightly), my public transport travel already paid for and cheap Sunday train tickets now available, and his place only a couple of minutes’ walk from Coburg station, I decided we’d take the train. It took about an hour each way — by car would probably be about 45 minutes via the tollway, so it wasn’t too bad, though we had a bit of a wait between connections on the way home… this needs improvement.

Given the wet weather and the chaos in Kingsway (something I got caught in on Saturday afternoon), it was a good way to go. Plus we got to talk, interact, look at things (must get a picture of that very groovy wooden building near Jewell station), and use our feet (if only for a short distance at one end; admittedly at the home end we drove to the station to avoid a downpour of rain). Plus we got to see that most amusing of city-dwellers, the lost Collingwood fan.

I’m probably more inclined than most to consider the public transport option. But as petrol prices are now over a dollar per litre as a matter of course, and still heading upwards, we must be reaching the point where more people who have a choice start to curb their car use.