Fuel prices taking a toll

Wairarapa motorists are ditching and downsizing their cars and walking around town, as rising fuel prices hit home.
Masterton man Mike Shale, caught filling up at a crowded petrol station yesterday, said he is preparing to give his car away.
"I'm giving this car away tomorrow, it's costing too much."
He said he had no immediate plans to replace the car and would walk or bike but "probably would" replace the car, with a smaller, more fuel-efficient model.
Commenting on the price rises, Mr Shale had a different point of view to many.
"I hope it doubles and doubles and doubles again. All these people driving around and around town, these great obese people driving their obese children to and from school &"
A Masterton woman, who asked not to be named, said the price of petrol meant the family had decided to sell the car she was filling. "We're a two-car family and we are going to drop to a one-car family.
"See the baby seat? It's going to go to my daughter and her husband. It might be too expensive for a young family, but it will do for a start."
The woman said driving the car is becoming expensive.
"I live in Masterton but I do go to Wellington and this is a slightly bigger car; I choose not to drive around town (Masterton)."
Commercial fuel users in Wairarapa said, however, despite the price rises, it was business as usual.
Excavator Keith Turner, of Turner Contracts Wairarapa Ltd, said despite the cost increase work had not slowed down.
"I haven't found that at all, but people are grumbling, yeah."
Mr Turner said his prices had gone up "quite a lot now because it's quite a significant factor everything I operate runs on diesel".
Mr Turner said he itemises the bill for customers so they know what they are paying.
"We put it down separately on the account as 'fuel surcharge', otherwise customers think we're putting our machine prices up."
Mr Turner said diesel has been rising faster than petrol.
"What really riles me up is & they put petrol up 5 cents and diesel up 8 cents, and they never say why. The difference between petrol and diesel used to be 60 cents and now it's closer to 30 cents."
John Keen, a technician with telecommunications company Downer EDI Engineering, said the ute he has used since it was bought in 2003 then cost $47 to fill, and yesterday cost $116.
"But the work has got to carry on, and Wairarapa is a big area," Mr Keen said.
"The company hasn't said anything like 'take your foot off the accelerator'."