As someone living in Brussels with no need for a car, I've been able to observe the spiralling fuel prices with disconnected neutrality, each hike in prices only fuelling my own conviction that bikes are the way forward for me.
But even to the disinterested bystander, the ramp in prices is quite remarkable. Taking a ten-year overview, the notches on the graph have this year become a vertical wall with diesel prices up by almost about €0.46 per litre in a month. Even the 2008 financial crash didn't spark such a staggering spike.
This rise is clearly beyond the ordinary and something that can't fail to have knock-on effects beyond hitting motorists at the fuel pumps. As it turns out, this will indeed be the case, with transport organisations warning that it will be individual consumers who see the effects in their grocery expenditure.
Even for pedal-pushers such as myself, it isn't hard to see how the products we buy in everyday shopping will inevitably become dearer given how essential lorries (almost always running on diesel) are to the supply chain. This is despite the best efforts of supermarket managers who have done their best to shield customers from fluctuations and aim to keep their prices competitive.
A combination of factors had already been pushing prices up; now the conflict in Ukraine and uncertainty about oil provision from Russia will mean that an increase in bills is all but inescapable – not to mention the eye-watering hikes in energy bills.
Are you feeling the squeeze? Let @Orlando_tbt know.
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