One question I have is why anyone on this site would not want high fossil fuel prices?
High prices make for new oil and gas development. What I was arguing against last night hits break-even when the price of oil tops $75/barrel. As long as we stay below there, we get no drilling in the Arctic. Similarly, prices need to exceed $60/barrel before tar sands become viable to develop, and pipelines become viable to build.
But much of that break-even cost is up-front cost. The marginal cost once the mine is a lot lower.
If the price exceeds $60/barrel, we start to see new tar sands mines built. Those mines will keep producing until they are out of oil, or the price falls below something like $30/barrel. So high prices mean more oil coming out of the ground.
On the flip side, you're right: low oil prices mean a slower transition away from oil. But I suspect the oil price probably doesn't matter that much when it comes to cars particularly. For most people buying new cars, the price is quite secondary to other considerations (otherwise they'd be buying used) -- so that means that most cars on the road were purchased without really thinking hard about the cost of fuel.
This is quite different for fleets; the bus service in Shenzhen or the taxi company in Montreal have accountants that care about the budget. But they aren't burning nearly as much oil as individuals do.