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Galling Gas Prices Give Drivers Agita
By
Ben Yakas
Published Apr 17, 2011
Modified Apr 17, 2011
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Apr 17, 2011
Modified Apr 17, 2011
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Cyclists may feel they've been getting hounded more than ever in NYC lately, but there's one sweet perk to the two-wheeled life no one can take away from them: tires don't run on gasoline. And with average gas prices now reaching above $4 a gallon, that's a real reason for city drivers to bitch: "It's absolutely too much. It really hurts," Brooklyn Heights resident Chiqui Matthews told the Post. Of course, Matthews probably doesn't need a gas-guzzling Range Rover in the city, but who are we to point out the obvious.
The average gas price in the five boroughs was 10.5 cents per gallon higher this weekend than it was a week ago, when the average price was $3.97. A month ago a gallon cost $3.82, and a year ago it cost around $3. Experts say this will lead to individual spending cutbacks in other areas of their lives: "In 2008 we spent 12 months with gas above $3. Nearly half reduced their gas consumption by consolidated shopping trips, 29 percent cancelled or modified vacations, 25 percent found alternatives to driving. The more sustained price spike, the greater the impact," said David Portalatin of NPD Group. Already, about 70 percent of the nation’s major gas-station chains say that sales have fallen.
And with some stations in Manhattan just 35 cents below the $5-per-gallon threshold, the Post raises the alarmist bells on further increases, which some fuel enthusiasts say is unlikely: "The only way to get $5 is if there is a supply disruption from Saudi Arabia. Some areas in the US may brush with the $5 price," said Peter DeHann of GasBuddy.com. The high prices have already to at least one scary incident, when a driver tried to drive off without paying for gas, and ended up dragging a gas station attendant with him.
And there is one other forgotten industry which this gas price increase could ultimately, and thoroughly, hurt: highway rest stops. "My sister lives in Boston and I planned on driving. But with these gas prices, it is much cheaper to get a flight on Delta for $140," said the Range Rover-driver, Matthews. Think of all those abandoned Roy Rogers, those depressed Waffle Houses, and worst of all, those uneaten TCBY treats!
Tagged
gas
gas prices
Gas station
middle east
oil
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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