Americans are paying more for gasoline than ever before. Californians driving into their local gas stations this weekend can expect to pay about $2.17 per gallon. In Nevada, they’ll pay $2.06. Arizona, $1.91.
The lowest gasoline prices on average are found in Oklahoma and South Carolina, where they’ll pay $1.578 and $1.577 respectively for a gallon of regular.
I haven’t owned an automobile since 1998, the year I moved to New York City. Upstate, it was a necessity for every day getting around and as I recall the price of a gallon of gasoline back then was about $1.40. I remember thinking how that was a lot of money and because of my personal finances, I didn’t often fill the tank.
Living now in a city that has a mass transportation system that runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, I don’t envy car owners. What I lost in personal travel convenience and privacy, I gained in savings. A $70 monthly MetroCard gives me unlimited rides on buses and subways, and because it is provided through payroll deduction by my employer, even serves to lower my annual taxes. No more gasoline, parking, insurance, or repair bills.
Which is why I am hoping this upward trend in gas prices serves as a wakeup call to the rest of America. Things are only going to get worse. Fossil fuel is a finite commodity and a transportation system based on individual vehicles powered by such is only going to become more and more expensive to operate.
Communities that were designed to accommodate the automobile, with shopping areas and business districts spread far away from residential areas and only accessible by traveling long miles over expansive highways, may in the long run undermine their own objectives. With gasoline prices predicted to rise to $3 by this summer, people will travel less frequently. A division of “haves” and “have nots” may result, with only those able to afford an automobile and related costs capable of performing even routine tasks.
Stated reasons for the rise in gasoline prices include an increase in crude oil brought on by production decreases from OPEC, and political unrest in Venezuela, a major exporter of oil to the United States. Additionally, US refineries are changing their production processes, some of which are environmentally mandated, and passing along the increased expenses.
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said the Bush administration was “extremely concerned” about rising gas prices, but offered no specifics on what could be done about them. Considering Bush’s Texas oil roots and campaign contributions from the industry, it would be surprising if anything of real substance occurred. There is simply no incentive for them.
No, the impetus for change will have to come from somewhere else.
At the local level, municipal planners across the country need to seize the opportunity to encourage and lobby for more spending on public transportation.
Budgets earmarked for roads and highways should be redirected towards alternatives including electric and hybrid powered buses and light rail transports. In urban areas, bicycling and walking should be encouraged and supported as viable means of getting around and street design should reflect that. These would not only address transportation needs but better serve the environment.
America’s a love affair with the automobile was born out of the same sense of individualism that has all too often prevented us from recognizing our stake in larger community needs. We are fast approaching a time when like it or not, car ownership will be a luxury, available only to a privileged few. However, everyone’s ability to get from point A to point B should not be lost in the process.