For many commuters, the high cost of gasoline is like the traffic they sit in every day: a hassle they just have to live with.
By BENITA D. NEWTON
Published April 15, 2004
It may be a bit of a shock for many commuters when they begin to compare current budgets to their old ones. A few additional cents at the pump can quickly add up on monthly gasoline allotments.
For Jason Martinez, a 100-mile commute from Temple Terrace to his IT consultant position in St. Petersburg costs $20 more today than it did a few short months ago. While the extra expense isn't breaking the bank, it has caused him to rethink his location selection with Accenture.
Now that he has finished his current project, he has expressed an interest in getting his next one outside of Florida. That way, he won't have to drive to St. Petersburg.
"I'd prefer to travel out of the state and commute to the airport on the weekends instead of crossing the bridge every day," said Martinez, 31. "Right now, the gas bills are just ridiculous."
Of course, upticking gas prices, which hit a record $1.75 in the Tampa Bay area last week, are not as high as those paid by consumers in 1982. A gallon of regular unleaded cost about $1.27 then, which would be about $2.38 in today's dollars.
But that doesn't mean much to folks who have to pay for gas using what's in their wallets now, especially since prices are expected to continue rising into summer. For many, gas prices are just another everyday headache that they have no choice but to endure.
Lesley Lazich, an accountant with a Tampa nonprofit, gave up using her Ford Expedition for her 84-mile commute from New Port Richey and bought a more efficient Toyota Camry in 2001. But now - with $5.50 in daily tolls, a freshly licensed 16-year-old son and rapidly rising gas prices pulling on her transportation budget - she has to search for new ways to handle the added expenses.
"Just getting to work is killing me," Lazich said. "But if the budget must be shaved, it's not going to come from the gas money. It's something I have to grin and bear right now."
She and her colleagues at work subsidize the rising price at the pump with lunch money.
"We use more coupons at lunchtime and try to find bargains," Lazich said.
Spring Hill resident Connie Hopkins has been commuting almost her entire career, so she looks at the 70 miles she drives every weekday to her Tampa banking job as a chance to clear her head. She tries to remain positive about high gas costs.
"I'm not happy with the prices, but I don't quibble with them," said Hopkins, 58. "It's part of my life. When you're in a position of responsibility, you're not going to just stop coming to work."
Her Buick Century gets pretty good gas mileage, she said, so Hopkins doesn't even bother shopping around for the best price on the $120 worth of gas she buys every month.
"I'm not one to drive out of my way to save 2 cents a gallon," she said. "I figure the time and effort you spend doing that alone takes up what you would have saved."
Cynathia Foreman, a St. Petersburg computer analyst who lives in Odessa, agrees. She used to scout out the lowest-priced stations, but now that gas is so costly, she simply stops at stations on her route.
"I really don't think about it much," said Foreman, who puts about $176 a month into her Honda Accord for her 60-mile commute. "You have to get around, so you have to do what you have to do."
Judging by the number of people he sees fly past him on the Courtney Campbell Causeway every morning, Richard Bly, director of community relations for AAA Auto Club South, doesn't believe many consumers are very concerned with conserving fuel. In addition to keeping cars properly maintained with proper tire pressure, AAA recommends using cruise control and driving at moderate speeds to save gas.
"I don't think there are that many people out there who are concerned enough about the high prices to consciously try to conserve gas," said Bly, who said the number of people traveling by auto for summer vacations this year has increased. "We live in a fast-paced society, and, despite the fact that we can actually watch the prices change daily, it's probably the last thing people think about during their busy day."
