Spartan Daily

Rising gas prices will further hurt the economy

Rebecca Duran is a Spartan Daily staff writer.

As if gas wasn't expensive enough, the national average has reached $3.53, according to an Associated Press report.

Gas prices in cities like San Jose are rapidly reaching $4 and beyond.

An oil analyst at GasBuddy.com predicts prices to reach $4.50 a gallon on the West Coast by Memorial Day.

Prices are rising in response to refineries closing on both coasts as they switch to the formula of gas that's needed during the summer, according to an article on SFGate.

Summer gas is more expensive because it burns cleaner and uses different additives than winter fuel, according to howstuffworks.com

With U.S. prices nearing $103 a barrel, we've reached a point of paying devastating amounts to drive.

Commutes to school and work aren't getting shorter, and rising prices will keep making it more expensive.

An ABC news segment stated that for every 1o-cent rise in gas, there is a $90 million decrease in spending on other items.

It may seem too obvious to switch to public transportation, but that is easier said than done.

As a student, I have an Eco Pass that I can use to ride the bus or light rail.

However, living in Mountain View means it takes me an hour to get to school on the light rail.

As someone who has experienced both this and a 20-minute drive to school, I choose driving.

Since I choose driving, I have to deal with the consequence of paying for gas.

Besides the time, there's always the annoyance of dealing with many different types of people on public transportation.

While public transportation is meant to be safe, there is always the possibility of dealing with dangerous people, especially at night.

This would also include walking to the stop from school, and walking home from the stop in Mountain View.

The worst scenarios were when I realized that I had forgotten something for class, and my only option was taking the light rail to go back home and get it.

These reasons contributed to me changing my mind about using public transportation to get to school, even if it meant saving money

The rising gas prices may come during Obama's $143 billion payroll tax cut, but that doesn't mean it won't effect people.

Besides commutes, people go out to places where driving may be necessary.

For example, a family that wants to go to the beach has to deal with the high gas prices because they have too much stuff to carry to be able to go on a bus or train.

Large families need large cars, and it can be more difficult to keep children rounded together on public transportation than sticking them in a car.

Or what about people going out on the weekend, who don't want to have to worry about taking public transportation home during such late hours?

Carpooling may be more beneficial now than ever, especially if you're going to meet with a group of people anyway.

Or for people who can make a big change, selling your car to buy a hybrid would be a cool switch.

In the end, there still is public transportation, even though I don't choose to use it.

While many of us are still waiting for alternative fuels to replace oil, it is still hard to have such a dependence on gas as a student.

I just hope the costs won't hurt my wallet for good.

Commutes to school and work aren't getting shorter, and rising prices will keep making it more expensive.
Commutes to school and work aren't getting shorter, and rising prices will keep making it more expensive.