Skyrocketing gas prices are affecting Evanston residents and workers, causing many to travel less and explore other transportation options. Yet others are willing to pay the extra buck to get where they need to go.
A regular tank of gas cost $2.99 on Wednesday at both the Mobil and Citgo stations on Green Bay Road.
Weinberg senior Larah Kent said she now uses public transportation for some journeys.
“If it’s a long trip, like going downtown, I take the Metra or El instead (of driving),” Kent said.
Chicago resident Irene Urso also started relying more on public transit due to the recent increases in gasoline prices.
“I like the CTA a lot better than the gas prices – they’re ridiculous,” Urso said.
Urso said that recently she has traveled less and walked more.
Motorists are not likely to see any relief in the near future, according to engineering professor and urban transportation expert Joseph Schofer.
“I don’t see prices going down or going down very much,” Schofer said. “I think the expectation is that the prices are going to be stable or continue to go up. I don’t see any forces in the marketplace that will bring the prices down.”
Citgo employee Mike William said people are driving less and that business at the station has fallen. Conversely, Mobil employee Fernando Torres said he hasn’t noticed any change in sales. The stations are right across the street from each other.
Chicago Carriage cab driver Rajiv Arora said he has increased the number of hours he has to work each week to earn the same amount of money.
“I’m uncertain what will happen (in the future),” Arora said. “People won’t use cabs if fares increase.”
Schofer said the one way prices could come back down in the near future is if the U.S. could cut demand by becoming more energy-efficient.
Demand has probably decreased slightly because of the high prices, Schofer said, but the decline has not been enough to make a significant difference.
“We haven’t reached a break point where suddenly people say, ‘Wow, it’s so expensive. I’m really going to change my living habits.'” Schofer said. “You can walk down the street and find people who say they’ve done that, but not very many.”
Because incomes are relatively high in the Evanston area, the high gas prices haven’t affected people as much as they have in other parts of the country, Schofer said.
He suggested people buy more fuel-efficient cars, consolidate trips and use mass transit in order to use less gas and bring down demand.
“People can charge that much (for gas) and get that much because there are significant demand pressures coming from around the world,” Schofer said.
The increased demand is partly due to increased consumption, particularly in China and India, Schofer said. Decreased refinery capacity resulting from Hurricane Katrina and facilities taken out of service for maintenance is also to blame.
Additionally, several Latin American countries are nationalizing or threatening to nationalize their petroleum resources, which pushes prices up.
Schofer said gas prices will only go down significantly and permanently if nations improve their relationships with one another.
“We need world peace,” Schofer said. “We need some of these conflicts to be resolved. I don’t see that happening.”
Reach Annie Martin at [email protected].
