Gas Prices Skyrocketing in Philadelphia

We didn’t want to drive anywhere, anyway:

AAA says the gas average rose by 8 cents in the Philadelphia area over the weekend and is up 18 cents in just the last week. According to AAA Mid-Atlantic, the average price of regular unleaded gas on Monday was $3.66.

AAA says the higher costs are the result of a combination of factors, including rising crude oil prices, rising wholesale prices, refinery maintenance slowdowns and low gasoline supplies.

“If crude oil continues to rise, gas prices will likely follow suit,” Public Affairs Specialist Jana L. Tidwell said in a statement. “The double-digit weekly spike, combined with various national and international factors, leads AAA analysts to believe the national gas price average could rise to $3.50 per gallon in February.

On a couple of related notes, a new study suggests Philadelphia has the ninth most-congested traffic in the country. Keystone Politics calculates that the cost of idling in stuck traffic costs $1,018 a year to Philadelphians. Those are numbers that should guide the state’s transportation funding, the Keystone Politics blog says, but probably won’t. Cheer up, Philadelphians! At least you get to pay for parking, too!