Howard Beach mother Nina DeBlasio views her family’s ownership of three cars, one for herself, one for her husband and one for her two daughters who drive as a necessity, not a luxury.
However, with the start of the busy, summer travel season kicking off with Memorial Day weekend, she fears the near-record prices at the gas pump will only continue to burn a bigger hole in her pocketbook.
“I think they [the current gas prices] are ridiculous, especially for families that have two or three cars,” said DeBlasio, who estimated that her family spends upwards of $200 per week to fill up their cars. “When it starts to go into your budget to run your household with buying food and paying for schools, it’s pretty sad.”
DeBlasio said her two daughters, who are 19 and 17, share one of the cars, but working after school does not even pay the gas bills.
“For young people going to college, little part-time jobs don’t even cover the cost of gas,” she said.
This weekend, Queens residents and drivers all across the country, will pay upwards of $3 per gallon at the pump with New York City gas prices averaging $3.29, according to the web site www.newyorkgasprices.com.
“Ridiculous,” said Flushing resident Richard Fung, 50, while filling up his tank at the Mobil on Northern Boulevard and Utopia Parkway. “I have to cut down on travel, and I hope the government will do something about it, not just talk.”
However, he said the prices would not affect him from driving to his job in Bayside.
“I have no choice; you have to go to the office.”
Last year during the Memorial Day weekend, gas prices rose to more than $3.15 per gallon, which was roughly 75 cents more than during that same weekend in 2005.
By contrast, drivers paying even lower prices for gas during the holiday weekend are not that far in the past. Back in 2002, drivers who filled up their tank before going away for Memorial Day weekend paid an average of $1.50 per gallon - almost $2 less than what some drivers will pay this weekend.
“It’s cheaper than milk,” laughed Michael Samios, 34, of Mike’s Deli in Whitestone as he finished using his credit card to pay $55 to fill up his BMW. Samios said using the credit card helps ease some of the daily pain of paying the high prices - until he gets the statement with all of the purchases.
Meanwhile, Robert Thomas, 72, who works at Precise Towing on Northern Boulevard in Flushing, said the increasing cost of gas might cause his company to raise their towing prices.
“[It’s] terrible,” he said. “For $20 I get six gallons.”
Bruce Linder, who was filling up at the Bay Terrace Exxon for his drive from Bayside to his job in Westchester, pointed to the record-profit levels the oil companies are reporting, but said he was not hopeful that they would lower the prices anytime soon.
“We have no control over it,” he said.
Michelle Varga and Tracy Soren contributed to this story.
