Gas prices are rising like never before thus making driving a necessary demon because it gets us from here to there all while burning a whole in our wallet.
The rise of gas prices, which is currently above 4 dollars per gallon, is a serious issue for everyone and especially students. Students already have low incomes that get lower each time the needle hits E. Community colleges, for the most part do not offer student housing which requires students to either live within walking distance, or use some sort of motor transit to get to class.
The people behind the rising of the gas prices are commodity traders that speculate how much a barrel of oil will cost. This in turn determines how much a gallon of gas is priced at. It’s all about supply and demand and when supply is up, price goes down and vice versa.
Lately, the major event that is causing barrels of crude oil to skyrocket upwards in price has occurred on a global scale. Iran and the U.S. have had ongoing tensions recently regarding the Strait of Hormuz which is a major waterway in the Middle East where oil gets shipped through.
According to csmonitor.com, “more than 17 million barrels of oil per day move through the waterway- 20 percent of all oil traded worldwide- any blockade would create shortages.”
If Iran were to implement a military block in this passageway, expect gas prices to go up, and be ready to bring those walking shoes out of your closet. With summer on the horizon, be prepared to get a good workout because the thought of paying five dollars a gallon for gas should be enough to deter you from driving and encourage you to find other ways of getting around.
Being by the coast, the beach cruiser and long board are personal favorites in the beach community. Other parts of town provide trolley and sprinter service, the coaster and of course the bus. If you’re feeling adventurous, go out and get a gas-friendly Vespa motor scooter.
To quote a lyric from the song Gas Money Remix by a popular YouTube personality Steven Jo, “I’m gonna need some gas money before I put my foot on this pedal.” If you want to save that gas money, don’t switch lanes to pass someone going slow and end up stopped at a red light with that car behind you. That ten feet you gain could be precious cents out of your pocket, so slow down if you want to save.
