Gas prices fall as holidays near
By: Will Reisman
Examiner Staff Writer
November 13, 2009
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| Happy tanks: Sam Sterkin, above, and Rafael Canseco, below, fill up their respective vehicles at a Chevron station on Geary Boulevard on Thursday. (Cindy Chew/The Examiner) |
SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco residents planning to venture out of The City for Thanksgiving will feel a little less pain at the pump. Gas prices fell in the past month due to an excess in the world’s oil reserves and low consumer interest, and they’re not expected to rebound during the
holiday season.
Average prices for a gallon of unleaded gas in San Francisco have dropped 7 cents in the past month, from $3.17 to $3.10, and the downward trend may continue into next year, according to Matt Skryja, spokesman for AAA Northern California.
“Predicting future gas prices is always difficult, but most AAA analysts are forecasting that prices will most likely stay steady or trickle down,” he said.
Despite savings local motorists will experience from the recent drop in prices, gas in The City is still more expensive than state and national averages. In California, gas costs an average of $2.97 a gallon. National prices are even lower, at $2.65 a gallon. Also, average prices in San Francisco are up 50 cents from a year ago.
Skryja said AAA will release its holiday travel projections sometime next week, but the lower gas prices are unlikely to play a major role in determining residents’ Thanksgiving plans.
“Gas prices are only a small part of the overall picture,” he said. “No matter how cheap the gas is, if unemployment continues to rise and the economy is still struggling, people are going to stay at home for the holidays.”
Travelers also should be prepared for the potential for brief spikes in prices during the Thanksgiving and Christmas weekends, Skryja said.
But weak consumer demand and vast oil reserves likely will cause prices to dwindle in the near future, he said.
John Horton, a 61-year-old Castro Valley resident who commutes into The City every day, said he’s noticed minimal savings from the lower gas prices this past month. He said the cheaper prices wouldn’t dictate his Thanksgiving plans.
“Gas has always been a rip-off, and now it’s just a little bit less of a rip-off,” Horton said. “You wish it wasn’t like this, but it’s not really going to change how I drive.”
Pump prices
Average cost for a gallon of unleaded gas in San Francisco:
Current $3.10
One month ago $3.17
One year ago $2.60
Current state $2.97
Current national $2.65
Source: AAA
wreisman@sfexaminer.com
