Do you plan to alter your driving habits, now that a gallon of gas costs more than $5?
If you have a new car you’re eager to drive or simply have time to get out and explore new places, the summer of 2022 may not be the best time to embark on numerous joyrides.
That’s because the price of gas in the Lehigh Valley has soared, this week averaging more than $5 a gallon for the first time.
According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), the price of a gallon of regular unleaded in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton area was $5.01 as of Tuesday, June 7. That’s nearly $2 more per gallon than the same gas cost a year ago. In early June 2021, the average price for a gallon of gas in the Lehigh Valley was $3.11, according to AAA.
Statewide, the average price is nearly the same ($4.98) and appears likely to top the $5 mark soon, while the national average stood at a record $4.91 a gallon as of Tuesday.
Why are gas prices skyrocketing?
Economists and others point to a number of reasons for the ongoing sticker shock at the gas pumps, including the fact that gasoline production has not kept pace with demand.
Since rates of travel declined at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Americans have emerged from lockdowns to resume their pre-pandemic levels of driving, but oil refineries haven’t caught up in order to meet the demand with an adequate supply of gas.
AAA noted Monday that while the supply of gasoline fell domestically last week, demand increased, as Americans fueled up before embarking on Memorial Day weekend travel.
A spokesperson for the organization said that as long as drivers are willing to pay what is being charged at the pumps, the price of gas is likely to remain high, especially as the price of crude oil remains volatile and “supply remains tight.”
What are current gas prices locally?
Below are some of the current prices at filling stations in the the Saucon Valley-Southern Lehigh area, as reported by users on the site GasBuddy.com, which tracks gas prices. All prices are for regular unleaded gasoline. For additional price averages throughout Pennsylvania as well as averages in other states, visit GasPrices.AAA.com.
- Citgo, 1020 Main Street, Hellertown – $5.13 (as of Monday)
- Turkey Hill, 1140 Hellertown Road, Bethlehem – $5.09 (as of Monday)
- Sunoco, 701 Main St., Hellertown – $5.13 (as of Monday)
- Turkey Hill, 106 S. 3rd St., Coopersburg – $5.09 (as of Tuesday)
According to GasBuddy, the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded in the Allentown area is currently $5.03.
Gas for $5.17 a gallon is advertised at the Exxon in the 1500 block of Main Street in Hellertown Wednesday. A few blocks down the street, the price was even higher at Citgo, where it was $5.17 a gallon.
