$2.181: Some fume, others get a leg up

Fuel-minded Memphians go with hikes, bikes and efficient engines

By Mark Watson
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April 15, 2005

Dr. Cliff Heegel, a clinical psychologist with a busy practice, rides his bicycle more than 6 miles from his home near Audubon Park to his office at Yates and Poplar each day.

"I haven't put any gas in my own car since about August of 2002 -- that was when I finally had the courage to get rid of my personal car," Heegel said. "I don't have a car. ... I ride a bicycle to work 95 percent of the time. My current commute is only 6.5 miles, so it takes less than 25 minutes to bike to work."

 

Heegel, who estimates that he and his wife have spent $18 a month on their car the last two months, is one of a number of Mid-Southerners who have found creative ways to cope with the high price of gasoline.  

Options include bicycling, taking public transportation, switching from a sport-utility vehicle to a hybrid-powered vehicle or more economical car, and making investments that benefit from rising energy prices.

The American Automobile Association reports that regular, self-service, unleaded gasoline averaged $2.181 a gallon Friday in Memphis, compared with $2.185 on Thursday, $1.975 on March 15 and $1.712 on April 15, 2004.

A slight decline in recent days may derive from the fact that oil futures for May delivery neared a seven-week low, at $50.22 a barrel, on Wednesday.

Nationwide, the average gas price jumped 20.3 cents to $2.251 a gallon this month, AAA reports.

Alison Burton, spokeswoman for the Memphis Area Transit Authority, said her office has received increased inquiries about how to get to major employment centers, such as FedEx World Headquarters. Although Burton could not cite ridership statistics yet, the people waiting at MATA's downtown bus terminal seem more diverse than usual, recently, she said.

"We were discussing it here, and we're thinking that when the price hits $3 a gallon, that will be when people will really increase bus use," she said.

The Energy Information Administration predicts that won't happen this summer. The price for regular, self-service, unleaded gasoline should peak at $2.35 a gallon in May nationally and average $2.28 a gallon through the peak summer driving months.

Don't expect a lot of sympathy from James L. Barth of Bartlett.

"I drive an economical Toyota and do not spend much more than I used to on gas," he said in an e-mail. "Sure it costs me 5 or 6 dollars more now to fill up, but that's not much when compared with inflation on other items. ...

"When I ask the people in my office -- that are complaining about gas prices -- what they drive the answer is almost always the same: full-size trucks, Suburbans, and SUVs. ... If you buy a truck or SUV or Suburban because they are fashionable, then you should be the last person to complain about gas prices. ... I used to own a truck and spent about a hundred dollars a month on gas. Now I spend half that -- and that is because I drive a big Toyota, the Avalon."

Englishman Gary Swaddle, who lives in Memphis, had this to say in an e-mail Thursday:

"Coming from a continent where petrol costs between $5 and $6 per gallon, I can offer a well practiced list of fuel saving measures: 1. Plan ahead. ... 2. Avoid harsh acceleration and braking. ... 3. Check tire pressures regularly. ... 4. Have your vehicle serviced. ... 5. Walk or ride a bike."

Rick Loan, a FedEx pilot with a master's degree in finance who lives in Collierville, did a thorough analysis on how much his new Honda Civic Hybrid saves him, compared with the 1998 Ford Expedition he traded in.

"I drive approximately 900 miles each month," he said in an e-mail. "My old Expedition averaged 13 miles per gallon. That's 69 gallons of gas each month. My new Honda Hybrid averages 39 MPG. That's 23 gallons of gas each month. With gas at $2.10 a gallon, I'm saving $96.60 each month on the 46 gallons of gas that I am not buying."

John Douglass did a different kind of analysis of his energy costs.

"For the last two years I have been putting every extra dollar I can raise into mutual funds which purchase shares of oil and gas companies plus petroleum futures," he said in an e-mail. "The result? My adjusted net price for a gallon of gas is currently 14 cents. High gas prices? It depends on how you look at it. Do you aggressively confront a situation or do you let it control you? Do you pay interest or do you collect it? My point is that virtually every 'problem' has a solution. You just have to take the initiative to solve it."

-- Mark Watson: 529-5874