Gas Prices Show Slight Decline

Gasoline prices have gone down for Memorial Day weekend. Yes, down.

According to the Inland Automobile Association, the average price for regular unleaded gasoline in Eastern Washington and North Idaho last Friday was $1.60 a gallon for self-service regular fuel. That’s a nickel less than the price of regular unleaded at Easter.

Some North Spokane stations Wednesday were charging $1.48 a gallon for self-serve unleaded.

“Traditionally, prices would rise at the beginning of the summer travel season and then decline after Labor Day,” said Ed Sharman, the Inland Automobile Association’s communications director, “but for the last few years that hasn’t been the case.”

The average price of mid-grade unleaded is $1.64 a gallon, compared with $1.70 a gallon at Easter, and premium unleaded is now averaging $1.74 a gallon, compared with $1.79 at Easter. Diesel prices have fallen even more, from $1.66 a month ago to $1.57.

Even though local gasoline prices have dropped from their April highs, they are still about 30 cents more per gallon than they were a year ago.

But that isn’t stopping Memorial Day vacationers. Based on a national telephone survey, the American Automobile Association predicts that 28.4 million Americans will take highway trips this weekend, up 3 percent from last year.

Sharman says the national trend should hold true in the Inland Northwest.

“I would say for the most part, our members have not changed their plans because of the price of gasoline,” he said.

“In fact, when it was at its highest, for some quirky reason, we seemed to be designing more motor travel trips for our members than normal.”