Students may be parking their cars and picking up their bikes soon as gas prices continued to soar this weekend, nearing $3 nationwide.
The national average for regular gas prices Sunday was $2.90 – a rise of 39.1 cents from the previous month.
The average for Louisiana was $2.87 compared to one year ago when it was $2.14, according to a report by American Automobile Association.
Michael Right, vice president of public affairs for AAA, said the high gas prices are the result of the significant increase in crude oil prices. Crude oil prices have topped more than $75 a barrel.
Right said that Monday the average price for regular gas in Louisiana was the highest it has ever been for the state at $2.88.
Some students said they are feeling the financial burden of the rising price of gas and seeking alternative methods of transportation.
Cydney Wilson, mass communication freshman who drives a Jeep Liberty, said it costs her $55 to fill up her gas tank.
“I take the bus,” Wilson said. “I refuse to drive. My friend drives a Honda Accord, and my boyfriend drives a Civic, and I make them drive me everywhere. I drive home, and that’s it.”
Wilson said when she got her car a few years ago, it only cost $36 dollars to fill her tank.
Sean Foret, a kinesiology sophomore who drives a Ford Expedition, said it costs him $70 to fill his gas tank.
“I think it’s pretty ridiculous,” Foret said. “I take the bus to school, but getting around Baton Rouge wastes a lot of gas. I have to fill up once a week.”
Brennan Percy, store manager of the Bicycle Shop on Highland Road, said that when the gas prices went up after Hurricane Katrina, his store saw an increase in sales.
He said that in light of the recent hike in gas prices, the store placed a larger bike order in preparation for a possible rise in sales.
Across the country Americans have been responding to the increase in gas prices by looking to public transportation.
According to an April 23 report in USA Today, Thursday was the sixth busiest day in Washington D.C. for the Monorail and Tuesday was the ninth busiest.
In San Francisco, ridership on the Bay Area Rapid Transit is up 4.1 percent for the fiscal year, which spokesmen attribute to heavy traffic and high gas prices.
California, Connecticut, New York and Washington D.C., have average regular gas prices of more than $3, according to a report by the American Automobile Association.
Gas prices have not been this high since Katrina, when the national average was $2.91.
Since Katrina, rising gas prices have made an impact in the vehicle market.
According to an AP report, Sept. 30 was the last day of production for the Ford Excursion, a 19-foot sport utility, as Ford shifted its efforts toward producing more fuel efficient vehicles.
This year, more consumers have been purchasing vehicles with four-cylinder engines more than the gas-guzzling six- and eight-cylinder engines.
According to a report by the Power Information Network, 31.5 percent of vehicles sold this year have been four-cylinder engines, up from 29.2 percent in 2003.
President Bush made an announcement Tuesday about his plans to decrease energy prices, which included an ease in the environmental regulations for gas formulation and investigations in possible price gouging and price fixing for gas.
Bush also called for the expansion of tax breaks for consumers of hybrid cars, which are gas and battery powered.
 
Contact Rebekah Allen at [email protected]