Gas Prices Hit All-Time High In Pennsylvania, South Jersey And Delaware
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Gas prices continue to climb, hitting new record highs in the area over the weekend, with no signs of slowing down. Eyewitness News spoke with some drivers who are feeling the pain at the pump, and they're tired of talking about it.
For the first time ever, gas prices hit new record highs in Pennsylvania, South Jersey and Delaware -- all on the same day.
"Oh, it's crazy. I thought it was going to get better and it just seems to be getting worse," Philadelphia resident Danielle Milbourne said.
In Delaware, the average gallon of gas is now up to $4.40.
It's slightly higher in South Jersey at $4.45 a gallon, and Pennsylvania takes the cake at $4.50 per gallon on average, with drivers paying even more to fill up in Philadelphia.
"I definitely think about it more, yeah. Do I really need to drive? Maybe I should take the bus or the subway," Milbourne said.
Experts say the rising cost of crude oil is driving up prices at the pump, mostly fueled by fears of less Russian oil entering the global market.
"With all the problems that are happening in the world, that's trivial. And they're going up because of what's happening in the Ukraine," Philadelphia resident Susan Halpern said.
As the cost of gas closes in on $5 per gallon, every driver Eyewitness News talked to admits they're feeling the pain at the pump, and some say they're sick of hearing about it.
"Everybody's driving around trying to get to the cheaper gas, just get the gas. It's not going to go anywhere so just get the gas. Pay what you gotta pay," Philadelphia resident Michele Edwards said.
A political science professor says how you vote this November could make a difference.
"It's going to continue to up," said Voytek Wolfe.
Wolfe is an associate professor of political science at Rutgers University–Camden. He says the inflation is because of a lack of investment in oil, the war in Ukraine and regulatory issues.
"These are all highly political issues. We're going into midterms elections then we'll be prepping for the presidential elections, so I imagine it's going to be a hot top issue," Wolfe said.
In New Jersey, two bills aimed at helping skyrocketing fuel costs are awaiting votes in the House and the Senate.
One presented by New Jersey Assemblymember Raj Mukherji would give $400 for every noncommercial vehicle owned and registered in the state. The other, backed by state Sen. Ed Durr of Gloucester County, would give $500 to families for inflation relief.
But until relief rears its head, people who border the bridge say they are forced to be resourceful.
CBS3's Ross DiMattei and Jasmine Payoute contributed to this report.
