Article published July 03, 2009
1.9% drop in holiday travel predicted
AAA cites uncertain economy, fuel prices
Kevin Blackman, here with son Jordan, and the family left their home near Chicago and are traveling through Ohio. Mr. Blackman’s wife, Nicole, said gas was more than $2.80 a gallon in Illinois.
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THE BLADE/AMY E. VOIGT
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By DAVID PATCH
BLADE STAFF WRITER
A public jittery about the U.S. economy's future, possibly reinforced by fuel prices that rose dramatically in late spring, is putting a damper on Independence Day travel plans nationwide, AAA said.
Based on travel surveys and analysis of past travel behavior, the auto club predicted a 1.9 percent decline in the number of Americans traveling more than 50 miles from home this weekend compared with last year. The 37.8 million Americans who made such trips in 2008 marked a 10.5 percent decline from Fourth of July vacation volume the year before, even though the holiday fell midweek that year.
The Independence Day holiday is typically the busiest time of the year for auto travel, AAA noted, because with schools out, parents are more likely to schedule family vacations than at any other time during the year.
"Many Americans remain cautious about the outlook for their personal finances and these attitudes are reflected in the slight decline in travel we are forecasting for the upcoming holiday weekend," said April Cochran, the marketing operations manager for AAA Northwest Ohio.
After peaking in the $2.80s per gallon for self-service, unleaded regular during early June, fuel prices in the Toledo area have tailed off in recent weeks and fell below $2.40 at some local stations early this week before rebounding as retailers apparently moved to capitalize on holiday demand.
The late-spring run-up may cause some travelers "to limit or abbreviate their holiday plans," the AAA survey found, though the higher prices' "impact on overall vacation costs remains minimal."That was the case for one out-of-state family's travel plans who stopped yesterday at a rest stop on the Ohio Turnpike near Toledo.
"I'm definitely excited about the gas prices here compared to Illinois," said Nicole Blackman, who was traveling through Ohio yesterday with her husband and three children.
Mrs. Blackman said the price of gasoline was more than $2.80 a gallon when the family started their trip from their home in suburban Chicago.
Gasoline remains significantly cheaper than it was a year ago, when local prices were bobbing around $4 per gallon for regular after having topped that mark for the first time in Toledo history in mid-May of last year.
Auto travel accounts for the vast majority of Americans' trips for all holidays, but AAA predicted a slight increase in air travel for the Independence Day weekend because of "pent-up demand" from people who have not flown in several years.
Those leaving Toledo by car today will find relatively few road-construction obstacles. The biggest hassle is likely to be getting across the Maumee River during and after the fireworks displays tomorrow evening, since the Craig Memorial Bridge is closed for reconstruction of its approaches and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Bridge will be closed for the show.
South of Toledo, the first major work zone on I-75 is in Dayton, while to the north major reconstruction of I-75 through Rockwood and Detroit is essentially complete and all lanes will be open for the holiday.
The Ohio Turnpike expects no significant construction-related lane closings during the holiday weekend, but State Rt. 2 is reduced to one lane each way in eastern Erie County.
Blade staff writer Neena Satija contributed to this report.
Contact David Patch at:
dpatch@theblade.com
or 419-724-6094.
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