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Gas prices in Mass. are now over $4.50 a gallon. What does that mean for Memorial Day weekend traffic?
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The highways are expected to start getting busy with Memorial Day weekend travelers after lunch today. According to AAA, today and tomorrow afternoon will likely be the worst times to drive. But this year, traffic might not be your biggest concern.
Gassed up: The average price of a gallon of gas in Massachusetts hit $4.50 yesterday for this first time since 2022 due to the effects of the war in Iran. That's a full $1.50 higher than this time last year, meaning drivers face an extra $20 to $30 dollars for a tank of gas over what's typically a roadtrip holiday. But according to AAA, just as many people — if not a little more than last year — are expected to travel, including a projected 2 million in New England. WBUR's Stevee Chapman spoke to our go-to holiday travel expert, AAA Northeast spokesperson Mark Schieldrop, about the impacts of higher gas prices and how drivers can try to save a little at the pump.
- Travel impacts: Schieldrop said the spiking gas prices since early March have yet to lead to any "massive shift" in driving behavior. People are just paying more. "Your typical trip is booked three to six months out, so that means a lot of folks are just going to travel no matter what the gas prices are," he said.
- The bigger impact on road traffic this weekend might actually be the relatively cool (and slightly rainy) forecast. That kind of weather means fewer people jumping in the car for spontaneous beach days, which could free up the road a little for people with planned trips, Schieldrop said.
- How to save: Schieldrop said there's "no secret gas station undercutting everybody by a dollar a gallon." (Darn.) But there are ways to strategize to save a little. His first tip is to use a gas price-tracking app to shop around — and avoid gas stations right off the highway. "Service plazas and rest areas are places where you're going to see gas prices 20 or even 30 cents higher than gas stations that are in town," he said.
- Schieldrop also said wholesale club memberships (i.e. BJ's, Costco), as well as fuel brand apps and rewards programs, offer decent discounts. "Many of them have promotional offers right now where you can save 50 cents or even $1 a gallon on your first purchase," he said. "If you do plan on filling up completely, it may be a good opportunity to cash in on one of those."
- Looking ahead: Schieldrop said there are early signs that prices could affect people's behavior as the summer driving season wears on. For example, he said gas station data in May so far shows a less than 1% drop in the number of gallons people are buying. Schieldrop said the "very slight" dip was noteworthy because "normally we expect to see pretty strong growth in May."
Addressing a different kind of inflation: Harvard's faculty voted yesterday to approve a new policy that caps the number of "A" grades handed out in a class to 20% of students, plus four additional students. (The "plus four" part is designed to give some flexibility to smaller classes.) The new policy starts with the 2027-28 school year.
- The backstory: As WBUR's Suevon Lee recently reported, the proposal came out of rising concern about grade inflation. For example, “A” grades represented two-thirds of all Harvard letter grades last academic year, which some argued had diluted the meaning of the top mark.
Down on Capital Hill: Republicans and Democrats in the House voted 396 to 13 yesterday to pass the big "meatball" of a housing affordability bill championed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren. But there's still one small, crucial sticking point. The House removed controversial language from the Senate version of the bill that would require big corporate landlords to sell any "build-to-rent" homes they build after seven years. (The provision is part of a larger proposal both chambers agree on to otherwise ban landlords with more than 350 single-family homes from buying any more.)
- What's next: In a statement with the bill's Republican cosponsor, Sen. Tim Scott, Warren said there's "still work to be done." She later suggested to reporters it could take a while to resolve the differences.
Parole (board) denied: Despite a rare in-person plea from Gov. Maura Healey herself, the Governor's Council rejected her Parole Board nominee Vincent DeMore yesterday by a vote of 4-3. Healey called the vote "very disappointing" and said she still believes the board needs someone with DeMore's mix of experiences as both a prosecutor and defense lawyer.
P.S.— "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" comes to an end tonight, after being canceled by CBS. Ahead of the final episode, read this Cognoscenti commentary from former Boston radio host and reporter Bill Lichtenstein, who argues something "older and more important" than a talk show is being lost.
