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It is Memorial Day weekend. With gas prices rising almost daily, people say they are sticking closer to home and cutting down on miles traveled, according to a recent AAA Mid-Atlantic poll.
The survey found 61 percent of respondents said they would change vacation plans, and 81 percent of respondents said they would cut back on mileage. Just how that affects trips to the Cape Region remains to be seen.
Motorists in the Cape Region are paying from $3.68 to $3.94 for a gallon of regular gas as prices for a barrel of crude oil break records daily.
Catherine Rossi, AAA Mid-Atlantic manager of public and government affairs, said people are still planning vacations.
Carol Everhart, president and CEO of the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce, said based on past experience, when gas prices are high, people tend to stay close to home. And the Cape Region’s market pulls from 20 million people within a four-hour drive, she said.
Rossi said, “Delaware residents will still go to the beach. Families will find creative ways to compensate for the higher costs of travel. High gas prices are definitely affecting travel plans, yet many people plan to celebrate the arrival of the summer season with a trip.”
Betsy Reamer, executive director of the Lewes Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, said the theory that people want to stay close to home would get a good test this year.
“We are hoping that people will make a choice not to go as far because of high gas prices,” she said.
Lewes is within a two-hour drive of Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia.
“We are hoping that people still want to go on beach vacations and take a two-hour drive instead of a four- or five-hour drive,” Reamer said.
According to AAA, the majority of travelers in the region will drive 500 miles or less this Memorial Day weekend and spend $600 or less on lodging and meals.
AAA estimates that about 92,000 Delawareans will travel 50 miles or more this weekend, down 1 percent from last year – based on the increase in gas prices and a slow economy, Rossi said. While the decrease is small, Rossi said, it’s the first time since AAA has kept records there has been a decline in expected holiday travel.
In the Cape Region, Memorial Day is the least traveled of the big three summer holidays.
“It hasn’t been near the biggest for the past 10 years,” said Everhart.
Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) daily traffic counts show there is much more daily traffic in June and July than daily traffic counts over the Memorial Day weekend.
Looking for a rebound
Everhart said because of bad weather and a sluggish economy, hotel and motel occupancy rates in the Rehoboth area were down 2.5 percent during the first quarter compared with last year, but the numbers could start to rebound this weekend.
“Pre-calls to hotels and motels are up over last year,” she said. “And the numbers were excellent last summer.”
She said rentals are also up based on the demand for Realtor welcome kits. “We haven’t had as many requests for supplies since 2003,” she said.
Everhart said historically high gas prices have not caused a decline in beach visitation.
“The trend is that people tend to stay close to home and we are a prime destination,” she said.
She said the trend for extended weekend stays will continue as more and more people opt for weekend stays instead of one- or two-week vacations.
Reamer said this week has been busy in the Lewes area, which could be a strong signal that Memorial Day will be a good weekend for merchants.
“There are still some hotel and motel openings, but just like last year, they will fill up by the end of the weekend,” she said. “And they need to stay filled, because this season is the make or break time for a lot of businesses.”
Reamer said many people extend the Memorial Day weekend into a mini-vacation and stay a few extra days – depending on the weather.
Gas prices skyrocket
The average price for a gallon of gas in the state is $3.81, although the price rises almost daily. That represents a 26 percent increase from a year ago.
A check of Cape Region gas stations on Thursday, May 12, shows that gas prices range from $3.68 to $3.94 for a gallon of unleaded regular. There is one full-serve station in Lewes selling regular gas for $4.12 a gallon – the first in the area to top the $4 mark. Many savvy motorists are turning to discount gas stations such as Sam’s Club and Safeway, which offers 20 cents off per gallon with a $50 grocery purchase.
Ready for traffic
DelDOT officials say they will be ready for the busy weekend. Last year, on Friday, May 25, and Saturday, May 26, at the start of the holiday weekend, more than 79,000 vehicles were counted on Route 1 near Rehoboth Beach at the Route 24 intersection. The daily count was 44,000 on May 25 alone.
More than 77,000 vehicles passed through the main toll plaza on Route 1 at Biddle’s Corner on Friday, May 25. Compare that to more than 109,000 vehicles at the toll plaza on I-95 that same day.
Although 44,000 vehicles seems like a large number, Memorial Day daily traffic is not much more than average daily traffic in October, according to DelDOT traffic count numbers.
The average daily count for October is 44,500. During the summer months, traffic averages more than 74,000 vehicles per day at the Route 24 - Route 1 intersection.
“The peak is not as great as the low anymore,” said Mike Williams, DelDOT spokesman. “The low numbers are the high numbers from 10 to 15 years ago.”
The leveling out of traffic demonstrates a trend: The Cape Region is becoming a 12-month resort.
Even though the Route 1 expansion project between Five Points and Route 24 is not complete, work will stop during the holiday weekend and all lanes will be open – even those that have not received final paving.
DelDOT summer traffic patrol units will be on alert throughout the Memorial Day weekend during peak travel times to assist motorists with breakdowns and accidents.
The units can also update DelDOT’s 24-hour transportation management center with information about traffic delays, issues with signal timing and traffic congestion.
The center will monitor traffic throughout the state and provide updated information via radio station WTMC-1380AM.
HOP ON BOARD THE JOLLY TROLLEY
• The 2008 Jolly Trolley shuttle service between Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach will commence daily operations this Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.
• This is the 39th season that the Jolly Trolley has been servicing the resort area. The shuttle service will start daily service at 3 p.m., Friday, May 23, continuing until 2 a.m. Beginning Saturday, May 24, the daily schedule will be 8 a.m. until 2 a.m. through Labor Day.
• The Jolly Trolley leaves the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk at Rehoboth Avenue every half hour, traffic permitting, traveling along the direct coastal route to south Dewey Beach, with more frequency during peak times.
• The shuttle service will continue after Labor Day, into the fall of 2008, with a revised weekend schedule.
• Call the Jolly Trolley office at 302-227-1197, or visit www.jollytrolley.com for a map and schedule information.
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