Travelers keep it local this holiday
Many focus on regional destinations
By Larry Meyer
Argus Observer
Friday, July 4, 2008 11:32 AM PDT
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| A truck moves down the freeway Thursday. This year holiday traffic appears to be down from last year. The reason? You guessed it, gas prices. So far, while people are hitting the roadway, most are not going long distances. Instead, many appear to be willing to stay close to home this Fourth of July holiday. |
ONTARIO — If there is one word that defines holiday traffic this weekend, it is probably “regional.”
Many area residents appear to be forgoing travel, or only going a short distance away from home, this holiday weekend as gasoline prices appear to rest firmly above $4 per gallon.
A quick check of prices in the Ontario and Fruitland areas show a range of prices from $4.15 per gallon for regular unleaded to $4.21 per gallon.
“There is quite a bit of traffic — people heading for the hills, camping and stuff,” Malheur County Sheriff Andy Bentz said Wednesday, adding it appeared like people were not traveling very far.
Other than the holiday traffic, travel around the county is down, Bentz said.
“We have way less speed, particularly on trucks,” he said, with numbers of speed violations down. “There seems to be less travel on highways.”
Reserved camping spots at Farewell Bend State Recreation Area were taken and taken early, Nickie Scharbrough, office coordinator, said. Only a few first-come, first-serve spaces were still available Wednesday.
“A lot of people are from Boise,” she said. “A lot of people from there camp here.”
At the Ontario Welcome Center it’s the same message — traffic remains mostly regional.
“They are overwhelmingly from Idaho and Utah,” Karen Cleaver, Ontario Welcome Center manager, said, showing the statistics she keeps. But the numbers are down from last year.
“We’re almost at 300 people per day,” Barry Sucorowski, staff member said, but that compares to more than 400 people last year during Memorial Day. However, both believe once the construction work on the restrooms, which began Memorial Day, is completed and it is open again to all traffic, the number of visitors will noticeably pick up. Cleaver estimated the numbers would still be down about 15 percent without the issue of the restroom, because of fuel prices. Portable toilets have been available for use at the center, which has been off limits to truckers.
Nationally, about half-a-million fewer people will be on the highways this holiday weekend, according to results of the annual survey by the AAA. Still, more than 40 million are expected to grin and bear it and travel 50 or more miles during the weekend, the survey showed.
