'It's Outrageous:' Rising Gas Prices Shock Bayside Drivers

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — When Thomas Hadziutko filled up the tank of his car this week he joked that the three-figure price tag required financial backing.

"I went to pay with cash and they asked for a co-signer," he posted in a public Bayside Facebook group alongside an image of the gas pump showing that a full tank cost him $126.

Hadziutko is not alone. Gas prices, which have been steadily rising in the weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, surpassed the highs of the 2008 recession and hit a nationwide record Tuesday, topping out at $4.173 per regular gallon, according to AAA.

Prices at the pump are even higher for New Yorkers, who are paying $4.366 on average for a single gallon — a squeeze that's and left some Baysiders disillusioned with President Joe Biden, who just decided to ban Russian oil imports in an attempt to punish Moscow for its incursion into Ukraine.

"What is [Joe Biden] doing to help his fellow Americans and the situation?" asked Karen Sekera-Nuccio on the same Bayside Facebook thread. "My hubby got 21 gallons today in his truck for $95. Not going to be able to afford to go to work soon."

William Szabo agreed that there is "no real plan from our leaders to fix [gas price increases]," which he expects will just continue to rise. "Spring is just about to begin so prices will go up. Expect at least another 25 to 50 cents more before summer," he wrote.

A third neighbor, Dave Mirra expects to see even higher prices. "I think we’ll be lucky if it only goes up another 25 to 50 cents," he wrote.

Biden, on his part, has acknowledged that his embargo on Russian oil could have an impact at home, but he hopes to ameliorate "Putin's price hike" at the gas pumps by releasing 60 million barrels of oil from strategic reserves.

Some Baysiders, however, were simply shocked to see the price hikes.

"Just paid $60 cash at BP on Francis Lewis," wrote one neighbor, adding that she filled two tanks for that price last week. "[Today] it barely passed the second top line, and that was regular!!!"

Others were shocked to spend over $100 on gas, or see the price tag rise to double its usual cost.

"It's outrageous," wrote one neighbor alongside a crying emoji, adding that she paid over $100 for a tank, too.

While Americans might continue to be shocked by the prices on their gas pumps, some experts expect that the higher-than-average prices won't last long, noting that gas prices make up a relatively small part of consumer spending, according to the New York Times.

Some Baysiders have taken that point a step further, arguing that, especially in a transit-rich city like New York City, people have options other than paying for exorbitantly-priced gas.

"In NY we have so many people riding bikes especially electric ones," wrote Theresa De Bonis. "They pass me up on the road [and] get places faster than me. Sure do think about getting one."

Michael Battino agreed that New Yorkers have transit options other than single-person cars. "Why don’t we do what we did years ago when this happened. We carpooled, took mass transit, [rode] bikes," he wrote.

In addition to having an array of transit options, some people on the Bayside thread noted that the rising price of gas, while inconvenient, pales in comparison to the intensifying humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

"At least we're not fleeing our homes with only what we can carry," wrote Pamela Parisi.

Related Article: Russia Oil Ban: What It Means For NYC