Local gas prices have been falling, but not far enough for some.
"They're awful. It's ridiculous," Tina Ondeck, Palo Alto, said Monday.
Ondeck was filling her Jeep Wrangler at Exxon near Route 61 and Mount Carbon Arch Road, Pottsville. The price there was $3.55 a gallon for regular unleaded gasoline.
Leslie Guldin, Friedensburg, was at the pump Monday at Chestnut Street Market, Route 183, Cressona with her Hyundai Sonata. The price was $3.49 a gallon.
"I'm glad they are finally coming down but it could always come down a little more," Guldin said.
The national average price for regular unleaded gasoline has fallen for 11 consecutive days, according to American Automobile Association reports Monday. The national average was $3.55 per gallon Monday, which is 7 cents lower than last week.
The national average has declined for 22 of the last 24 days, falling 12 cents in that time. Aug. 6 was the first time since June 1 that motorists had over-the-year savings at the pump. The 14-cent disparity Monday was the largest over-the-year discount since May 14.
Robert W. Wachter, chief executive officer of AAA Schuylkill County, Pottsville, said it can be tough to determine future trends because of how often the price has been fluctuating.
"The only thing I can say is that more and more people are traveling now at the end of the summer," Wachter said.
With school starting soon, Wachter said it is often the last chance for families to take a summer vacation.
"People are still traveling, there's no doubt about it," he said.
Prices may see another surge in coming weeks due to possible late-summer hurricanes and the accompanying refinery problems, according to the AAA report. Storms can disrupt production, distribution and gasoline supply.
However, if no major hurricanes threaten the Gulf Coast and refineries continue to run smoothly heading into mid-September, prices could remain flat or even decline further.