As she pumped $2.95-a-gallon gasoline into her petite Plymouth Sunfire yesterday morning in Bel Air, Kristin Bienert was daring to dream SUV dreams.
Not a huge sport utility vehicle like a Tahoe or an Expedition. But in what Maryland auto dealers can only hope is a leading indicator, a significant drop in the cost of gas in Maryland is prompting the 27-year-old Bel Air woman to consider trading in her fuel-sipping small car for a midsized sport utility vehicle - a thought she wouldn't have entertained a few months ago when prices were flirting with $4 a gallon.
"Now that it's dropping, I'm able to save a little more," she said.
Bienert found herself in the right place at the right time yesterday as she filled her tank for a modest $22. The right place because she was in the northeastern corner of the state, where consumers are enjoying some of the lowest prices. The right time because she pulled up to the pump of the Royal Farms at Routes 22 and 543 just minutes after it cut its price by three cents a gallon to steal a march on arch rival Wawa down the street, where the price lingered at $2.98.
The refreshingly reasonable prices in Bel Air reflect a broader plunge in the statewide average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline. According to AAA Mid-Atlantic, prices fell 23 cents last week and four cents further on Sunday and yesterday, when the state average stood at $3.20.
The average statewide price peaked June 17 at $4.05. A year ago, the average was $2.68 - more than a half-dollar less than the current price.
Within the state, there is more than a dollar's worth of disparity between the highest and lowest prices. According to MarylandGasPrices.com, the lowest prices are clustered in North East and Elkton, where a Valero station had gas at $2.69. Meanwhile, a Shell station in Rockville was reported to be charging $3.76 as prices remained higher in the Washington suburbs than in other parts of the state.
Baltimore-area prices were coming down faster than the statewide figures, with an average of $3.17, according to AAA. The gas prices Web site, however, showed several wholesale clubs in the metro area with prices under $2.90. Some stations in central Baltimore were still charging as much as $3.39.
Paul Fiore, government relations director for the Washington, Maryland, Delaware Service Station and Automotive Repair Association, said the differences in prices around the state are the result of a complex mix of factors - including the level of competition, price zones set by distributors and the formulation of fuels sold in various markets around the state.
