‘It’s absolutely ridiculous’: Albertans reach deeper into pockets, find alternate solutions as gas prices rise

After the Alberta government announced it would be eliminating the province’s fuel tax to help ease the pain of skyrocketing gas prices, it didn’t take long for Albertans to voice their concerns with the announcement.

On Monday afternoon, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney spoke about the rising cost of gas and the province’s plan to eliminate the 13 cents per litre tax on April 1. By Monday evening, gas prices had once again risen to nearly $1.70/l.

https://twitter.com/hobbles73/status/1501002423241830403

1.67 today

— Zirc (@backwordssirhc) March 7, 2022

Interesting how as soon as that was announced, the price went from $1.55 to $1.65 the same day. Coincidence?????

— Ray Finkle (@timanson) March 8, 2022

That frustration could immediately be felt at the pumps.

“I’m probably going to get a good electronic bike,” said one man CityNews spoke with.

“I’m going to stop using my car this much, because with the inflation, price of fuel, you know, all these things compounded, it’s absolutely ridiculous. It’s not like our wages go up in the same percentage amounts, right?”

WATCH: CityNews’ Jasmine Vickaryous speaks with Calgarians as the price of gas continues to rise. 

That sentiment of finding an alternate way to get around is shared by many Albertans, including those who live in the city.

Several people in Calgary’s biking company have advocated for biking as the main form of getting around, saying it’s a lot easier than you might think.

“People always overestimate how difficult it is to bike in winter. It’s like biking in summer but you have to watch out for ice, and just not turn suddenly,” said Matthew Hicks.

“Some of the challenges have very much been infrastructure-related, some neighbourhoods have really great pathway systems, they’re well built, well maintained. In winter, there’s like no snow or ice on them at all. Other pathways are covered with roots, or ice, it really depends where you are.”

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Dr. Pratim Sengupta, a professor of Learning Sciences and Stem Education at the University of Calgary, pleads with people to just conisder riding a bike if you’re hurting from gas prices.

He says there are several groups in Calgary which would be more than willing to help out those who are a little hesitant.

“There’s a very active cycling support community on Twitter and they use the hashtag #YYCBIKE and I have used that hashtag and reached out to that community many times when I’ve needed to know what is the best way to go to a Costco for example.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, the average cost of gasoline in Alberta is $1.65/l, while the national average is around $1.80/l.