NJ Sees 7.5% Increase in Memorial Day Travel AAA Mid-Atlantic Projects

Over 58,000 more New Jersey residents will travel for the Memorial Day holiday weekend in 2010 than 2009, an increase of 7.5 percent, AAA Mid-Atlantic projects.
AAA projects that 835,000 Garden State residents will travel more than 50 miles from home for this year’s Memorial Day holiday. In comparison:
In 2009, about 776,500 traveled for the holiday.
In 2008, about 813,000 traveled for the holiday.
In 2007, about 910,000 traveled for the holiday.
The total number of New Jersey residents who will travel for the 2010 Memorial Day holiday accounts for about 9.5% of the state’s more-than 8.7 million residents, AAA’s forecast shows.
“While the economy continues to be rocked by waves of occasional uncertainty, improved economic performance from one year ago should cause more New Jerseyans to take vacations this Memorial Day holiday weekend,” said Tracy E. Noble, AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesperson. “At the very least travelers should expect to have plenty of company on New Jersey’s roadways.”
For Memorial Day 2010:
· Approximately 742,000 New Jersey residents are projected to travel by automobile, a 7.8% increase from 2009:
· +/- 89% of New Jersey travelers will go by automobile.
· AAA’s survey found that 49,000 are projected to travel by airplane, a 4.8% increase from 2009:
· +/- 5.9% of New Jersey travelers will go by airplane
· About 43,500 will travel by train, bus, watercraft or other mode, which is a 5.2 % increase compared to 2009:
· +/- 5.2% will of New Jersey travelers will use these modes.
Nationally, AAA projects the number of Americans traveling for the Memorial Day 2010 holiday weekend to increase 5.4% compared to 2009. Approximately 32.1 million travelers are projected to take a trip of 50 or more miles away from home. Last year, 30.5 million Americans traveled during the same period.
In New Jersey, decreasing pump prices are good news for the vast majority of projected holiday travelers.
At $2.70, New Jersey’s average gallon of regular serve is 44 cents higher than last year but still less than the national average of $2.77.
Historical Perspective on Memorial Day Holiday Gas Prices, average per gallon, in New Jersey:
2009 – $2.26
2008 – $3.81
2007 – $2.96
2006 – $2.91
2005 – $2.05
2004 – $2.00
2003 – $1.42
2002 – $1.34
2001 – $1.65