There might be an upside after all to record gas prices: lighter traffic.

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“It definitely has an impact of fewer drivers on the road,” said KGW Traffic Reporter Michael Convery. He’s been watching traffic patterns in the Metro area for 15 years, and said the traffic levels are improving. His take: more drivers are carpooling, telecommuting, or taking public transportation.

“One of the big bottlenecks in Portland is the drive to and from Vancouver,” Convery said. “You go right through that two lane stretch in Delta Park.” Within the last few months, Convery says the major congestion is often all clear at 7:45 a.m. That would have been unheard of a couple if years ago.”

Drivers at a gas station in downtown Portland saw the price of unleaded regular at $3.77 a gallon on Monday. One delivery truck driver paid nearly $100 for 25 gallons.

“It’s ridiculous,” said Al Cohron, an iron worker who has to drive hours to get to jobs in Astoria and Roseburg. He said he‘s lucky to have a company gas card, but some coworkers aren’t so lucky. Cohron said he’s not optimistic that prices will come down.

“Back would probably be $3 a gallon. It’s not going to go lower,” he said. ”It’s just the way it is.”

Jessica Sturm said she recently sold her Mitsubishi Eclipse after moving to Portland, and Tyson Hood said he’s thinking of trading in his gas guzzling pickup truck.

“A whopping 13 miles to the gallon in the city,” Hood said. “I’m definitely thinking of buying a family vehicle first.”

And while those drivers wait for prices to fall, some say at least they’re not spending as much time stuck in traffic.