Infernal combustion

DRIVE TIME: This week it was a delight to find gas at $2.31, but who among us can't see the road ahead? Lisa Mascaro of the Daily News finds, for many, $3 is the point that tips the scale to force them to hunt for alternatives. So says Resedan Efren Escarcega. Crisscrossing the southland in the house-cleaning business, he drives his supply-stocked minivan 700 miles a week.

"I need the car," said Escarcega. "I have all this stuff."

He can't imagine another option -- like carrying his gear on the bus -- and says gas would have to rise above $3 a gallon before he'd have to figure out an alternative plan.

"I pay. The car, the rent, a lot of things. It's very difficult for me."