Gas Rationing Comes to Brooklyn Heights

By on November 8, 2012 4:12 pm in Brooklyn Heights

The lines at the Shell station on Atlantic Avenue will be getting shorter—but only because Mayor Bloomberg has imposed a “odd and even” emergency rationing plan. Beginning Friday, you’ll only be able to drive into a gas station to fill up if your license plate ends with an odd or even number, depending on the date of the month (if your plate ends with letter, join the “odd” days queue). Unlike New Jersey, the Emergency Order does not provide an option for walking up with a gas canister.

P.S. The Atlantic Shell station is currently out of gasoline, with a sign posted saying it doesn’t know when the next supply is coming in.

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  • She’s Crafty

    Just curious, does that mean people can’t fill up gas canisters? If they need to run a generator, where can they go?

  • Nick G

    Cars are big enough that they get clogged at the gas line. If you have a gas can, either wait in the gas can line (if there is one) or duck between cars when there is a gap.

  • Scrambler

    I think this gas situation is a crock of BS. How can this country have a gas shortage? It makes no sense.

  • Bloomy

    @Scrambler Some local refineries were taken out. It is also an issue of supply and demand. There is never enough gas in the supply chain for everyone to have a full tank. When a disaster strikes and a shortage due to power outages happens, everyone worries and wants to have a full tank. This then perpetuates the problem.

    Years ago I lived in Atlanta when we had a shortage due to the supply demand issue. It was only solved once people got gas when they needed it, not when they wanted it.

  • Nick G
  • jack

    I still wonder what this means to zipcar. Yeah, the company says it is refilling cars, but i wonder. If not, the risk is you rent a car and then spend an extra 3 hours in line for gas assuming it is the correct number day

  • rocket74

    She’s Crafty”: According to all that I have read, gas cans are not included in the rationing scheme. So people with generators are OK in that regard. Also, it means you can always park around the corner, fill your can, then go back to your car and fill it from the can, at a slight cost in inconvenience, even if it’s not your day.

    Scrambler & Nick G: I think the reasons given in the PM article are correct, but there’s also the fact that we have gasoline price controls (which means that prices aren’t allowed to float, which would decrease demand and increase the incentive to bring in fuel from other areas) and that it’s illegal to resell gasoline (without being a gas station or dealer, obviously) which stifles the informal market in gas.

  • Andrew Porter

    Also, since the elections, there’s been a nationwide shortage of hot air.

  • Nick G

    Rocket74, you’re right, but everyone around here calls price discovery through supply and demand “gouging”