Waiting In Line For Gas... I suppose there are worse lines to be in

[sandbox 0]

I live in Houston, and there was an extreme gas shortage here over the weekend as people were hording or filling up to get out of the city. I stayed in the city because I wasn't worried about flooding and lived in a sturdy building. I did have some adventures trying to find gas and then waiting in line for it once I found it.First of all, you don't want to go looking for gas because you don't want to waste gas trying to find it if it's not available. There is an initial hump you have to get over before deciding to go searching. This hump gets larger the less you have in your tank, but the anxiety level driving the search gets more intense too, so you start to go a little crazy.Then, the amount of time you're willing to spend driving around searching for a gas station that is selling gas must be considered, and the dynamics are similar to leaving in the first place.Once you find a place with lots of cars in line you have to circle a few times to make sure that the cars are moving. This is where it is helpful to have a spotter in the passenger seat who can run up to the front of the line and see if people are pumping or just waiting around. Sometimes people will line up and wait simply because there is a rumor that gas is coming soon.I heard some stories that people attempted to use tanks at stations even though they claimed to be out of gas, and that this sometimes worked, so you don't know if you should just pick a few empty stations and try it.Once you actually find a station with gas, and assuming you're at a crowded one, if no one is directing traffic in the station then you get people cutting in line. Most everyone is civil and orderly, but you get a few wackos who don't care what anybody else thinks and they cut in line and ruin the process for the rest of us sane people. Then you get people who yell at you to go to a certain pump if no one is directing traffic. Again, most folks were civil, but some people lose their cool.It is so nerve-wracking sitting in a line waiting for gas because you don't know if they're going to run out by the time you get to the pumps, and if they do run out then you wasted all that gas in the meantime. Also, if you're running the air conditioning (which you really want to because it's 100 degrees outside) then this problem is compounded.Finally, once you get a full tank of gas, everybody you know who doesn't have gas wants you to siphon yours into their tank for them. Even if they don't need it, they just want the security of a fuller tank. Typically these people have not waited in line for gas and don't know how much you've been through to get it and therefore are much too casual about asking you for it.In the US we have all of our material needs provided for so readily that we rarely if ever encounter scarcity, so, in case you're wondering, this is a really good example of what it's like! Still, it's really hard to imagine what it's like in Iraq where people wait for days for gas. I'd also be interested to see a thread on "What is...sitting in traffic for 24+ hours."

Notice from cmatcmextra:

Edited as request...

Edited September 27, 2005 by cmatcmextra (see edit history)

[unicornrose 0]

Well now that is quite interesting. I did not know that Houston was having a gas shortage. Thanks for telling us about this. I wanted to mention that when I was about 5 years old I remember there was a gas shortage in California too. I don't remember why. I was a little bit young then. But I remember the long lines to get into the gas station and the many colorful words my Dad was saying while we were waiting for the gas pumps.

[cse-icons 0]

Thats how it is... A cycle.. You use gas to search for Gas... And yeah, it does not feel nice to get it after a long search and someone comes up and wants it just coz he/she might want to fill the tank and is not in urgent need...People realize the value of natural resouces only when there is a shortage. I am not against using natural resources, but the way they use it just coz they can afford it or it is cheap around them makes it all the more costlier.As for the gas prices, it is cheap in the US as compared to other places, not counting Middle East of course. But as it is cheap, people tend to consume more and hence there is a fast depletion. This leads to rise in prices not only at that place but all over the world. And since it is already very costly at other places, it pinches more when you need to shell out a abnormally high cost for a necessary resource.Not only that, increase in crude oil prices/Gas leads to rise in prices of all other goods, since transportation cost of all goods increase. It is like a chain reaction. This increases inflation, thus in turn affecting interest rates and what not...Not many would think of these facts, even I might not, if it were not for the scarcity or price rise one faces, once in a while.Hope everyone starts to understand that the natural resouces are limited and we need to use them in a proper manner and reduce wastage.CheersP.S. A few points here might not be related to the discussion above but just wanted to share them and this topic on Gas felt suitable..

[PhxStorks 0]

A while ago here in Arizona we had a shortage because one of the lines from a refinery broke that supplied most of our gas. The prices & lines were just crazy. The governor talked about enacting a "No-price-gouging" law, but it never happened, and now with the THREAT of a shortage the jerks here jack up the prices. I know we don't have it as bad as some people in this country or the world but it just pisses me off that these companies can get away with charging so much to people who are already frustrated with the cost of fuel. And yes, we need it. And yes, we do depend on it WAY too much. Another issue I have is these stupid people who think they need a SUV to go to the SUPERMARKET. Excuse me, but when did a soccer-mom need to drive what amounts to a small HUMMER to get the kids to school? I have a small Hyundai and my husband does have a large WORK-TRUCK. I would love to be able to afford a "hybrid" car, but they are just WAY to expensive for our budget, and with the mileage I put on my car for my business, I would just kill the value of it in no time. Haha I do love seeing the car-companies SQUIRM because their sales of SUV's has dropped since the price of fuel has started to up so rapidly in the past year. They are doing all kinds of advertising to try to get more people to buy the stupid gas-guzzlers. Like saying how "fuel-efficient" they are compared to OTHER suv's. Yeah but they are still TWICE as bad a CAR!

[AmandaB78 0]

I think that everyone should buy scooters! Motorized ones that you can charge. My little sister has one and they are pretty quick. That's not a permanent solution but hey it might help some people. The gas problem isn't too bad in MA. The only problem is the proces going up. I feel for those in the hurricanes paths. I'm sorry and I wish there was more this country could do to help. Harleys and bikes are also a good idea for those not looking to spend a lot on gas.

[shigajet 0]

Gas prices these days are crazy. In Japan, they've always hovered around the 110-120 yen mark, but in Canada it used to be around 60 cents to the litre. Now it's almost the same as the gas prices in Japan.

[BuffaloHelp 24]

Moving from What Is...? to Regional Affair. Please read the forum section's description again.

[wild20 0]

Quite interesting! I can imagine the panic of all the people worried about whether they will be able to get gas or not. It gets people a little crazy. But if you do wait, what if no gas comes?I was thinking about this, and decided that it would very interesting once our oil reserves start running low. They are already talking about how in a couple of years, they will start to be a strain for gas as the oil starts running out. Well hey, great topic. Have a good day!