The Great Gas Run of 2005 continues unabated across Ashvegas tonight. A quick tour around town showed dozens of cars lined up at stations waiting to fill up.
But before I go too far with the fear-mongering, like WLOS did last night (to a great public disservice), let me add that I didn't sense a great fear. And whether people want to believe it or not, there was plenty of gas to be had. On my tour of Merrimon and Patton avenues, I saw a number of stations with few people at the pumps, but still open and ready to do business, albeit at $3.10 a gallon for regular.
The Shell station just down the hill from Greenlife was jampacked with autos spilling into the street. Same for the Hot Spot further north in the Woodfin area, just off 19/23. Also, the Hot Spot and nearby Enmark just down Leicester Highway were doing landoffice business tonight about 10 p.m.
Why? Because people are stupid and greedy. Relax. There's no need.
Yes, it will take a while for service to get back to normal. But there's plenty of gas out there. The Colonial pipeline that serves the Spartanburg terminal, where tankers get their loads to distribute to our gas stations here, is up and working at 25 percent capacity, according to reports I've seen.
That did little to ease the rumor mill Wednesday, fed by our local talk radio dumbasses who reported every stupid thing a caller reported. "The guvment is shuttin' down gas stations at noon. No public sales of gasoline after 5 p.m."
Shit like that. And like I said, WLOS did a great public disservice yesterday by not reporting the story and simply stoking the public's base fears. Usually, WLOSers lack of reporting does little harm. This time, it did.
Friends called me to tell of fights at the pumps. Of people driving up in a gianormous Excursion, filling up, then opening the hatch and filling up five oil drums more full of gasoline. Of gas prices changing so fast that attendents couldn't keep up, so they just put up a "3" and stopped with the rest.
Now CNN is reporting $6-a-gallon gasoline in Atlanta. What will it be in Ashvegas in the morning?
I don't know. But chill out.
-Cross posted from Ashvegas
9 comments:
a lady in my spanish class told me that the shell station on sweeten creek in arden (where hendersonville road, airport road, and sweeten creek all meet) was $3.99/gal.
right on, ash - people are stupid and greedy. and if they realized that people in great britain are paying roughly that same amount per liter, they'd shit.
But in Britain it's taxed higher to help pay for things such has health care . . what we need to find is the pre-tax cust in Europe and compare, NC Gas tax is .21
could not agree more. this is not a crisis, it's just the tip of the chronic day-to-day looting that has become the norm in our lifetime.
WLOS put in like 3 or 4 reports on lines at the pumps (MOTO - masters of the obvious) before any mention of Katrina/Iraq.
I went through this last summer in FLA. The first thing to run out would be the highest most expensive grade of gas. Then they would spend 45 min circling looking for more high grade gas. You would pass a place w/ no lines and as they would only have reg gas remaining! In two days it would pass.
Ah the Floridiots....Everyone will be fleeing up here now.....
Its interesting to see how these events bring out peoples true colors. Will we help each other in crisis or run for the guns?
Perhaps this will get people out of their car for a day or two and give them a chance to see how f**king dangerous it is to ride a bike around here. No bike lanes, people like to cut you off, and rarely a bike rack to tie up at once you get there. We like to think of it as a progressive city but really unless you're downtown being a walker/idler/biker is hell!
Cheers to my first rant here...
Ash,
You beat me to it. I was about ready to cross post photos and comments about the WNC "gas panic" when I discovered you had just done it. Thanks for the added info about the Colonial pipeline.
Modpez,
Right on. It's a manufactured crisis stimulated by irresponsible regional (quite possibly national) journalism. The real panic-based tragedy happened in Iraq. Rumor spread through a crowd of Iraqi pilgrims which lead to a stampede on a bridge over the Tigris which took the lives of more than 900 souls. Sad news day all around.
Mx,
Feel free to post more photos! I'm also hoping Asheville Bloggahs will tell stories and relate facts as they happen. This story's got a lot of telling left to be done.
Okay, y'all, the BP on Merrimon (near Coleman) has gas. The Enmark is dead.
Nice rant, Waz. Welcome.
Driving carpool this morning, I couldn't tell if whether or not traffic was lighter than usual, although the parking lot at Greenlife was emptier than it typically is. Perhaps, people actually are foregoing nonessential trips?
Good rant Waz!
Last night on BBC radio, they gave more attention to the Iraqi stampede than to America's devastated Gulf region.
I guess it's all about perspective.
You know sometime artificial shortage is also showed to increase the rates. Well let see what more happens in future.
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