And left. And right. And left and... Oh, hi! I didn't see you there. Just getting a little exercise.
You know, on the way home I was really annoyed yesterday. I was low on gas driving home and I pulled off the highway in Dartmouth into the Stop & Shop gas station. There were a lot of cars at the pumps. I had some difficulty deciding where I was going to wait to pull up to a pump.
Someone once told me that the reason they put the gas caps on either the right or left side of cars rather than going for all-left or all-right is so that you won't have everyone trying to get on the right side of a pump and nobody on the left. But at Stop & Shop (and most gas stations) you can approach from either side, so there really never is much of a problem approaching the pump.
Unless there are 10 cars trying to share 7 pumps (one was broken) and they all have their gas caps on the driver's side and you have your gas cap on the passenger side.
There's nobody you can get behind because when they pull through, you'd be on the wrong side.
I drove around 3 times just to make sure. Yep - all lefties.
I could pull up to the front of a car, but that presented two problems. If I pulled up in front, but left enough room to allow the car to get by me, someone might not realize I was waiting for the spot and just pull in behind that car. If I pulled up too close, the person would have to back up. That would annoy them, most likely. Plus, someone might park him or her in. And you just know that someone with the gas cap on the same side is going to think they're the rightful user of that pump, since you're the only one facing a different way.
I thought about hanging back and just waiting. While I thought about that, two more cars arrived and pulled behind cars at the pumps. Now there was at least one car waiting behind each other car, except at the seventh pump at which there was a lawn care guy getting ready to fill his truck and (it appeared) a number of gas cans. In this situation, I was pretty much done.
I drove to another gas station.
Hey, looks like it's about to rain. You'd better get that suede jacket of yours inside. Have a nice day!
Posted by James at June 20, 2008 12:00 PMI was thinking recently that the only thing Stop & Shop needs to do to make more money on gas is to add more pumps, because there's almost always a line there now.
Last time I looked, they were easily the cheapest place along the main drag in Fairhaven, and it's getting a lot easier to spend enough on groceries to get the extra discount too.
My gas cap is on the driver's side also. I prefer having it on the right, because it's easier to open my door if the gas cap is on the opposite side.
Posted by: Julie at June 20, 2008 12:13 PMSpeaking of "Oh, hi, I didn't see you there," I was nearly hit head on yesterday. There must have been something in Earth's gravitational pull yesterday or something.
I was turning onto a one-way street (the right way) as was the SUV in front of me. Imagine my dismay when a car appeared coming the other way (the wrong way).
Due to the SUV in front of me, I didn't see the car until we were inches from eachother. However, I shouldn't have had to be able to see a car coming right at me because it's a one way street.
He beeped at me and yelled at me, and all I could do was get out of my car and yell at him that it's a one way street. I should have run after his car, reached in, and grabbed him. I'm mad at myself that I didn't.
Posted by: Patti M. at June 20, 2008 12:41 PMi am rather glad that you did not!
But also glad you're OK.
Posted by: James at June 20, 2008 12:48 PMThe wrong-way dude should be glad as well. Hell hath no fury like mine, I assure you.
Yes, I lost a year of my life from the fright, but other than that, I'm ok!
Posted by: Patti M. at June 20, 2008 1:46 PMI was told by a Subaru Dealer that Subaru moved it to the passenger side for safety reasons. So that you are not standing in the road when you run out of gas and have to fill your tank.
Posted by: Patty S. at June 20, 2008 4:56 PMThe BJ's by me has one-way arrows directing peeople to, well, go one way into the pump area and one way out. Except that there are more driver's-side cas cap cars on the road (or at least at BJ's) than there are passenger-side gas caps and so a bunch of people either drive the wrong way or back up to get into pumps that are meant for the other type, which then creates a cluster-flock when they leave. Grr.
Posted by: mjfrombuffalo at June 20, 2008 10:27 PMThe motor-truckers!
Posted by: James at June 20, 2008 10:35 PMYou'd think there would be an ANSI standard or some such for placement of gas tanks.
Is it really that hard to make a global decision as to which side the damned thing goes on? We all agree that tires face the ground...
Posted by: Patti M. at June 21, 2008 9:35 AMThe VW dealer (passenger side gas cap) told me the same thing that the Subaru dealer told Patti. Sounds plausible enough but unfortunately, until there is some way to also put all four wheels on the passenger side as well, there's still hazardous work to be done on the driver's side.
Posted by: Julie at June 22, 2008 10:45 PM...and I'd really like to know if Subarus and VWs destined for Japan, UK, and Australia are built with the gas cap on the opposite side.
Posted by: Julie at June 22, 2008 10:47 PMAnd, your point of egress and entrance is usually the driver's side door.
But it still makes sense. The less time spent near highway traffic, the better!
Posted by: James at June 22, 2008 10:58 PM