I mentioned this on tonight's program, and I'll say it again: So long as drivers follow the rules, and are respectful of each other, the rationing plan will help ease lines and frustrations. It's been working pretty well in Jersey so far. I'm actually surprised Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg didn't implement this plan sooner. I think it's a good way to help restore order to the chaos New Yorkers feel they're dealing with right now.

Facing long lines and short supply, Mayor Bloomberg issued an emergency order today to address the gasoline crisis in the five boroughs. Effective tomorrow at 6 a.m., a rationing system will limit the ability to purchase gas according to license plate numbers.

Similar to the rationing plan that’s been in place in New Jersey since Saturday, drivers with plates ending with an odd number or a letter can buy gas on odd numbered days. Drivers whose plates end in an even number or a zero can fill up on even days.

Mayor Bloomberg said today he now expects shortages to continue for “possibly another couple of weeks.” Commercial, emergency, paratransit vehicles and buses are exempt, along with those who have medical doctor plates and vehicles licensed by the Taxi and Limousine Commission.

Do you welcome the gas rationing plan? Do you wish it happened earlier? How long are the gas lines in your neighborhood? Have you seen tempers rise, or are New Yorkers being patient? How has a lack of gas affected your ability to work?

Send your thoughts using the link above.

I live in inwood Manhattan and the police that are overseeing the BP gas station at 204 & 10th ave are doing a great job. They honored the Mayors wishes by allowing me to move to the front of the line after showing my nursing identifications. It was well organized and managed on Wednesday morning. Hopefully the keep up the good work.

Michael

I drove around Crown Heights/Prospect Heights and 12 stations were closed. I am lucky to not NEED gas, but feel bad for those that do. Not to mention the folks who don't even have heat in this weather. I really hope this resolves soon.

Maria
Crown Heights

I am going with a group of volunteers tomorrow to assist people in need as a result of the hurricane. We have a group of ten guys looking and willing to do physical work to help get people cleaned up.

If someone sent an email expressing a need, set it up and if its possible we will go and help them.

Best,
Jonathan

Can somebody please tell, how in 2012, with modern technology blossoming virtually on a daily basis, a vital fuel pipeline can be allowed to be taken offline due to loss of power during a nor'easter? How is it not Federal Law for these facilities to be equipped with a generator as backup power supply in the event of electrical outage. This is serious business, gasoline, diesel are life support mechanisms needed by all.

Does anyone in the Federal Government, state, &/or local Governments think anymore? They knew a Sandy could happen. I have seen the programming on TV. They knew and still build power lines above ground. and still have no water protection for lower Manhattan, no dunes protecting the shorelines, and now, no power back up for fuel systems.

Lovely....
Andrew

the Sunoco on Queens Blvd 138- 98 Queens blvd. was giveing gas to a Fleet of Honda Dealership cars. THis is not priority during a crisis this was very insensitive. I waited 4 Hour and this is what they did and told all of the people on line they had no gas this happen on 11-7-2012.

CCC

It took our Mayor this long to decide to ration gas - CLEARLY our Mayor is out of touch and not thinking clearly - but then again, he also wanted to keep the marathon going to keep people "upbeat".

Liz

It's seems to me that lack of gas is artificial, done on purpose , so mta can gain some of their $ back which they lost during storm .

Lucy

Instead of worrying about soda and smoking restrictions Bloomberg should have prepared NYC for this sort of Diaster glad we will have new mYor soon!

G.T.

I went for gas today in the Bronx. The line wasn't too bad but once I was one person away from a pump, the woman ahead of me filled three enormous containers! And then filled the tank of her van! I think this was selfish and should not have been permitted! There were no restrictions or monitoring. I think there should be a quota, a limit per vehicle!

Davine

Ny1 ran a clip about a man who owned a gas station in NJ who was using a manual pump - he had gas but no power. Is there any way for those stations in NY that have no power but have gas to manually pump their gas? Are the pumps old relics or can the city and or FEMA provide them? The city needs to think out of the box- mother nature is!

Marca
Washington Heights NYC

Real simple question? Why is it that we can not get gas in our city? What is the probem, what is stopping them from delivering?

Mirko

I have half a tank and I am starting to panic... How after 10 hours working I should spend 3 hours or more trying to fill up my car??? Is that the change our president was talking about? Who will help all these people affected horribly by the storm? I hope president is watching , after all NY gave our votes for him....

Thank you
P.

I have been volunteering everyday since hurricane Sandy, but I've had to stay local in Howard beach and Hamilton because of worries about gas. Thankfully, a life long ozone park resident who moved down to VA , came up here with supplies to donate and he brought gas for me so I could get around more. Well, suffice to say, I was out in the rockaways today distributing supplies to residents in the 20's..whom everyone seems to have forgotten. I will be back out there everyday until I have no gas left. Bless the souls who are coming from all over to help!

Cori
Ozone park

THE TANKERS (SHIPS) ARE COMING BACK INTO THE PORT AND GOING TO THE BERTH OR SITTING AT ANCHORAGE IN STAPLETON AND BAY RIDGE FLATS WHY IS IT TAKING SO LONG FOR THEM TO GET THE GAS FROM THE TERMINAL TO THE GAS STATION

PHILIP

I live in Parkslope Brooklyn, we had no power outages or flooding just lots of fallen trees. My sister lives in Hicksville Long Island and it's been 10 days and she is still without power ! What is going on? I thought there were elec company crews coming from different states to help with the aftermath? My sister lives on Vincent rd and has a baby, any word on why it's taking so long for Long Island to get power back? It is getting colder and colder.

Jeannie

Why can't they helicopter in supplies to staten island, rockaways, etc.? They have ships positioned off the coast ...

Margaret

Try being a diabetic in a gas line ! I packed a meal, water for medication, and blankets in order to wait in the line. I can out of my house at 2am to make the line. A 61 year old woman should not have to miss a night's sleep to make the line. I still work and I can't wait in line for 5 hours during the day. I did get the gas, but, I ut my safety at risk. Coming back to my house alone was frightful. This is worse than a third world country.

kathy from Throggs Neck da bronx

P,S. better get adult diapers too because they won't let you use the restrooms because some pigs messed them up!

Of course gas rationing of the 70"s is appropriate in this large scale emergency. The NYPD has many more pressing responbilities than acting as gas station security. I think we should let the civilians act like law-abiding citizens; if they choose not to, the station
workers can call 911 and arrests will be made.

Kate
midtown east

My name is Marcelo and I am from Astoria, NY.

Why did it take so long for Mr. Bloomberg to realize you need to use the odd-even # on the gas stations? Do you know what I think: The gas suppliers are holding back on the gas supply because they are getting ready to jack up the gas price.

Theirs definitely something wrong with whom ever is in charge or someone in power of controlling the gas! Weve has huge snow storm/ sept 11 th and we had gas then, why doesn't the mayor/ governor start an investigation'

LEE ' from the grand concourse!

why aren't more gas stations open? what is the hold up with the gas?I live in briarwood and there are 3 gas stations and only one is ever open per day and the wait is hours???

Natasha

Of course I waited three hours on line to fill up this morning... my intention was to make a trip to Rockaway with sleeping bags, hot food, lanterns, etc.... But now I can't waste the gas...

I'm ODD and can't get gas again until Sunday...which is when I was going to spend the day in CHURCH praying that I can get gas.

Michele from College Point (Queens)

My name is Ebony from Brooklyn

I sat on three different lines on Tuesday because some of the people with the gas cans don't even have a car. They were buying 20-25 dollars worth of gas and reselling it around the corn on atlantic and classon for 20 dollars a gallon. So when we finally got up to the pump there was no gas. I suggest that any one with out a valid drivers license should not be able to buy gas.

First Responders Should Have the right to go first at gas stations because if someone was to lose their life because because a responder didnt have gas that would be a problem so lets avoid that thank you.

Douglas

What good is odd/even when you do not know who is selling the gas and you are driving in circles wasting gas while looking for gas.

Howard
Sheepsheadbay Brooklyn

The gas crisis just makes it so much clearer that there are way too many gas guzzlers on the road. As a nation, we need to drive fuel efficient vehicles. We cannot sustain this type of consumption. I'm taking the subway until this blows over

Melanie,
Park Slope

I don't think New Yorkers will follow the gas rationalizing Mayor Bloomberg has put in effect. If he really wants to enforce this, give out fines to people who don't follow the rules!

Nessa

I hate to sound dumb but I wish we could know specifically what the problem with gas delivery is. The Governors' explanation is very thin and generic. No real reason or specifics like how many suppliers there are? How many exactly are down, why, and what has to be done to fix it. Even the media has not ventured out to explore and report on what exactly is going on and what the hold up is. Come on NY-1, be the first to get over to the source and ask questions; a lot of people want to know.

Carlo,
Bay Ridge Brooklyn

Gas rationing in NYC should've taken place as soon as the shortage started. Today 3hours 40mins to get gas in greenpoint. I don't know why it took Bloomberg so long. Finally he's thinking.

JR from Greenpoint

Not for nothing but when i drove home from work today on coney island avenue 8 gas stations were closed. I am not too confident about the rationing. how can we ration without stations open there are hundreds of taxis that would be excluded. WHO IS GOING TO BE CHECKING ODD/EVEN?? why doesent the mayor

Caroline, brooklyn ny

I hope the new rules for getting gas, using odd and even days. But I remember back in 1979 with the same system and I remember being on line an average of two hours. Well I hope this time it works.

Freddy- Glen Oaks Village

what took so long to start rationing gas???

Carmen
Bay Ridge

Well good job Mr. Mayor! He's a little late, but this will definitely help to ease the long lines here in Brooklyn. Now if only we could work on that Spanish accent!

Reynelle
East Flatbush

What about the people with the gas cans? Around my neighborhood the gas station have a separate line for people with gas containers to get gas.

Adelin MW
Jamaica NY

The decision of who gas is sold to is entirely that of the station owner. Government should butt out.

Joe
Port Richmond, SI

I don't mind the gas rationing system so long as it doesn't make getting gas even worse.
You never know how a system will work until you give it a try. We are not NJ. Keep hope aluve!

kathy from Throggs Neck da bronx.

Now that Mayor Bloomberg has ordered gas rationing to begin on November 9th,2012,will this odd -even system really cause the very long lines that are at every gas station that has fuel to be significantly reduced?Hopefully ,they will be,but there needs to be strict enforcement by the police ,so that people can fill their gas tanks in an orderly fashion,without confrontation with each other.The lines have been way too long for way too long of a time. Why is it that there is no gas crisis in Conneticut?In New Jersey,Governor Christie started odd-even rationing several days ago,and it seems to have really cut down on the lines. There is plenty of gas out there-why is it taking so long to get it delivered to the service stations in our region?This is totally ridiculous,and the Public Service Commission needs to launch an investigation as to why this is occurring.Huricane Sandy occured 10 days ago- Let's get with the program,folks!

John
Fresh Meadows, NY

It's bad enough that a super storm (Hurricane Sandy-Category 1 classification) knocked out major services here in New York City, the "capital" of the world. Worse evn is the current gas shortage being experienced across the five boroughs of New York. I spent 3 hours on a line with my son on Utpoia Parkway this morning just to fill up a two gallon gas can. We were lucky to find a gas station in the bronx where he was able to fill up his tank so he could go to work tomorrow I am amazed at how all of the major gas stations are holding the City hostage as well as the major gasoline companies. It is simply pathetic that hard working people who rely on vehicular transportation are now forced to not only ration but consider public transportation which was also crippled.
Shameful that the world has to see a nation such as ours crippled, yet drowning in the beauracracy of red tape that has people living in cold homes, no electricity.

Lee
Astoria, NY

It only goes to show how unprepared our elected officials are! They knew well in advance that a historical storm was coming and they didn't take any steps to keep NYC and Long Island supplied with gas. They took over a week to start this and that is only because NJ has already been doing that and it is working. They don't even have a hotline to report price gauging. Price Gouging: Suffolk County has set up a hotline to report price gouging at 1-800-909-5423. Maybe they should set something like this in the boroughs? This is the 21st. century and our mayor has turned back the times to the 70's. I am so grateful that I fulled my tank before the storm and I am conserving it. I figure a week later it would get better but the lines get longer. Maybe this odd and even number might work but I remember in the 70's, people changed plates so who knows how well it will work in NYC.. They really need to get a reserve of fuel in case the ports get closed again.

Shirley, Maspeth, Queens

I welcome the gas rationing system and it should have happened sooner.

However, the real question is why after 10 days since Hurricane Sandy are we experiencing a gas shortage when the early reports stated we would be back to normal a week ago.

The news media needs to do some investigative reporting to get to the bottom of this issue.

Ruth
Brooklyn

It is critical that vans delivering meals on wheels to homebound elders be exempt from gas rationing and be allowed to go to the head of the line to fill up at all NYC gas stations. 16,000 homebound, frail older New Yorkers depend on these meals and the contact as a lifeline.

Bobbie
Sheepshead Bay

The lines of gas have dissipated and this is before the plan goes into effect. All the gas stations I passed had no lines and had gas. I don't get it.

Jessica
Arden Heights

This is a joke. This Bloomberg is just covering up the bad job that Cuomo is doing. All we see are photo ops and where the hell are these politicians. These people don’t have the electricity and they need water to flush a bathroom. Come on you parasites come on out in the open to face the music. What happened the Bronx boro president? What no parties to come out and talk about. Where is all this money that they collect. I will go as far back as that Tsunami on Dec 26th and loads and loads of money was collected and we had two not one president and all that was done was to restore the tourist area where they charged $6,000 a night.

maxxiee
mp

Does the Mayor care that people STILL have no electricity ?? I hear the Governor taking Con Ed to task but NOT the Mayor. Is Con Ed going to wait 2 weeks for their payment next month ?? I had 2 trucks and 6 Con Ed workers on my block yesterday drinking coffee all day ??? and I still have NO POWER

Genea
Flushing Queens NY

what is going on ? No one knows. my family and i have been homeless for over a week now and nothing is being done. i drove out to my home from nyc yesterday from a fema hotel hoping to find that progress has been made. What did i find? A war zone. Nothing has been done near beach 9th street and seagirt blvd in far rockaway. The sub station or transformer that lies between two buildings on that corner has not even been assesed or looked at. WHERE IS LIPA. Lines are down. Pols are broken in two and riots have started in 7-11 Seagirt Blvd where i witnessed a US marshal swat team going into the lobby. Is this NY or a third world country. 16 miles east of manhattan is a city that was once vibrant with life completely dead and devastated. Can we ever recover. Where do i move to. How long will this take to get power back? My brother lost his house on beach third, my brother in law lost his house on beach third as well. As we sit here in the dark and cold huddled to share body warmth we think why do we stay. We stay because LIPA gives us hope but that is diminishing now. How do we plan for something that we do not know. We do not know how long this will take. does lipa know. Should lipa have to tell us, i think so. If i knew that i need to find a place to live for 6 months that would be helpful. Ill go find a place for six months. Every day we wake with hope, hoping to see a truck that will say LIPA, or anything that resembles work is being done and everyday at sunset we turn to each other and cry. No one cares about us. We dont even have gas to leave. Cars are dead as we used them to keep warm.

Joshua

Would really appreciate is someone could give us an accurate and truthful update on the gas situation. Thank you!

Diana

I just wanted to express my personal opinion to the handling of the situation in NYC after Hurricane Sandy. I'm not at all impressed with the job Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg have done for the people of NY. Quite frankly, it's shameful how so many have been treated and how they continuously ask those that have lost so much to "just have patience, help is coming". It shouldn't take this long when we are one of the richest cities, it's just plain embarrassing how both have handled this. Their decision making is as slow as the supposed relief to the people in need. We have families displaced and homeless, seniors living with no electricity or heat, children hungry, scared and being shuffled to other schools where no buses arrive to transport them. They wrongly decided the Marathon would take place, only to be canceled the day before whereby runners were already enroute to NYC. An Executive Order to vote at any polling place was signed the night before causing chaos, long lines and leaving some unable to vote. Gas shortage is rampant throughout the city causing critical hardship for many and then taking them over a week to implement what NJ saw as a problem early on. Asking those that cannot even obtain the basic necessities to "be patient" is insulting. What reality do these two live in? Clearly not the same as most in NY that are impacted by their slow decision makings or lack thereof. The total disconnect on so many issues that they seem to just dismiss as a temporary inconvenience is incomprehensible. I always thought I'd vote for Governor Cuomo if he ran for President. However, my view of him has completely changed. I'm a Democrat and if New Jersey's Governor Christie runs in 2016, I'd vote for him! He has continuously made fast and tough decisions with one thought, his people. He notices an issue and quickly looks for a way to remedy the situation at hand. If that doesn't seem to work, he looks for another solution to bring quick relief. He lives in the now, not in the down the road. All I have heard from our NY Officials are complaints and finger pointing to others of what they should be doing or should have done. How about they look within themselves before throwing stones. They need to stand up and take proper action where and when needed, implement it for quick results and if it doesn't work recognize it and then change strategies. To the Governor & Mayor: Don't ask us to be patient, don't sit behind a table at another press conference giving speeches and don't walk around the subway/tunnel systems to look at the flooding again. Do what you were elected to do and bring immediate, actual help to those areas impacted the hardest!

Ivette
From Queens