New York City began rationing petrol yesterday for the first time since the 1970s, in response to a persistent fuel crisis that has shuttered hundreds of fuel stations and forced desperate drivers to wait hours in line to fill their tanks.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the city was imposing a rationing system - restricting sales to cars with even-numbered licence plates on even days, and odd-numbered on odd days. Plates ending with a letter will be treated as odd-numbered.
Nassau and Suffolk counties, on Long Island, also announced odd-even fuel rationing. New Jersey did the same last Saturday.
The rationing came after more than a week of federal and local efforts to resolve a fuel crisis that continues to defy a quick or easy solution. Those efforts were set back by Wednesday's storm, which interrupted efforts to repair petroleum terminals and slowed barges carrying fuel from reaching their docks.
For many drivers, the long lines have become a constant, daily reminder - along with wrecked homes, power disruptions and transit problems - of the devastation Hurricane Sandy left behind and the mammoth recovery challenge the city and region face.
"This is not a step that we take lightly," the mayor said of the rationing. "But given the shortages we will face over the next few weeks, and the growing frustrations of New Yorkers, we believe it is the right step."
