Commuting with Sandy

It’s been a long time since I have written anything. Just too busy with work, doing the daily grind. But then along came Hurricane Sandy, and turned all of our worlds upside down in the Northeast. After seeing the devastation on the rest of the South Shore of LI, I feel that my family and I were lucky with minimal property damage and no injuries. A little preparation went a long way. Having no power was a slight inconvenience considering what others have gone through.

But now we are trying to bring our lives back to normal, which includes getting to work. The rest of the world has n0t stopped, so getting to and from the job and navigating Metro NY has challenges we need to be aware of.

Gas

First and foremost is the gas situation. Its bad, but we all saw it coming. The lines are a good 1-3 miles long in Nassau County, and from what I hear its getting bad in other places too. My friend in Dutchess County tells me they are now getting short on gas because all the Westchester people are flocking there for fuel. The best advice right now is to wait. People’s hoarder mentality takes over, so if you can restrict driving, do it. That gas is better served in someone generator keeping a family warm or for someone who doesn’t have the ability to telecommute. The situation should remedy itself in a few more days, but until then, sit tight. Take mass transit, car pool, and work from home.

But what if it doesn’t get better and the world gets all Mad Max on us? At that point, people are going to be looking to siphon gas, if they haven’t already, and you may have to defend. Most modern cars are secondary targets because the gas tank needs to be pried open. The best targets for stealing gas will also be SUV’s because of their larger thanks and higher ground clearance makes it easy to puncture a tank. So what can you do for defense?

To avoid being siphoned, it’s a team effort. You and someone you park near should park tank to tank, with not enough room to fit in between. For example, in a driveway, one car goes in forward, and the other backs in parallel within inches of the first car. Rear wheel to rear wheel, this should block any access to both tanks. One of you will likely have to crawl in your passenger side, but its better then being stuck on E. while of course this will not stop a determined thief, it will likely make them move on to easier targets.

Mass Transit

You know those images that come out of Japan, when trains are so full, they actually hire guys to get a running start and push people in to the cars? Well the LIRR will likely be looking to hire them soon. This morning, I took a 5:25 am LIRR train from Massapequa to Penn station. By the time the train hit the next stop, all of the cars were full. The conductor, who ironically sounded A LOT like Samuel L Jackson was telling people at every stop the train was full and no more passengers were being admitted. Of course, no one listened, and this makes the train late.  Even with limited service, Mass transit is still likely the best option for commuting if you can swing it. The lines are terrible, as are the crowds, but most of the trains are running. The Ferrys into Manhattan are also running, and Metro North is doing well.

But the best advice is to leave early, and travel off peak until the tunnels are pumped out and gas becomes available again.

Bridges and tunnels

If you need to commute, the bridges may be your only option as most of the lower tunnels are still flooded out. Listen to traffic reports for recent closures and maintenance. 

 

Good luck out there, and e smart, and be courteous.

Thank you New Jersey and your massive deficits

Gas is expensive. In Long Island, I see it hovering about $4.28, with daily increases (never mind the fact the price of crude is down, but that’s another story). NJ legislators continue to debate increasing the tax as a way to provide additional funding, but the measure has yet to pass.

So what’s a person who commutes all the way to the Garden State to do? Get gas on the NJ turnpike of course, where it averages .40 cents cheaper per gallon. Due to a series of laws and lax taxes, this is the best deal on gas in the tri state area, and possibly the nation. Here’s some interesting facts about NJ and why their gas prices are among the lowest in the nation.

• Turnpike gas stations can only change their prices, (up or down) once a week on a Friday. So fill up Thursday, in the morning to avoid the lines.


• Gas is so cheap in Jersey for a few reasons. Mostly because of the lack of taxes associated with Gas. New Yorkers pay about 25 cents on the gallon plus 4%, whereas NJ residents get off with about 10 cents. These figures are adjusted annually.


• Everything is full serve - Since the law was passed in 1949, it’s illegal to pump your own gas because, according to the law, such a flammable, dangerous liquid should only be distributed by trained personnel.  Only NJ or Oregon has this law. And the town of Huntington in Long Island, which I still have yet to figure out why.


• Off the turnpike, it is illegal in NJ for a gas station to raise prices more than once a day.


• There are only Sunoco’s on the NJ turnpike, so don’t hold out till you see somewhere to fill up using your Exxon fleet card.


•  The cost of gas at a turnpike service station cannot be more than 3 cents above that average price in a local area. This is regulated by the Turnpike authority.


• The hoses really are long enough to fit to the other side of your car, assuming you don’t have a huge SUV. So skip the long line.

[caption id="attachment_362" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="sign at the Vince Lombardi service area on I-95 / NJ Turnpike"][/caption]