The Bali Gasoline Panic

[Hornbein]

A tanker delivering fuel to Bali fouled its anchor, blocking offloading for 15 hours. Bali has a second such offloading port but it is further from the gas stations so there were delays in getting the fuel distributed. Some stations ran out. The news spread quickly. Fossil fuel consumers rushed to fill up their tanks, further depleting the supply. The crush was so great the streets were clogged. This prevented delivery of further fuel, exacerbating the panic.

Denpasar traffic​

Traffic was so bolixed that to clear the streets today the stations were closed. They will be open all night instead so that this panic can go on outside of business hours.

Ignorant of all this while going for a walk I came across a stupendous line of motorbikes waiting to get into a gas station. Wow! This is only part of it : the line to the north of the station. There was a second line to the south. Mighty impressive.

 

[.Scott]

OK. Well ... I guess my commute to work this morning wasn't that bad.

 

[Hornbein]

The panic completes day three. Lines up to two miles long reported. That could be as many as two thousand motorbikes. It would take all day to get through a line like that. You gotta do what you gotta do.



The news features a video of a gas station employee screaming at the governor of Bali in protest to having to work at night. On this island such confrontations are unheard of.

 

[Hornbein]

A week later the panic has abated. An alternating even/odd license plate rule and fuel rationing remain in place for two more days.

I saw ghost lines of motorbikes without drivers. The drivers had taken shelter from the hot sun after news reports of fainting in line. The El Nino drought is making for a very hot "rainy" season.