May 19, 2015
To the editor of the Asbury Park Press
(Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon, R-Monmouth has introduced a bill that would allow New Jerseyeans to pump their own gas without legal repercussions. It would allow gas stations to have self-service islands. New Jersey and Oregon are the only states in the country that do not give drivers this right. Oregon is also considering a similar bill.)
I am amazed at the response this issue
receives every time it is brought up. One
would think that Assemblyman O’Scanlan was proposing to introduce Ebola into
the state’s water supply rather than allowing customers to have the option
of pumping their own gas.
Your headline, “Don’t eliminate full-service gas,” was
misleading. The proposal does not take
away full-service pumps, rather (as stated in your article) gas stations would
be required to operate at least one full service pump for three years. CBS New York stated “O’Scanlan said he is not trying to eliminate jobs,” and … “full
service will still be offered if there is demand for it.” That means a service station may have more
than one full-service pump and that self-service pumps are not going away. Attendants will still be required to handle
the full service islands. They will need to
monitor the self-service pumps, as well.
I don’t understand the rationale
behind fighting this. If a station has
self-service as well as full-service pumps it will make the lines shorter for
those in the full-service lines. Another
complaint is that drivers will be forced to stand out in the rain or cold while
pumping their gas. This is
ridiculous. They still have the choice
of going to a full-service pump.
The editorial states that if
waits at the pump are a problem, the solution is simple: take your business to
a service station where you don’t have to wait.
There is a flipside to this train of thought. If this law goes into effect and you don’t
like self-service, you can choose to go to a station that offers more
full-service pumps. There is obviously a demand for full-service. Station owners are not going to completely
eliminate it if it would mean they would lose customers.
I rarely see every pump in
use when I am filling up. Often it is
because there is no demand for them or they do not have enough attendants to
cover. Why can’t these pumps be
self-service? Why does this have to be
an all or nothing situation?
The editorial’s author
states, “Convenience to motorists is the main reason the law should not be changed,” but also says that full-service
should be maintained for the convenience of Garden State motorists. The author is contradicting himself. The current law is being maintained for the
convenience of some, not all. Why not
free up a few pumps and let those of us who wish to pump our own gas do so?
