Petrol Stations May Close Earlier

[astral]

Just another ill-informed load of government clap trap.

According to International Herald Tribune, the oil price has eased today,

6th Sept, despite the effects of Katrina!!

On a slighty different tack.

If Katrina is the Soldier of Islam, attacking the US, as some commentators are

suggesting, what about the Tsunami that killed all the poor Muslims in Indonesia?

Edited September 6, 2005 by astral

[BARRYT]

I cannot believe extending the weight on these trucks to 26 tonnes will save fuel

90% of these trucks & engines are worn out & and out of date, with repect to the increase of weight allowence most of them are driving with DANGEROUSLY over weight loads now! how many do you see on the side of the road with collapes suspension, toppled over, or run into the back of some poor motorist because the braking system is shot to bits. and cannot cope with the weight onboard.

[sriracha john]

I cannot believe extending the weight on these trucks to 26 tonnes will save fuel

90% of these trucks & engines are worn out & and out of date, with repect to the increase of weight allowence most of them are driving with DANGEROUSLY over weight loads now! how many do you see on the side of the road with collapes suspension, toppled over, or run into the back of some poor motorist because the braking system is shot to bits. and cannot cope with the weight onboard.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

...as well as the extensive damage witnessed from these heavy loads on the roadway with grooves and potholes hammered out by their tonnage. Any cost savings to the trucker companies is countered by the increased costs of road

re-construction.

[ovenman]

Any cost savings to the trucker companies is countered by the increased costs of road re-construction.

...which is actually okay because that's just more of the government budget that can be doled out to the various cronies who run the road construction businesses.

[silk123]

they were closing them early last year for a bit and the petro stations just sold the petrol in bottles at inflated cost.

Are these guys for real or what?

[Thaipwriter]

after reading that gas stations will close early, my idea is that next time i go the the gas station instead of spending my usual 500 i will now fill up instead.

This will help the world energy crisis in a big way.

thanks for reading

Father Christmas

Lapland

[toothfairy]

The same number of people will need the same amount of fuel so early closing is only going to cut the number of people who do non essential trips which can't on the whole be that many, surely. It's just a "let's pretend we're doing something" measure that causes slight inconvenience and more pile-ups in garages where everybody panics at the last minute because they've forgottoen/been too busy to get petrol earlier. It ain't going to work.

I think that solar cells and wind energy (see my partner for that one) are a really good idea, environmentally friendly and always available. We should be doing more for the environment and that seems the way to go.

[jaapfries]

BANGKOK: -- The government might require petrol stations to close earlier to stem consumption in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the US Gulf of Mexico states and has pushed up global oil prices after forcing several refineries to close.

Cherdpong Sirivich, permanent secretary for energy, said petrol stations could be asked to further reduce their operating hours and close an hour earlier at 9pm.

I find it hard to believe that these early closing measures save any appreciable amount of petrol. If the amount of petrol sold has decreased since the early closings, I would credit the increased cost of the product during that period as achieving the desired effect rather than the cutting the operating hours of the petrol stations.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

=====================================================

"Ovenman" (where the heck did you get that 'handle' from/for ?!? - you have hit the nail right on the head, as far as I'm concerned !

This entire "oil-situation" is such a load of nonsense anyway. Of course "market-forces" are going to dictate people to think twice about making useless trips and/or "combining" errands.

Mind you; if all these service stations are closed for these long nocturnal periods, then the savings in electricity (of the aforesaid stations)would be substantial, right ? Another "brilliant" example of "Toxinomics" I'm sure . . . . .

[Upcountry]

Ok!

So, now if I'm at the store between 2pm and 5pm, need wine or beer, I have make a special trip (theoretically) to get it later. If I need gas before 9pm, maybe I have to waste it sitting in line and hoping to get in before the clock strikes. or make another special trip - or stay overnight somewhere if I'm stranded, etc. (as another poster suggested).

I just don't get this hour restriction mentality.

I read, on this thread, suggestions about solar and wind energy, water heating in black tanks, etc. Absolutely!

Thais need to be educated by their government, in a concerted way, about how to save water and electricity (and yes, oil or natural gas is used for electricity - I think of gas burning every time I turn on a light).

Whey don't they encourage people to insulate their tile roof homes and the walls and windows?

Imagine if the Thai government sponsored insulation, LED lights, quality switchable extension cords to reduce waste from power blocks for turned off electronics (arguably 10% of lost energy) and so on?

Answer? Ignorance, short-sightedness, political convenience. The populace, lowest scoring in English tests, just doesn't care, happy in their lack of knowledge about energy, etc.

Ignorance is bliss, until the Himalayas dry up...

[farangnoi]

If your car is driving on diesel, you can stop at 7-11 to buy a few liters of cooking oil, it's cheap and better for the environmont.

[Butterfly]

Am I the only one to think that the oil companies are taking us for a ride ? no oil company pay $70 a barrel, these are future market prices. They usually pay no more than $5 or $7 a barrel when future prices are $25 (cost of carrying futures). So maybe they pay $15 a barrel now, but why have price tripled ? what about all those oil companies record profits ? coincidence ? remember the California "power" shortage created by Enron and friends in the late 90s ? turns out to be all fake at the end, just market manipulation to rip off consumers.

How is this different ?

Edited September 6, 2005 by Butterfly

[Bangkok Barry]

Have I got this right? In order to save fuel, drivers can only buy it by taking their car out on the roads at the busiest times of the day, wasting fuel by queuing in traffic jams.

TIT

Wouldn't it be interesting to do an IQ test on these politicians, hmm?

[Nam Kao]

Man this s###s !!

My local station is manned by 5 soo ee mak poo yings, I am always over there!

My motocy tank goes down 1/2 an inch and i tell me wife "Me have to go top off

tank motocy, me no want bum moat".

She looks at me funny and says OK.

Then i am off like a rocket !

[Rinrada]

what does work is the odd/even system, where half the cars are off the road on one day, and the other half on the next. (taling the last number on the # plate)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Used to do that when I was last working in Nigeria...simple ..easy an straightforward.....had 2 cars..one for monday..one for tuesday..and the first for..wed...etc.

Ended up getting the ferry over to Lagos Island from my gaff in Apapa...much more pleasant and civilised only cost about 1 kobo...1p..

With the money saved you can buy shares in the big oil companies.... ....JR is that you...

[cclub75]

Reminds me a french politician : he said once about the best way to suppress unemployement : "unemployment should be outlawed " !

Same non sens in Thailand if i may say : decrease oil consumption = closing gas stations.

I start to believe those who think about a "social control hidden agenda"... Because, i always wonder : how they can be so stupid with such crazy ideas ?

Well.... maybe they really are.

[mfindlay]

Petrol stations may close earlier

Domestically, retail prices continue making new records. Octane-95 gasoline is now priced at Bt27.14.

--The Nation 2005-09-06

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Think yourselves lucky folks 95 Octane in the UK has just hit £1-06p thats 79.98 Baht or $1.98 US per Liter. Which is equivelent to $6.775 US per US Gallon.

I need a job in Thailand again!!!!

[george]

New plan would close petrol pumps at 8pm

BANGKOK: -- The Energy Ministry has short-listed six measures for Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s consideration, including petrol stations closing at 8pm or 9pm.

The current deadline for petrol stations is 10pm.

One measure includes requiring the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to designate parking zones for taxis. New cars for state agencies and state enterprises would have to be able to use natural gas.

Vehicles with big engines would be subject to higher taxes, while natural-gas vehicles would enjoy lower taxes. Also, monitoring cameras would be installed on roads, to detect and punish drivers who speed above 100kph.

Meanwhile, Shell Co of Thailand, the local unit of Royal Dutch Shell, has asked Energy Minister Viset Choopiban to help it cope with losses from its retail oil operations following recent surges in global prices.

Company chairman Tiraphot Vajrabhaya told reporters he wanted the government to ask oil refineries to cut their profit margins by as much as US$5 (Bt205) a barrel by reducing wholesale prices.

The government had earlier asked all 10 Thai oil retailers to delay increasing their pump prices, despite a sharp rise in global oil prices following Hurricane Katrina.

Tiraphot said oil retailers were incurring losses of Bt3.47 per litre on petrol sales and 40 satang per litre on diesel sales.

“If the government doesn’t help us, we may need to raise [retail] prices sharply to cover our losses,” he said.

So far, oil retailers have raised their prices on a weekly basis by 40 satang per litre, not enough to catch up with the sharp rise in global oil prices.

PTT raised its retail oil prices 40 satang per litre for both petrol and diesel on Sunday, after the other nine retailers raised their prices the day before.

--The Nation 2005-09-07

[britmaveric]

Longer cues is all early closures cause.

Edited September 6, 2005 by britmaveric

[sriracha john]

mandatory closing of the stations at 8:00....

mandatory lights out at 8:30...

mandatory everyone asleep by 8:45...

makes for a nice, peaceful, and well-rested nation.

[Heng]

Am I the only one to think that the oil companies are taking us for a ride ? no oil company pay $70 a barrel, these are future market prices. They usually pay no more than $5 or $7 a barrel when future prices are $25 (cost of carrying futures). So maybe they pay $15 a barrel now, but why have price tripled ? what about all those oil companies record profits ? coincidence ? remember the California "power" shortage created by Enron and friends in the late 90s ? turns out to be all fake at the end, just market manipulation to rip off consumers.

It's business, not personal. It's not their fault that you're not in the oil business.

Want to get in on the ride? Buy some shares.

Edited September 7, 2005 by Heng

[Jai Dee]

THE CHAIRMAN OF SHELL THAILAND DISAGREES WITH CLOSING PETROL STATIONS AT 8 PM

The chairman of Shell Thailand has indicated that closing petrol stations sooner would only address the problem a little. Meanwhile, he has suggested that raising the retail price would prompt people to help save energy.

Shell Thailand Chairman Tiraphot Vajrabhaya (ธีรพจน์ วัชราภัย) said the government's policy of closing petrol stations between 8 pm and 5 am was a solution that would not correctly address the problem. He reasoned that the measure would only reduce oil usage by 2-3%, while contributing to increased unemployment. However, he saw that the most effective way to make the public reduce oil usage was to increase the prices of oil, such as the 3-baht increase in diesel price at the beginning of the year, where the amount of usage dropped instantly by 5%.

As for the current amount of gasohol usage, Mr. Tiraphot said people have increased usage of gasohol to 2-2.3 million litres a day. He added that Shell will expand the number of stations with gasohol to 450 by the end of this year to accommodate increased demand.

Source: thaisnews.com ประจำวันพุธที่ 7 กันยายน 2548

[Chiang Rai Guy]

Why not start restricting the sale of all the SUVs being bought up (mostly on credit) or at least tax the ###### out of any new gas guzzling vehicle sold on the market. At the moment it seems that bigger is better. Most of these vehicles barely fit down a small soi.

Start selling and promoting the use of hybrid cars and give large tax breaks for anyone who wishes to buy them. I'm getting real tired of people thinking they are better than you and own the road just because their car is bigger!

[meadish_sweetball]

Why not start restricting the sale of all the SUVs being bought up (mostly on credit) or at least tax the ###### out of any new gas guzzling vehicle sold on the market.  At the moment it seems that bigger is better.  Most of these vehicles barely fit down a small soi.

Start selling and promoting the use of hybrid cars and give large tax breaks for anyone who wishes to buy them.  I'm getting real tired of people thinking they are better than you and own the road just because their car is bigger!

Fully agree. People have to be pushed/coerced/subsidised into being more environmentally friendly and mindful of their energy consumption. It is only a select few who do it by themselves.

[Galong]

mandatory closing of the stations at 8:00....

mandatory lights out at 8:30...

mandatory everyone asleep by 8:45...

makes for a nice, peaceful, and well-rested nation.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Correct!

This is also yet another slap in the face of poorer Thais. Besides gas station employees losing their jobs, poor Thais can't even go over to see their mates at night... unless they plan ahead (unlikely).

If they can make it to their mate's house, they can't drink because of the new tax on spirits.

Toxin doesn't have to worry though as he's in his second term. He can do whatever he wishes. It's not like to poorer Thais are going to demand he step down.

Why not turn Thailand into a police state. Toxin has already implemented some laws that have been off the books since the 60's, when the Kingdom suffered under a militaristic rule.

It looks like history is repeating itself.

The future:

No drinking

No driving

No prositution

No foreigner who aren't rich

No trouble-making Muslims

No fun

No tourists

Tongue is cheek here folks... no need to flame me yet again.

No sh#t

[jinalbert]

Vegatable oil looks really good now. Oh heck, any kind of oil would do. And with all these corrupted politicians, we can expect another 1997 economic crisis. Maybe Taksin will be happy then.

[Malice in Wonderland]

On a local level maybe the Powers that be in Samui can ban all those 15 year old pick-ups that cruise around day and night with megaphones promoting various clubs or boxing matches. What a total waste of fuel in these tight times......

[MyNameIsFarang]

On a local level maybe the Powers that be in Samui can ban all those 15 year old pick-ups that cruise around day and night  with megaphones promoting various clubs or boxing matches. What a total waste of fuel in these tight times......

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And add to that the fools who spend 20 minutes driving their motorbikes up and down 50 meters of residential soi in order to do their shopping for dinner.

[opothai]

mandatory closing of the stations at 8:00....

mandatory lights out at 8:30...

mandatory everyone asleep by 8:45...

makes for a nice, peaceful, and well-rested nation.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Correct!

This is also yet another slap in the face of poorer Thais. Besides gas station employees losing their jobs, poor Thais can't even go over to see their mates at night... unless they plan ahead (unlikely).

If they can make it to their mate's house, they can't drink because of the new tax on spirits.

Toxin doesn't have to worry though as he's in his second term. He can do whatever he wishes. It's not like to poorer Thais are going to demand he step down.

Why not turn Thailand into a police state. Toxin has already implemented some laws that have been off the books since the 60's, when the Kingdom suffered under a militaristic rule.

It looks like history is repeating itself.

The future:

No drinking

No driving

No prositution

No foreigner who aren't rich

No trouble-making Muslims

No fun

No tourists

Tongue is cheek here folks... no need to flame me yet again.

No sh#t

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

no flaming. just disturbing how i tend to agree with you

[Scott]

Actually, it might just work here in Thailand. People are really poor at planning ahead. Over the Queen's birthday, while up country, my friends brothers forgot to buy alcohol--I can't imagine how they could forget, they drink like fish--but they did. Spent the whole day sober (and shaky). Of course they used a lot of gas driving all over ######'s half-acre trying to find something to drink.

Apparently all their friends forgot to stock up too!!

I'm sure they would forget to get fuel as well and end up going home.

[khall64au]

Most of the petrol stations have been closing on Phuket at 8pm or even 6pm for a long while now, except those on the main highway. But alas, those too are now shut by 8pm.

It is slightly outrageous... On a long trip recently, returning from north on the mainland, I had no idea the highway stations had too closed up shop early. Just nearly didn't make it home that night. Now I know to fill my tank before sunset!!