1-95's Sunpass Lanes

Tell me, fellow South Floridians:

Whose bright idea was it to make two Sunpass lanes on 1-95 North?

Because I just came back yesterday from having entered my usual "speed" lane, going to Boca Raton, and found myself happy to escape with my life. This will be a daily traffic accident catastrophe waiting to happen.

It looks something like this (yes, I had my camera, but I didn't dare take any photos. This is in Seattle):



Imagine white plastic cones where the red arrows are, at about 5 foot intervals. These two lanes are buttressed by a concrete barrier which separates the opposing routes of 1-95.

Only those plastic cones (temporary?) prevent Sunpass lane riders from attempting to move out from the two lanes unto the third lane, which I presume has now become the "speed" lane, i.e., the unofficial lane where you're allowed to go faster than usual. It varies, but it's usually 80 MPH/130 KPH.

Well, Friday afternoon, the Sunpass lanes were moving at a crawl. Not just the driver in front of me, but three ahead decided they couldn't wait. Finding a lull in the third lane's traffic, they decided to hurtle themselves there, running over the cones.

God, what a nightmare.

I thought I was a goner one time for sure, as an SUV right in front of me just barely missed being ploughed into by a car who had just turned from the fourth lane, not realising he was going to attempt this horrific manoeuvre. If the SUV had been a fraction of a second off in timing, I think people would've died in clumps.

Once you get into those Sunpass lanes, they'll take you straight to the Golden Glades exit (Exit 45), with no chance to get away, if you please!

The way I knew that, since in typical Miami fashion there's been little or NO advertising about this, is that I actually called Florida Highway Patrol on my mobile at one point.

The lady officer who answered calmed me about the situation, but did confirm that there had been many accidents so far, exactly due to the situation I just described above:

Unalerted drivers not realising once you take these Sunpass lanes, there's no getting out for miles.

In fact, there is a junction which liberates drivers to decide to continue on 1-95 North, or to take 595 or 836. I presume that'll be an overpass, and the option will be cutoff at one point.

You must be wondering if I, in a moment of desperation that our two lanes were moving at a crawl, decided to follow suit and run over the cones?

Yes, I did. I thought about it a lot. But I didn't do it. I was scared not just for my life, but in human fashion, for totalling my car.

It was only later, after we got to the end, that we realised a traffic accident had shut down one of these two Sunpass lanes, effectively nullifying their intended purpose: speed.

Maybe it'll be fine in a few years, and I'm just overreacting today.

But good God, what a dangerous transformation of 1-95 this has proven to be.

Pumpin' Gas

What's your first preset station on your car radio? Mine, as Sundries readers might recall, is KISS Country 99.9 FM.

And amongst all the other reasons why, is that country and western music is always singing about, talking about, and looking out for...the little guy.

Everything that relates to him and her, is important to the C&W community. That speaks to me, boy.

So there I was, radio blasting The Lost Trailers' "Holler Back", windows rolled down, wind blowing my hair all over, cruising on I-95 the other day, but what do I hear?

Great tips on filling up at the station.

Prices are out-of-this world where I am. That's true of all Americans, but it's nice to have a moan about oneself, sometimes.

For Premium today, I paid $4.29 at UGas, an out-of-the-way, go'mint cheese type chain, foregoing my usual Mobil/Chevron stations because they're at $4.70 for Premium in Miami Beach.

And I am NOT going to pay almost 5 dollars per gallon in the US of A. What am I, back in England??

So without further ado, until the eco-nuts get it through their head we have to drill in ANWR now, I present you KISS Country's 4 very useful tips on pumping your gas.

TIPS ON PUMPING GAS

1. Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role. A one degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

2. When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. You should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some other liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.

3. One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY. The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount.

4. Lastly, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up--most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom. Hope this will help you get the most value for your money.

...can you imagine how much the Clampett's old clunker might cost to fill up today?



Thank God for Jed's Texas tea.

ADDED: The Red Cross are taking a twisted leaf from "No Blood For Oil" and offering gas coupons in exchange for donations.

Believe me, I did think about it for a moment.

Then I learnt it's a $5 to $8 coupon. Dude, give me a break. That barely refunds me getting there.

Then I remembered the last time I tried to be a nice lady, I got turned away. Seems they don't take folks who have been to the Brazilian Amazon recently. Sheesh.