Beijing Fuel Odyssey

I don't know if this happens only to me .. :confused1:

I went to re-fuel 2 weeks before D-day to a gas station near my home in BJ, which is located 150 m inside the 4th ring road. The guys refused to give me any fuel, stating "new regulation". I took off and tried another station across the street, 200 m inside the 4th again. Same thing - no fuel for bikes.

Starting to be a bit pissed off, I went to another one, 22.5 m outside the 4th ring and could re-fuel the bike without any problem.
A couple of days later I wanted to fill up in Huairou, about 50 kms away from downtown BJ and was refused - card only, new regulation. A few kms down the road towards BJ I tried to get fuel again. They checked my plate and found it good, so they gave me what I wanted, gasoline.

This morning, at the pump (the one 22.5 m outside ring 4), they checked my plate AND asked for the rego book - new regulation they say.

I am going to use my car to collect some gallons of 97 gasoline for my bike - just in case there comes a new regulation into force :lol8:

:eekers: :eek2: :rolleyes1:

WTF??? Like a motorcyclist's money isn't good enough for inside the 4th ring?

FThat. During the Sichuan earthquake, there was naturally stupid long lines to get into any gas station. Some dudes we're pulling up with these HUGE green containers - musta been 100L or something - and hauling them off in the back of their mianbaoche's.

CC

I fueled up off the airport service road on Thursday and they asked for my book and checked plates.

Has anyone tried places within the 3rd ring road?

Where we are, more than half the service stations refuse to fill up bikes at the pumps on the grounds of safety!

Instead you have to carry a dirty old kettle across the forecourt, splashing fuel everywhere, and the kettles often leak onto your hot exhaust hmm real safe:rolleyes1:. Twice if you want more than 40- 50 RMB of fuel. BMWs and Harleys also have to fill up like this.

Of course there might be a safety issue filling up a ten year old uninsured unregistered farmers bike, but all bikes? It's ridiculous! Surely if the bike is insured then that would be enough.

I think the real safety issue might be that motorcycles might get in the way of a car that might spend more money.

In the end you end up making a mental map of all the service stations where you can fill up quickly and safely straight from the pump.

In China you are constantly reminded how cars are king, with every other road user being forced to have some restriction or other including bicycles and electric bikes. There seems to be no reward for being greener and using less fuel, you are just made to feel 2nd class scum. Soon there will be Chinese city centers stuffed with nothing but black and silver cars not moving in total gridlock. :gun_bandana:

Stopping bikes from filling up inside the 4th ring road is just another message being sent down from above about how cars are better, and how bikes should be pushed out of the Chinese traffic system.

Time to move out to Shunyi. I sometimes get the big tea kettle treatment but I ride off. I've so far always been able to find a gas station to fill my bikes without the tea kettle. But a couple week ago I tried filling my dirt bike at a gas station across the street from where I livce. They refused stating that because my bike had no plates they couldn't fill it. As I had run completel;y dry I decided to wait them out blocking one of the pumps. Finally they called the cops, the cops asked me why I had no plates, I explained that it's a dirt bike (no lights either) and I don't ride it on the roads, so they ordered the attendant to fill up my bike. But that took about an hour. I hope I don't have to turn my garage into a fuel depot though!
Regds,
Jim
www.bmwsidecar.com

I went to re-fuel 2 weeks before D-day to a gas station near my home in BJ, which is located 150 m inside the 4th ring road. The guys refused to give me any fuel, stating "new regulation". I took off and tried another station across the street, 200 m inside the 4th again. Same thing - no fuel for bikes.

Starting to be a bit pissed off, I went to another one, 22.5 m outside the 4th ring and could re-fuel the bike without any problem.
A couple of days later I wanted to fill up in Huairou, about 50 kms away from downtown BJ and was refused - card only, new regulation. A few kms down the road towards BJ I tried to get fuel again. They checked my plate and found it good, so they gave me what I wanted, gasoline.

This morning, at the pump (the one 22.5 m outside ring 4), they checked my plate AND asked for the rego book - new regulation they say.

I am going to use my car to collect some gallons of 97 gasoline for my bike - just in case there comes a new regulation into force :lol8:[/QUOTE]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ZMC888

Soon there will be Chinese city centers stuffed with nothing but black and silver cars not moving in total gridlock.

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You mean this isn't the case already? Last time I was in Beijing was about 4 years ago and I remember sitting in a Taxi, not going anywhere in complete grid lock and even saw a van driver almost get into a fist fight with a car driver behind them. No lie... they were pissed about something. I didn't see any contact so I'm not sure what it was.

CC

No, since the Olympics last year, they've taken 20% of the cars off the road on any guven day due to the license plate number restrictions. Traffic has been moving pretty well that I've noticed.
Regds,
Jim
www.bmwsidecar.com

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CrazyCarl

You mean this isn't the case already? Last time I was in Beijing was about 4 years ago and I remember sitting in a Taxi, not going anywhere in complete grid lock and even saw a van driver almost get into a fist fight with a car driver behind them. No lie... they were pissed about something. I didn't see any contact so I'm not sure what it was.

CC

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jimbosidecar

No, since the Olympics last year, they've taken 20% of the cars off the road on any guven day due to the license plate number restrictions. Traffic has been moving pretty well that I've noticed.
Regds,
Jim
www.bmwsidecar.com

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It's getting worse again. Many people who originally come from other provinces have now a second car with a rego from another province (their parents or other relatives). Additionally there are about 10.000 new cars reg'd in BJ every week!
I heard some rumors, that BJ govt are thinking about another regulation to reduce traffic.

To come back to the fuel issue. It seemed to be temporary before and during the national day period. I got gasoline this morning on the gas station I'd been refused twice.
I physically checked the northeastern quarter inside the second ring and found that there is NO gas station at all.