Latest from Montclair, 8:25 a.m.:
STATE ODD-EVEN GAS RATIONING SYSTEM TO BE USED IN MONTCLAIR
Gov. Chris Christie signed Executive Order 108 Friday night (November 2) rationing vehicle fuel based on the last number of the motorist’s license plate. Montclair’s rationing ordinance which was passed prior to Executive Order 108, is no longer in effect.
Effective 12:00 Noon today, gas rations will start in 12 counties. The rationing will take place in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Morris, Monmouth, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties.
Vehicles with license plates, the last number of which is an odd number, can only fill up at stations in these counties on odd-numbered days of the month.
Vehicles with license plates, the last number of which is an even number, can only fill up on even-numbered days.
Zero is considered an even number.
All license plates not displaying a number, such as vanity plates, are considered odd, and should fill up on odd numbered days of the month.
The ration order will remain in effect for as long as the limited declared state of energy emergency is in effect.
Update: Gov. Christie signed an executive order late today to make odd even gas sales effective in 12 counties including Essex.
What about letters/numbers? From Gov. Christie’s press release:
Once in effect, all retail dealers of motor fuel will be required to only sell motor fuel for use in a passenger automobile bearing license plates, the last number of which is an even number, on even numbered days of each month. Likewise sales will only be permitted to passenger automobiles bearing license plates ending in odd numbers on odd numbered days of the month. Specialized plates – or those not displaying a number – will be considered odd numbered plates.
Montclair council voted to pass both a resolution and an ordinance to impose an odd/even sales of petroleum products (gas and diesel fuel) at all Montclair gas stations.
Once in effect, all retail dealers of motor fuel will be required to only sell motor fuel for use in a passenger automobile bearing license plates, the last number of which is an even number, on even numbered days of each month. Likewise sales will only be permitted to passenger automobiles bearing license plates ending in odd numbers on odd numbered days of the month. Specialized plates – or those not displaying a number – will be considered odd numbered plates.
The last digit or letter of your license plate determines odd or even. Letters a-m are odd; letters n-z are even. Odd numbers can buy on odd days (tomorrow starts sales for odd cars); even sales on even numbered days.
There are no restrictions for pedestrians by gas by canister.
System will be in effect until the crisis is over. Belleville has passed a similar ordinance. Here’s the official message from town regarding the emergency ordinance & resolution:
The Montclair Township Council passed an ordinance at an emergency meeting late this afternoon that will restrict the distribution of gasoline and diesel fuel within the Township to an odd/even number system based on a vehicle’s license plate. The ordinance goes into effect at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow, Saturday, November 3, 2012.
The distribution of gasoline and diesel within the Township shall be allowed as follows:
1. Motor vehicles: the last digit or letter on their license plate shall determine whether the vehicle is odd or even with the letters A – M being odd, letters N – Z even.
2. Gasoline and diesel fuel shall be dispensed to odd number/letter vehicles on odd numbered dates.
3. Gasoline and diesel fuel shall be dispensed to even number/letter vehicles on even numbered dates.
4. Gasoline may be dispensed to pedestrians with lawful containers on all days.
This ordinance will remain in effect until further action of the Council or until the Township Manager determines that the emergency is over.
The Council also passed a resolution which waives the 20-day period for the above ordinance to go into effect because of emergency circumstances.
Belleville is reportedly only allowing residents to purchase gas. Is that the case in Montclair as well?
I’m pretty sure that the “resident only” policy is becoming more widespread in NJ. I know Parsippany and Ridgewood have both implemented it.
They should have retained the policy for walkups with gas cans too. Keep the odd people waiting till Sunday. Just hoping that I’d sneak through tomorrow.
If the policy is indeed residents only, they are doing a major disservice to many of the business owners and their employees who keep Montclair going.
No — nothing in the ordinance states residents only. The only criteria is the last digit or letter in your license plate.
Christie better stop worrying about the shoreline and get the gas flowing before we have a full blown crisis. You can’t rebuild without power.
The Governor just issued an executive order for odd even gas rationing except that it says that
“All license plates not ending in a number are considered odd, and should fill up on odd numbered days of the month”.
https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/11/sandy_gas_ration_12_counties.html#incart_maj-story-1
Perhaps the media should not put Gov. Christie on a pedestal because he can give a good new conference. He screwed the pooch on this one.
@ montyman: Your comment disgusts me. Have you not seen video of the NJ Shore? Looks like a war zone, or Phuket after the tsunami.
But you’re worried about gas?
Important to be sure, but compared to the loss of a home, its possessions, keepsakes and memories?
I bet you’ve complained about no internet too.
Willie, you disgust me as well so we are even. You are arrogant jerk on this website who loves to act all pious and mighty. My comment was straight and to the point. We need power to rebuild.
Sorry monty, but I’m going with the prof on this one. Given the very serious health, food, water and shelter issues at the shore, the gas shortage up here is a mere inconvenience.
That said, Christie has done a number of things to alleviate the gas shortage including waiving state permitting requirements to allow fuel deliveries from out of state and temporarily waiving EPA standards on fuel that are above and beyond the federal ones.
As bitpusher mentioned, the Governor just ordered a conflicting version of rationing which conflicts with the Montclair ordinance. Under the executive order there is no lettering, it goes based on the last number of your plate (A123BC being odd) and plates with no numerals being odd by default.
I was wondering where you found the A-M is odd / N-Z is even part of this. Executive Order 108 makes no mention of this. It completely changes which day I should go.
https://nj.gov/infobank/circular/eocc108.pdf
Imagine that, the conflicting order conflicts! I need sleep.
Hey whomever wrote that there’s an a-m and l-z rule is going to cause problems. Executive order says nothing about that. All license plates ending in a letter are considered odd numbers. Get your facts straight.
https://nj.gov/infobank/circular/eocc108.pdf
Read the order you linked to. The exact wording states that the last NUMBER of a plate that contains numbers determines whether even or odd. Only plates with NO NUMBERS AT ALL are considered odd. (Most Jersey plates end in a letter–this would make everyone odd and defeat the purpose of the rationing order.) Now, this is in conflict with Montclair’s stated rule, but I would assume the governor’s order will supersede. Hopefully all will be made clear before we wait in line for hours! Best to everyone in this trying time.
@montclair97 good catch! The LAST number. Thanks for helping to understand.
Well, the State’s Exec Order goes into effect at Noon. Montclair’s starts at 6AM. I’d like to some official pronouncement from Montclair Twp as to whether or not Montclair is intentionally interpreting or setting guidelines on how to distribute odd/even day gas in a way that differs from the rest of the State. For now, I will assume that the State rule applies to everywhere but Montclair, and I will go by the Montclair ordinance.
I thought the odd/even sales distribution was supposed to ease the lines. At 6 AM, the gas stations on Valley Rd had disorienting lines of what I thought were parked cars, wrapping up to Upper Mountain Ave and the other line going back to MSU. I gave up and came home.
Well, the State’s Exec Order goes into effect at Noon. Montclair’s starts at 6AM. I’d like to some official pronouncement from Montclair Twp as to whether or not Montclair is intentionally interpreting or setting guidelines on how to distribute odd/even day gas in a way that differs from the rest of the State. For now, I will assume that the State rule applies to everywhere but Montclair, and I will go by the Montclair ordinance.
Sutherlandroad — we keep getting same question. We haven’t received additional info from town since they made their ordinance which was in advance of the state’s. We will update as soon as we can get an answer from town.
What a disaster. I guess its possible that some people either do not know of the odd/even rules, or choose to ignore them.
@sutherlandroad The rule goes in to effect at noon today, so it would make sense that the lines would be long before noon.
NBC is reporting that if your license plate ends in a letter then your plate is considered odd and you can fill up on the odd days. I don’t know who is right but that is what I just heard.
It’s simple – the last number in your plate is what you use to determine odd or even, not the last character on the plate.
So erase all letters from your plate and use the last number.
If you have all letters would you be considered odd, since there would be no numbers on your plate at all.
From the Star Ledger: The last digit on a license plate will determine which day they can purchase gas. Odd numbers will correspond to odd days, even numbers to even days. Today is Nov. 3, an odd-numbered day. Specialized plates — or those not displaying a number — will be considered odd-number plates.
The number to look for is the final numerical digit contained in the plate number, whether it is the final character on the plate or not, according to the governor’s office.
So, for example, a theoretical plate number of “XYZ 27Q” would have “7” as its final numerical digit, and would be permitted gasoline on an odd day.
What a ridiculous mess. At first read of the headline I thought, “why is this only about Montclair? Isn’t it county-wide?” Then I realized it was yet another mess the local officials had to go and get everyone into. If the governor made a general order that includes Essex County, why would Montclair have to do their own? Everything is so confusing as it is right now. And this letter, number, digit, odd, even thing is even more ridiculous. I automatically assumed that if the only NUMBER in my plate ends in a 3 it is an odd number. People w/o power are not in a position to even know about this other crazy interpretation. I just can’t understand why Montclair had to stir this all ready very difficult (and damaged) pot when they could just go along with the rest of the state and cause far less confusion.
@fussyhostess I had the same reaction about Montclair until I heard that Montclair was being more proactive than the state, having issued this policy before Christie did. So it’s actually props to Montclair. Unfortunately, Montclair’s rule differed a bit from the state’s and that has led to confusion.
I just called the police department and was told that if my license plate has a letter at the end, but numbers included — then my day is determined by the LAST NUMBER on the plate, where ever it happens to be – the a-m, n-z info doesn’t relate to anything. is this how everybody understood it?
The State’s method is better than Montclair’s because it is clearer and Montclair should adopt it if this ever happens again.
winegles — you are correct — that is the state’s method which is what all 12 counties including ours will follow.
If you have a car with enough gas, you can drive about an hour from Montclair and get as much fuel as you need. Head down the NJ Turnpike – in the areas of exits 7-8 you can pop off the turnpike and the local stations have plenty of gas an no lines. Fill up your car and as many gas cans as you like. It will take about 2 hours roundtrip, but there are no restrictions and it is much less stressful than waiting in line.
Right about now is when the zombies should start appearing. How do you kill them again – is it a silver bullet or a steak in the heart?
Drive up the GSP North to the Montvale service area. Got gas last night and the line was about a 1/4 mile to the pumps which had 5 gaslanes open and well organized. it took about 45 mins and we were back on the road. If you use diesel it’s on the outside right lane.