Thursday November 18, 2021 | LANGFORD, BC [Update November 19 at 10:40 am – gas supply (Regular only) will be available starting 11 am today Friday November 19, 2021, per the manager at ESSO Jacklin Rd.]
[Update 4 pm November 19, 2021: BC Government Order now restricts gas pump purchases to $30 per visit, now to December 1, 2021.]
by Mary P Brooke, Editor | Island Social Trends
It might be two or three days until there is more gasoline at the popular ESSO service station on Jacklin Road in Langford.
The staff person on duty this evening said they completely ran out of gasoline to sell by 10 am this morning.
They had sold gas non-stop through the night (Wednesday night into Thursday morning), with people worried about interruptions to the supply chain as a result of the road and rail unavailability resulting from the November 15 storm and flooding.
Anyone who expected to sit in idling traffic on the Malahat today, or on any other day this week, would have wanted to fill up.
The center gas fill-up lanes were blocked off this evening. The outer lanes allowed for cars to park for a moment, so people could go in to buy other items inside the convenience store, and perhaps with dismay how they really did want to fill up their gas tank.
The price sign (that is always a bit lower than the rest of the region) was at zero. That’s not something anyone would have ever thought to see.
The hand nozzles for pumping gas were covered over, like bird cages sleeping for the night.
One woman who runs a pet care service said she needs fuel on a daily basis to keep her vehicle running for her business. Tonight she was out of luck.
Earlier today: “Don’t panic”:
The City of Langford has said this morning at 8 am that 15 gas tanker trucks currently mustered at the Bamberton site will travel by escort southbound over the Malahat (Highway 1) at 9 am.
That was the direction for heading into Greater Victoria. But obviously the Langford ESSO was not on the list.
“There is no need to panic about gasoline supplies,” says Michelle Mahovlich, Director of Engineering.
Malahat update:
As of 9:15 am today November 18, the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure says that Malahat overnight closures have been cancelled, and that single-lane alternating traffic (30 minutes at a time) will continue 24 hours a day, now that culvert repairs have been done (overnight Wednesday night).
===== RELATED:
Malahat update: no overnight closures but still single-lane alternating (November 18, 2021)
More gasoline supply arriving in Greater Victoria (November 18, 2021)
State of Emergency declared in BC to deal with storm flood recovery (November 17, 2021)
Location of flooding in Langford, and where residents can get sandbags (November 15, 2021)
SOUTH VANCOUVER ISLAND: Wind & rain impact highway travel Nov 15 (November 15, 2021)
