Long queues of vehicles at petrol stations continue to be a common sight at many places in and around Doha, causing much inconvenience to motorists.
The situation has worsened since schools reopened and people started returning to the country in large numbers following the summer holidays, it is learnt.
Though Qatar Fuel (Woqod) has opened a number of petrol stations – permanent as well as mobile - over the past few years and more are in the pipeline, the existing facilities are still not enough to cope with the country’s vehicle population, the motorists point out. What has compounded the problem is the closure of some privately operated petrol stations in key locations, they argue, adding that some private petrol stations that were closed apparently due to renovation show no signs of reopening.
"The long queues at several stations, during the daytime and also in the evening, are simply unbearable. We hope the authorities will soon find a way out to overcome the current problems," a long-time Qatar resident said while recalling the time when he would not have to spend even five minutes to get his car refuelled.
There has been a more than four-fold rise in the country's population over the last 15 years or so. While there were fewer than 600,000 people in Qatar towards the end of 2002, now the figure is inching towards 2.75mn. Similarly, there has been a huge increase in vehicles over the years – numbering well over 1mn, according to earlier reports. However, this has not been matched by a corresponding increase in the number of petrol stations in the country, enquiries found.
With thousands of new vehicles added to the country’s roads every month, the situation will only get worse unless prompt and adequate steps are taken to address the issue, according to some Doha inhabitants.
"It is true that the country has witnessed the opening of several new petrol stations over the past 5-6 years. But they are simply inadequate to meet the requirements of the growing number of vehicles," said a sales manager at a rental firm. He said every time he goes out to refuel his vehicle, he finds long queues at most petrol stations within a 5-6km radius of his accommodation in the Old Airport area.
One way to beat the long queues is to visit a petrol station, especially one located in a busy neighbourhood, at odd hours such as late in the night or early in the morning, say motorists.
"The situation is becoming increasingly difficult as long queues of vehicles are a regular feature at most petrol stations," a transport company official said. He cited the example of a Woqod petrol station in the Al Hilal area of Doha, where he had to spend more than 30 minutes on a recent evening waiting for his turn.
To avoid such a situation, he and his staff are now getting their fleet of vehicles, including cars and vans, refuelled in the early in the morning though that means staying up at odd hours.
Residents also echoed similar views about petrol stations in Mesaimeer and other places.
A Qatari citizen said large tracts of private land are available along many key roads in Doha and beyond. He said Woqod could explore the possibility of forming partnerships with the owners of such land to set up more petrol stations and provide relief to motorists.
A Doha entrepreneur, meanwhile, appealed to the authorities to consider operating more mobile stations such as the one on B-Ring Road, near Jaidah Flyover.
Long queues outside petrol stations also add to congestion on Doha roads, say motorists. "Sometimes an entire lane is blocked as cars wait for their turn to enter a petrol station. This can lead to major snarls on some of the key roads," said one of them. "Access to petrol stations could be better designed to ensure that traffic flow is not affected."
Some residents of Rayyan also demanded more petrol stations within their municipal limits. One of them said the town cannot meet the requirements of vehicle owners with the existing number of outlets there.
Enquiries found that vehicle owners in Wakrah, too, have similar complaints. Around 80,000 residents have reportedly moved to housing facilities in Wukair in recent years with a number of independent villa compounds coming up in the area. However, there are only a handful of petrol stations in the area, sources told Gulf Times.
