Gasoline shortage causes gridlock, forcing Syrians to walk instead

DAMASCUS, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Syrians, willingly or not, have found themselves accustomed to walking and jogging as roads across the war-torn country are jammed with cars lining up in front of fuel stations.

Syria is now facing a sharp shortage in gasoline, diesel fuel as well as cooking gas, an issue that is haunting the Syrians, while an increasing number of fuel stations have shut down, forcing Syrians to wait for hours in front of stations and triggering off severe traffic congestion.

"Walking is one of the easiest and cheapest ways of enjoying the outdoors and keeping fit," said Ameen, in his 30s. "Over time, we have become lazy and reluctant to exercise... it seems that we had badly needed such a crisis to practice," he said jokingly.

The 22-month-long crisis pummeled the country with the worst gasoline shortage in recent memory, a crunch issue with which the government is scrambling to deal.

Nidal, a taxi driver, has a small white plastic container in his cab to fill the car manually with diesel to avoid queuing for hours.

Looking worriedly at his flashing fuel indicator, Nidal hoped to find an open station to fill his car Thursday evening. "Now everything becomes scary, it's better to stay at home than wasting time at the fuel station," he grumbled.

Officials stressed that the crisis is expected to abate in the next several days. Still, the scarcity of gasoline inconvenienced many.

Drivers' patience appeared to be wearing thin facing with the severe shortage in gasoline. On Thursday evening, two drivers wrestled on the street in front of a gas station in Baghdad Street in the capital Damascus for five minutes before bystanders intervened.

Elsewhere, some drivers waiting for more fuel walked out of their cars and kept walking back and forth while others were seen eating sandwiches or puffing cigarettes.

A woman in her 70s, said while rolling down the window of her car at the Baghdad Street station "It is disgusting. Can you imagine a woman in my age walking for a long distance? I will keep waiting to fill my car."

"I badly need my car to collect food stuff and all other necessities," she said, adding that her two sons have already left the country but she preferred to staying behind despite all hardship.

"I feel that I will die once I leave Syria... I can breathe only the air of Damascus," she said.

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