‘Stupid rule’: Petrol station whinge backfires

A vigorous online debate has erupted after a motorist’s whinge over a reportedly common petrol station act went viral.

A vigorous online debate has erupted after a motorist’s whinge over a reportedly common petrol station act went viral.

The post shows a man at a Shell servo in the South Australian city of Murray Bridge filling up his white Ford Ranger. There is a “no entry” sign facing the opposite to the way he has parked.

It is not clear whether he disobeyed the sign or he reversed into the spot.

However, it was enough to stoke fury in one fellow motorist who photographed the act, blurred it with white dots and accompanied it with an irate caption.

“The people that do this suck, because when someone inevitably comes in the correct way, you’ve now created congestion,” he said.

This was the act in question.

The post has since attracted thousands of comments and the majority were critical of the man’s social media whinge — particularly given there appeared to be nobody else using the petrol pumps at the same time.

“Major congestion in an empty petrol station makes sense,” one person commented.

“Of all things to moan about lol,” said another.

“Alas the pump is open. Just use it. Geeez,” added a third.

The person behind the post found some support among a minority of people commenting.

“The sign says No Entry from that side,” one said. “A car entering the correct way could make this drongo reverse out if they wanted too (sic). Like going up a one-way street the wrong way!”

However, it was pointed out that there was no way of knowing if the motorist reversed into the spot.

Others said they were guilty of doing the same as the man in the image.

“Stupid rule. Attendant stopped my pump the other day. So I paid my $8 and left! I ain’t going back. My local spot doesn’t have this rule,” one said.

“If that's the only spare pump and my petrol cap is on that side best believe I’m going to use it,” another added.

“I do it all the time, I’m not waiting if I don’t have to, you just need to get over it,” added a third.

“I’m not waiting in a queue if there’s a spare pump. So yes, I do this a lot,” added a fourth.

Others said there were simply bigger things to worry about.

“If this is your biggest concern in life, I want to be you,” one person said.

“A wise man once said……don’t sweat the small stuff,” another added. “Life is too short to complain all the time.”

Originally published as ‘Stupid rule’: Petrol station whinge backfires