By Diana Runkel

One afternoon while driving near campus, I noticed my tank was low and pulled into the Speedway near campus for a quick refill. The moment I turned in, I remembered why I usually avoid this gas station.

Most U of L students know exactly which Speedway I mean. Located at 2210 Arthur Street only a couple minutes from the Belknap Academic Building, it should be a convenient stop for students.

Instead, many warn others to avoid it.

When I pulled into this station, every pump was occupied, so I waited for an opening. As soon as a spot was open, I fueled my car and left.

After leaving, I realized I was the only car at that gas station who moved the entire time. I had been the last to arrive, but the first to leave.

I was curious about what made this gas station so slow compared to others. I returned to this station around noon another day to observe how people used the pumps.

One driver filled up and left in about 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Another paid inside and then fueled up, which took about 5 minutes and 20 seconds.

Then, there was someone who parked at a pump, chatted with a friend, bought snacks inside, and after all that finally began fueling their car. This driver took a total of 9 minutes.

Individually, a single person causing a delay may not sound like much. However, during my observation, it became clear this wasn’t an exception. Most cars spent 5-8 minutes occupying a pump.

At one point, I even watched a man park at a pump, go inside to buy something, come back out and drive away, all without getting gas!

If this Speedway is going to work efficiently for everyone, customers need to be more aware of how they’re using this space.

Here are a few ways to help:

1. Don’t leave your vehicle at a pump to shop inside. While customers using cash to get gas understandably need to go in, anyone grabbing additional items should move to a parking spot after fueling.

2. Remember that pumps aren’t parking spaces. It may be tempting to pull up and sit, but doing so blocks someone who actually needs to fill up.

3. Save long conversations for later. Running into friends can be nice, but lingering at the pump holds up everyone else.

Although customer habits play a big role, Speedway could also improve the situation.

This Speedway has very limited parking near the pumps and many don’t realize there are more spots behind the building. These spots, however, are very hard to access unless you’re already coming down Arthur Street. Adding a short access road on the opposite side of the station would make it much easier to reach those spots and reduce pump congestion.

While this Speedway won’t improve immediately, small changes from both customers and Speedway can make the experience far less frustrating.

A little awareness goes a long way in keeping the pumps moving and making the station better for everyone.

Diana Runkel is a staff writer for The Louisville Cardinal. She is a communication major at U of L with an emphasis on interpersonal communication and media.

Feature Photo / Diana Runkel