Why do you see signs saying, "No propane vehicles allowed"?
Dear Cecil:
At the entrance to most underground and covered parking garages hereabouts, there are signs reading ABSOLUTELY NO PROPANE VEHICLES ALLOWED IN THIS PARKADE. Why? Is there some danger?
Cecil replies:
There's an off chance you could cause a fire or explosion--a prospect that would definitely enliven a dull trip to the mall but makes your petit-bourgeois garage owner break out in a cold sweat. Propane, whether used in cars or otherwise, is stored in liquid form in high pressure tanks. Occasionally some leaks out via a pressure relief valve or what have you, not a problem on the open road but potentially a big problem in a confined area, since propane is heavier than air and collects at low spots, e.g., the bottom floor of an underground parking garage or the low point in a tunnel (the entrances to which often sport anti-propane warnings). Some propane buffs, who regard the stuff as nature's perfect fuel, say the danger is exaggerated, and my none-too-thorough search has failed to turn up any documented cases of propane disasters in garages or tunnels (although wasn't there some sort of bang at the World Trade Center a while back?). Be that as it may, it's only polite to humor the worry warts and leave your propane powered Pontiac parked on the street.
