Manhattan —

The start of the city’s post-Sandy gas rationing program – with odd or even license plates determining who gets a place at the pump on alternate days – fueled debate as motorists lined up for increasing precious petrol.

The queue at the Hess station on 45th Street  and 10th Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen ran relatively smoothly on the first day or rationing, with waits of about 30 minutes. The city and Long Island are following the lead of New Jersey, where rationing went into effect in the days after the storm.