BOSTON -- A bank's free gasoline promotion on Thursday triggered a traffic jam outside one gas station, leading police to temporarily shut it down, according to the Associated Press.
The Sunoco station in Boston's Roxbury section was ordered closed around 7:45 a.m. because the line of vehicles created a safety hazard, police spokesperson Office John Boyle said.
The station was one of eight Sunoco stations in four New England states where Citizens Bank was giving away up to $20 in gasoline to any motorist who showed up between 5:30 [image-nocss] a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Customers were also offered $10 gas gift cards if they wanted to return later. Drivers did not have to be bank customers to qualify for the promotion, which preceded the Memorial Day weekend, typically a popular travel weekend.
The promotion was offered in four other greater Boston locations: Boston's Dorchester section and suburban Reading, Acton and Hingham. The promotion also was offered in Pawtucket, R.I., Cromwell, Conn., and Portsmouth, N.H.
About $90,000 worth of gas and gift cards were given away, said Andrea Cale, a spokesperson for Providence, R.I.-based Citizens Bank. The Roxbury site was the only station where traffic problems were reported, she said. But it was also the only gas giveaway location for which Citizens publicized the station's address in advance.
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