Yes these "spaces for people" fittings! Was there not a recent case of a middle/oldish woman exiting a
shop, forgetting about them and fell and broke a leg maybe, a lot like Embra's tram tracks that capture cyclists and sometimes contribute to their death - all smart clever stuff!
I am like you, assuming the worst or being prepared for the worst in assuming that the petrol smell is actually coming form our cars.
Though, it has to be said, older cars smelt a lot like that when running as well as they could, we were walking along the road in Corstorphine and a bright blue Hillman Imp passed by driven by a cheerful looking older gent, it appeared to be running very well, ie no visible nasties coming out of the exhaust - but the smell it left behind it was a bit nasty, which was normal in the old days!