Emission Test Traffic Chugs Past Problem Backup Due To I-695 Churned Through Test Stations This Week

Fri., Jan. 7, 2000

By Carol MacPherson carolm@spokesman.com

All the early-week excitement at the state’s emission testing stations has leveled off, state officials said.

Numbers peaked on Tuesday and declined as the week went on, Department of Ecology spokesman Larry Altose said.

On Tuesday, 6,950 vehicles were tested at the state’s 20 testing stations. On Wednesday, that number dropped to 5,983 statewide. On Thursday the total was 5,079. In Spokane, the numbers break down this way: 751 vehicles were tested on Tuesday, 646 on Wednesday and 524 on Thursday.

Before I-695 was passed, typical daily volume at stations statewide was 3,000-4,000 vehicles.

“People have been very understanding during this unusual, one-time situation,” Altose said. “They don’t expect to be first in line.”

While Ecology expects emissions testing traffic to continue to slow down, Altose predicted there might be another busy surge Saturday, when most people have the day off.

“But we seem to have gone through our major surge this week,” he said.

The stations experienced a glitch Tuesday when the main computer in Redmond wasn’t working, Altose said. As a result, station employees had to enter each car’s information by hand, adding a few seconds to each test. The computer system was fixed by Wednesday morning. Emissions tests were definitely not surging in November and most of December, as people waited to license their vehicles in January. Even though tests could have been done earlier, the tests were down 25,000 compared with the same period in 1998, according to Ecology.

Even with the steady decline of emissions tests this week, Ecology is encouraging vehicle owners with license tabs expiring in February and late January to wait until later this month to get the test done. Models older than 1976 and newer than 1996 do not need inspections this year. Only even model numbers need to be tested in 2000.

FAST FACTS Testing rules Test station hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Stations are closed Sundays and Mondays. The fee is $15, cash only. Vehicles in line by 5 p.m. will be tested.

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