by: Eric Braden
Recently the inspection on my car was running out so the dread of paying high fees for registration and emissions testing started to kick in. Before I could get my registration submitted I had to go to a vehicle emissions testing facility here in Boulder to get my car “sniff checked”. While I do support clean air (being an ENVS major) the test that ensued was far from pretty. I will admit right now that I do have a modified car, I do have a high flow catalytic converter and I in no way expected to pass the sniff test with flying colors. My car was revved into garage bay by a careless 20 year old I watched helplessly from the window as my car sat on a dynamometer for more than 25 minutes while being brought to redline about fifteen times by more than four guys. The test cost me out of pocket $25 in addition to all the gas these guys burned through. While I failed the test I found it unnecessary to pollute the environment even more with the extensive testing. I see the importance of getting clean cars on the road and dirty ones off but Boulder, or Colorado in general, needs to increase the standards on the way these tests are carried out. Excessive pollution of the environment to prove to me that my car is not up to standards of Colorado law seems like an oxymoron to me.
17 comments:
Forget increasing emissions testing standards. Let's invest our time and money into continuing progress on alternative modes of transportation. Taking an alternative mode of transportation just once or twice a year would make up for the extra 15 minutes of emissions testing on your car. Imagine if everyone rode the bus or biked their commute just one day a week. The air would be so clean!
I second the bike riding. It's also way more fun than driving, and you get the added benefit of scaring aging speed-walkers as you come buzzing down the Boulder Creek Path at 30 miles an hour.
While bike riding and public transportation are both excellent options, it just doesn't always work. Some times its the distance that can't handle the bike or in a world when time is so important the bus can take just to long. It seems that most likely people will not switch over to alternative transportation methods so we might as well work with what we have. It does seems like 25 dollars is a waste of money and there should be an easier way to get the testing done. If emissions testing was made easier people would not try to get around it, which means we could work on trying to have cleaner air.
I agree with the mix of public transportation/biking and driving, its what I do every week. Public bus to school. Car to work. My personal feeling is that we should focus on alternative modes of transportation, especially in the public sector. 200 million green cars on the road is still 200 million cars. If public transportation were really to be streamlined and green it would greatly reduce traffic and resource use. Of course this would only work in big cities where everything you need is within short distance. In Boulder where we tend to sprawl (though not as bad as most) it's not so effective.
I also see the public transportation, biking and driving as excellent alternatives here in Boulder. Yes, it is way easier to take bus than to drive to school. Air will be much cleaner if we at least ride bike once a week. Public transportation is also a great option to reduce the air pollution.
I agree that public transportation should be used more. People should try to ride their bikes, ride the bus, or carpool as much as possible. Almost everyone in Europe uses public transportation or drives a more environmentally friendly vehicle like a Moped. Mopeds are a cheaper but still fast way of getting around town and don't pollute as much. People need to reduce their driving by planning in advance. For example they should try to run errands on the same day so they drive less. Even small things help!
While I sympathize with your plight as a fellow modified car owner, I can't help but wonder if you've done any research on the facts of emissions testing. Do you know how much pollution is prevented by requiring testing? Do you know what would be involved in changing testing procedures if it could be done feasibly at all? Do you really think that running your car for a few minutes on the tester outweighs the pollution that will be prevented by making you fix your catalytic converter? I went through the same process with my modified GTI and instead of complaining about the testing procedure, I felt bad that my car had been producing excessive emissions and was happy to replace it. I was ignorant of the negative effects of my husband's car hobby (my car is his baby). It seems to me that the benefits of emission testing far outweigh the costs!
I couldn't agree more with most of the comments posted. If it is possible for you to use public transportation or riding your bike when your not going to be on a time crunch then you should take that opportunity. we are lucky that boulder has great public transportation. Now everyone go renew your buss passes and reduce the amount of driving you do! there's many benefits, you won't have to pay as much for gas and your helping the environment.
I agree, I also had to have an emissions test done this summer. While spending about an hour in line and at the testing station, i heard numerous people complain about the whole process. I think there should be a better way to test, however, I do agree that it does help reduce high-polluting cars. So, in a way, it is worth it. But, in general, I get around Boulder and Denver by bus and bike. We are lucky that our city makes it so easy for us to do so.
I also support bike riding as a mode of green transportation and recreation, but one thing has always puzzled me. Why is it that, oftentimes a small line, of cars have to stop to allow one pedestrian or cyclist cross at a cross walk. When this happens to me it always makes me think that it is much more efficient and carbon friendly for me to stop and accelerate again than a half-dozen internal combustion engines. My only guess is that it provides a safe and enjoyable experience for alternative commuters and encourages more people to get out and walk or ride...
While I agree with what Maddie said, I believe Boulder needs to take a look at the people they hire at the testing facilities. Last year, my car was due for emissions testing so I pulled up and next thing I knew a 20 some year old got into my car and floored the gas. He had hit the car in front of mine causing minor damage to both vehicles. My licence plate was crumpled. The "kid" wasn't even pulled aside and talked to by a manager. I personally had to report the incident to the guy in charge. On top of it, I had to tell the lady with the car in front of me what had happened, and I still had to pay for the test. I would assume that the City of Boulder looks at the driving records of the people they hire, but the city needs to have a backup plan incase one of these individuals damages a car... Like a Free Emissions test!!
I think in boulder it is ridiculous to be driving around anyway and I also think that something like biking should be used much more. But i also agree with the post that they should find a better way to test cars for this.
I recently had a negative experience with my emission testing too. I took my new Honda CR-V in and was told that I needed to pay for 'extensive testing'. I asked numerous times what that meant, and was told simply that they couldn't get a read off of my car and that they would need to try a different way to test its emissions.
They also told me that I didn't have an option and had to have this alternative form of testing done.
At the end of the day I paid $25 plus an extra few dollars for another reading, plus an hour of my time. There's got to be a more efficient way to do this! I also had to pay for gas after they burned through 4 gallons of gas.
The testing process can be a hassle. Often times the reason why they test them for so long is so the car can "have every opportunity to pass". I am primarily a biker, and feel that in boulder biking and busing should be sufficient, but I do have a car and like many car owners I hate the helpless feeling of having to wait behind the window while the guy stalls my car three times.
David McKinley
I agree that the testing can be a little ridiculous sometimes, but I still feel it is necessary. As a modified car/truck owner as well, I feel the tests can be very helpful. I failed my emissions test earlier in September and it showed high HC's indicating unburnt fuel. The truck didn't feel as though it was losing power but in actuality I had a bad EGR valve, and some problems with my Ignition. Fixed that, fixed the emissions problem, and the truck runs great now.
That being said I almost never drive my truck around boulder. I usually ride my bike or walk. I drive up to the mountains to ski a few times a week and sometimes drive to get groceries.
Can someone educate me on this, does everyone have to get their car tested? Or is it only if your car is registered in Colorado, or Boulder? Also, does anyone know where Boulder's emissions standards are relative to California's? Thanks.
Hey guys, sorry it took me awhile to respond to this blog posting. I agree with many of you guys on the subject of riding or walking around Boulder, as I do it all the time as well! I also agree with most people saying that emissions testing is defiantly a worthwhile procedure to protect the environment. The main argument was the way the procedure was carried out, I feel that it could've been accomplished in a much easier manner. My GTI is a huge part of me (fellow car modifiers can relate) and they way this test was carried out was ridiculous. I think if Boulder is going to mandate emissions standards like this they should have a different approach. Oh btw, I have since then installed my stock catalytic converter back on and passed emissions with flying colors. And at Rand S I do not believe it is a statewide procedure, with laws varying by country your car is registered in.
Post a Comment