NJDOT Announces Appointment
System for Seven Inspection Stations

Weinstein Releases Capacity Report

"We believe this customer-friendly approach to inspections will eliminate the inconvenience of long waits," Weinstein said.

In the meantime, Weinstein said, those stations will continue to use the old emissions test that was in place before the Dec. 13 conversion to the enhanced system, and customers getting the old test will receive one-year stickers.

The seven stations are Montclair, Ridgewood, Westfield, Washington, Bridgeton, Cape May and Salem. In addition to using appointments, those stations’ hours will be extended from 61 to 84 hours weekly.

"We have an appointment system for the temporary facilities at Freehold and Toms River and it has worked very well in distributing the load," Weinstein said.

Two other stations, at Eatontown and Randolph, will continue to make the transition to the enhanced test. Starting today, the six-lane Randolph facility will be giving the new test at one more lane, bringing its total of enhanced test lanes to four. Plans for converting the balance of the Randolph lanes and the two non-enhanced lanes at the five-lane Eatontown station are continuing, consistent with the existing agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Weinstein said.

The state is operating under an EPA deadline of June 30 to return the entire system to the enhanced test. But Weinstein said he has asked the EPA for an extension until Aug.1, 2000 to provide time to set up the appointment system for the seven stations, and to hire and train the additional 70 people needed to operate seven facilities 14 hours each day.

The decision to initiate the appointment system was based on an analysis provided to the state as part of the Parsons Infrastructure recovery plan, Weinstein said. That analysis indicates that some inspection stations -- particularly the seven that will be appointment-only – will experience wait times in excess of standards set forth in the contract with Parsons Infrastructure and Technology Group.

The analysis, prepared by Parsons Infrastructure, predicts that the daily 30-minute/two hour and monthly 15-minute average wait-time standard will be achieved at 11 of the 32 central inspection facilities for the month of July. The daily wait time standard is exceeded if at any station there is a thirty-minute average wait for two consecutive hours for more than four days in any calendar month.

DMV Director Kamin said the public could take the following steps to facilitate the easiest possible trip to the inspection station:

! Come in early in the month. Don’t wait until the end of the month for inspection. Lines are historically the longest during the last week of the month.

Take advantage of extended hours. All central inspection stations open at 6:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and are open late one weeknight until 7:30 p.m. Saturday hours are from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Don’t wait for a renewed registration card. The old regulations requiring that a vehicle’s registration must be renewed for the upcoming year before coming in for inspection have been superseded. As long as the registration is valid and has not lapsed, you can present it. Also, new stickers affixed to license plates let police know the registration has been renewed.

! Do a spot check before coming in for inspection. Things like a faulty horn, wipers, lights mirrors and directional signals can result in failing inspection and are relatively inexpensive to repair. Fixing them beforehand will avoid having to make a return trip to the inspection station.

Keep your car maintained and there should be little problem passing the enhanced emissions test.