Smooth sailing
I took my car to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality this week for its biennial emissions check. It was a painless experience.
Dropping in at the DEQ test station on NE 33rd Drive in late morning on a weekday in the middle of the month, I was greeted with only a few minutes' wait -- just long enough to fill out the insurance information on the back of my vehicle registration renewal form. And although my car is old enough to need the "enhanced" treadmill test, the test itself only took a couple of minutes.
The nice clerk told me I passed, took my check for the test fee and the bargain-basement vehicle registration, and gave me my new registration tags. The whole thing took about five minutes from entry to exit through the gates.
Had the car not passed the test, I'm sure I would be a lot less magnanimous. But as things went, I can only say that I wish the rest of government worked this well.