Agency checks Lodi cars
Voluntary emissions survey done on Ham Lane
California Highway Patrol Officer Justin Love directed traffic on North Ham Lane across from Kofu Park in Lodi on Wednesday, blocking off one lane and instructing drivers to slow down while employees from the Bureau of Automotive Repair conducted a voluntary emissions survey.
“We encourage motorists to slow down for this because we’ve got some gentlemen out here conducting scientific surveys, so safety is paramount for everybody,” Love said.
A division of the California Department of Consumer Affairs, the BAR collects data on emissions from cars made in 2014 and earlier, according to BAR program representative Erik Aragon.
“We’ll ask Officer Love to pull a car in, introduce ourselves and explain what we’re doing and ask them if they want to participate,” Aragon said. “If they say ‘no,’ it’s no big deal, we just let them go.”
When a driver agrees to participate in the free survey, a BAR technician measures the vehicle’s exhaust emissions by checking the onboard computer system, inserting a probe into the tailpipe or both, Aragon said.
The entire process takes approximately 10 minutes, Aragon said, and the data is used to help BAR evaluate the effectiveness of California’s Smog Check Program.
“We’re the ones who regulate the smog shops, so we’re mandated to do this to check how they’re working,” Aragon said.
BAR safety director Gordon Prow said the survey team usually contacts between 40 and 70 vehicles a day, with approximately half of them agreeing to participate.
“We’ll probably test about 30 vehicles,” Prow said. “It’s actually very nice to realize that about 90 percent of people are courteous, they’re friendly. Even if they say ‘no,’ they’re still understanding.”
RTD will also begin putting new buses in service, the press release said, that feature lower floors, wheel chair ramps, free WiFi, 110-volt and USB chargers, tray tables and hybrid engines.
“Most of the seats will recline,” Williams said. “There are only a few bench seats that don’t.”
Georgia Lantsberger, Lodi’s transportation manager, is optimistic that RTD’s new weekend service to the Dublin BART station will give San Joaquin residents more options for traveling to the Bay Area.
“It’s convenient, very affordable and you can leave your vehicle at home and let RTD do the driving,” Lantsberger said in an email. “RTD in on the cutting edge of making a variety of transportation options available to not only Stockton residents, but to everyone in the San Joaquin region.”
On Oct. 1, RTD launched Van Go!, an on-demand rideshare service in the north county, primarily in Lodi, Linden and Lockeford using RTD’s own vans and drivers.
Van Go! rides are available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week, and one-way rides are $5 each until Dec. 31.
Residents of Lodi and unincorporated county areas north of Stockton can download the RTD Van Go! application on their smartphones, or call 800367-7433 to schedule a rides within the service area.
For Lodians looking to travel directly to Sacramento, Amtrak San Joaquin launched their morning express train on May 7.
The train arrives in Lodi from Fresno at approximately 6:44 a.m. each day, and arrives in Sacramento around 7:41 a.m., with return trips departing from Sacramento at 12:41 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
The train features WiFi and a cafe cart with breakfast items in the morning and snacks and other beverages in the afternoon.
A one-way trip from Lodi to Sacramento is $10, but discounts are available for 10-trip books and monthly passes.