Arlington's Reservations About Hybrid Vehicles

I went to Arlington this morning, to a Tarrant County Courthouse Sub-Station to get a vehicle registration renewal sticker for my windshield. The parking lot was almost full, I saw some empty spaces facing away from the sun, so I headed towards them.

When I got to the 4 empty spaces I saw they were reserved.

The signs said, "RESERVED FOR HYBRID AND LOW EMITTING FUEL EFFICIENT VEHICLES."

Since I was driving a vehicle that did not qualify for one of those empty spaces, I continued emitting pollution in my non-efficient vehicle, til I found a parking space. That somehow seemed sort of ironic to me.

Back to the registration renewal subject. The Texas method for this is very annoying. Each year you have to replace two big stickers on your windshield, the registration renewal and the emissions test sticker. They are not small stickers. It seems counter-intuitive that the State of Texas makes you put two vision blocking stickers on the thing the driver looks out while he is piloting his vehicle.

In Washington a much simpler method is used. You simply put your new license tabs on your license plate every year. Washington is not quite as polluting as Texas is, so, in the county I lived in I did not have to take my vehicle in for an emissions test. Some areas of Washington, like Seattle, do make you get your vehicle tested. I have no idea where the proof of that testing goes. I would hope common sense prevails up north and it's not a sticker on the windshield.

More irony, just as I'm typing about emissions, WeatherBug went off with an alert, warning that a Level Orange Ozone Alert has been issued. But it appears so clear and blue out there. It must be invisible pollution.