State Looks To Cure Nantucket's Inspection Station Woes With Appointment System

Jazmine Kasperzyk showed up at Nantucket's only vehicle inspection station on Presidents Day at 3:45 a.m., nearly four hours before it opened. And she was the second vehicle in line that morning.

"It's just crazy," said Kasperzyk, who works at the Nantucket Community School. "I tried for three weeks straight, almost every other day, at a normal time and could never even get in the line. Then I asked one of my co-workers 'When do you see cars lining up? When do I need to get there?' They said 'you need to be there by 3:30 a.m. in the morning. I thought she was joking."

The long waits and challenges of accessing the island's lone vehicle inspection station at the Don Allen Ford dealership on Polpis Road have been a source of frustration for Nantucket residents for several years now. But over the past few months, with one of Don Allen's two inspectors on leave to deal with a personal matter, the situation has reached new levels of absurdity, including people sleeping in their cars to stake out a spot in line, vehicles lining up on private property, and even blocking Polpis Road itself in an attempt to squeeze into the line.

The problem had grown so dire that island residents and elected officials had contacted Nantucket's state representatives for assistance, and a potential solution to alleviate the situation may be on the horizon. State Senator Julian Cyr told the Current this week that he and state representative Thomas Moakley have met with officials from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation about the matter and that they are hoping to roll out the state’s first inspection sticker appointment system in the next few months to see if it improves the traffic issues Don Allen is currently facing.

“We don’t yet have the specifics on the appointment system and urge islanders to be patient and not flood Don Allen with calls while it’s being rolled out,” Cyr said.

In recent weeks, a regular trickle of complaints has turned into a flood, and the Current has had numerous readers reach out with messages about their frustrations as they tried to be one of the few lucky souls to check their annual car inspection sticker off their to-do list.

"I arrived for an inspection a few weeks ago at 6:45 a.m. and didn't leave until 10:45 a.m.," said island resident Dylan Cavaliere, who jokingly referred to the inspection station as "The New Nautilus," referring to the popular downtown restaurant where reservations are difficult to come by.

"I went four times in two days and I couldn't change my sticker," said Phil Demenezes, who added that he was kicked out of the Island Lumber parking area as he attempted to wait for a spot to open up in line. "There was an older lady there who's been there nine times in nine days and couldn't change her sticker."

"We tried a few days ago - no rhyme or reason to the line," said Hillary Polvere Reynolds. "Other cars were cutting in, it was absolutely insane. It would be less of a headache to pay for a Steamship ticket and get it done in Hyannis."

"Took me six hours to get a client's vehicle inspected," said Brett Davison of his experience in January. "Got there at 11 a.m., parked across the street, waited for my opening after lunch, got in line and was the last car through at 4 p.m. I could've taken the boat off and been in Canada for the amount of time I sat in my car waiting.

During a recent meeting, Nantucket Select Board chair Brooke Mohr said the board is “working on it." The Current spoke with Don Allen Ford President Erik Evens earlier this month to gain a better understanding of the situation, what is happening, and why the situation has seemingly worsened over the past few months.

Evens told the Current that people have, in fact, been parking their cars in line the day prior. He said there have been moments when he has witnessed drivers parking their cars in line almost immediately after the station closes for the day. He said he wanted to reiterate to the community that this is not allowed, and he is asking for people to work with them through this “impossible situation.”

Evens said Don Allen has been without one of its two inspectors while he is away on leave dealing with a personal matter, which has led to the dealership's station only being able to inspect about 30-35 cars per day. He said Don Allen is expecting to get its second inspector back in March, and that this should allow them to inspect closer to 75 cars on a daily basis.

Evens said he and his team understand people’s frustration with the long line and difficulty of getting an inspection sticker, but they are asking people to work with them to keep the area as safe and tame as possible. He is also asking for people to not park and wait on the side of the road if the inspection line is backed up to the road, and to instead turn around and attempt to come back later. This has led to public safety issues and daily calls for Nantucket Police officers to respond to the area.

Nantucket police chief Jody Kasper told the Current that she has not given any directive to officers regarding how they should handle enforcement of expired vehicle inspection stickers.

“That being said, we all live here and understand the challenges of getting a car inspected,” Kasper said. “Much like other civil motor vehicle violations, officers have discretion and can consider multiple factors when determining enforcement options.”

Evens said he wanted to provide the community with some items to keep in mind to avoid rejection if they’re fortunate enough to get a spot in line and avoid the disastrous scenario of having to return for a retest.

• Make sure all lights are in working order and adjusted correctly
• Make sure you have two license plates for Massachusetts vehicles
• Make sure your ebrake is in working order
• Make sure your windshield is free of cracks, windshield wipers are in good condition, and that you have windshield washer fluid.
• Make sure your line of sight is free of visual obstructions.
• Make sure all of your seatbelts are intact and in working order.
• Make sure your registration is up to date.
• Make sure your tires are not bald, rotted, or damaged with lug nuts in place.
  

The Current did a deep dive into the inspection sticker line and why it is so long back in 2023, which you can read here. Evens said the line became much more problematic following the pandemic as more people opted to live on Nantucket year-round.

The Current also spoke to an anonymous employee at Don Allen who urged people to bring their $35 inspection fee payment in cash. He said it would help the line move a lot smoother and quickly rather than using a credit card or check.

Evens said the search for a third inspector is ongoing, however, they have not been able to find any additional people to hire. If you meet the requirements and are trying to save the island from one of its biggest nightmares, you can apply for the job here.