Bike test? No chance!

5:25pm Friday 25th July 2008

Comments (3)   Have your say »

Oxfordshire's two motorcycle test centres - which are due to close in September - have no more test spaces available.

The Driving Standards Authority confirmed both the Cowley and Banbury test centres were full until the end of September - and can take no more bookings.

Motorcycle instructor John Wheeler alerted the Oxford Mail after attempting to book a test for one of his pupils.

Mr Wheeler said: "I couldn't believe it when they said there were no more slots available.

"I've got students that are going demented over this and I imagine there are a lot of instructors that won't be very happy.

"They have had their lessons in Oxfordshire and now have to travel out of the county on to roads they don't know and are expected to take their tests - it's not very fair."

Mr Wheeler also feared it could lead to an increase in people taking to the road illegally.

He said: "If they can't take their tests in Oxfordshire then they will have to go out of the county to either Swindon or Newbury and I worry it will put a lot of people off.

"You might see people chancing it, thinking that they can get away with not having a proper licence.

"There were about 1,000 people that took their motorcycle tests in Oxfordshire last year and you have to ask, where are they going to go now?"

The closure of the test centres in Hollow Way, in Cowley, and West Bar Street, Banbury, follow new European laws, which introduced off-road testing.

The DSA said negotiations to use the car park at Oxford United's Kassam Stadium as a new test centre were continuing.

A spokesman added: "If the public know of any sites which might possibly be used for motorcycle testing on a casual hire basis in Oxfordshire, we would be happy to look at them."