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A 200-mile round trip for bike test
NEW motorcycle tests which will mean a 200-mile round trip for learners locally could put training centres under threat, according to a Poole instructor.
An overhaul being introduced by the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) means from the end of September riders will have to take their tests at new Multi Purpose Test Centres (MPTC).
But despite DSA assurances no candidate should have to travel more than 20 miles or for 45 minutes to reach one, the closest to Poole will be more than 90 miles away in Exeter.
The agency had submitted plans to build an MPTC in Vantage Way, Poole, which received letters of support from eight training schools.
But the application was turned down by Borough of Poole in January on the grounds it would mean a "loss of employment land".
Now Paul Bates, owner of the Licence Centre Ltd (TLC), Wallisdown Road, one of the largest training schools in the south, claims his and 18 other instruction centres in the conurbation could be put at risk.
They will be forced to send learner riders via A-roads to Exeter, or take them in a van, or even put them up overnight in the town.
He said: "The cost will soar to a point where it will put people off completely and therefore businesses will have to close."
He added: "The DSA doesn't seem to care about hardships that they are inflicting on our training schools and the rest of the motorcycle industry."
A spokesman for the DSA said: "The DSA is actively seeking a site in the Poole area and the agency would have been able to provide this facility if it were not for the turning down of the DSA's planning application by the local authorities."
He added they would appeal the decision, but there was no interim plan in place to allow riders from the area to take a test closer to home.
The DSA is introducing a new practical test for motorbikes comprising new exercises including braking tests and a slalom to try to improve safety.
The new test, required under European legislation, must be carried out in an off-road testing area - which will be catered for at a network of 60 or so Multi-Purpose Test Centres, most of which will also carry out driving tests.
7:00pm Friday 16th May 2008
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