Cork TD calls for action to address lengthy driving test waiting lists  

More than 16,800 people are currently waiting a driving test in Cork, according to new RSA figures.

The figures, released to Sinn Fein TD for Cork North Central Thomas Gould, show 10,146 people are awaiting a test at the Wilton centre alone.

Some 1,488 people in Wilton have a test appointment date scheduled, 3,475 are waiting to be invited to book their test, and 3,401 have been sent an invitation to book the test in the last 10 days.

Some 1,782 are on the waiting list but are not yet eligible to sit the test, either because they have their learner permit less than six months or have not completed all 12 mandatory lessons yet.

Nationally

In total there are 164,477 people nationally waiting for a test, with Wilton having the third-highest list in the country.

There are there are 3,320 people waiting in Mallow — 377 of these have a test date, 1,174 are waiting for a date, 1,157 have been offered the chance to book a test, and 612 are not eligible.

Finally, there are 1,660 people waiting to book a test in Skibbereen, 126 of them have an appointment scheduled, 741 are waiting for an appointment, 495 have been sent a booking link in the last 10 days, and 298 are ineligible.

In Ballincollig, which does tests for trucks and buses but not cars, there are 1,700 people waiting in total.

The RSA also provided Mr Gould with average test waiting times for each centre.

In Wilton, the wait time is 17 weeks — above the national average of 15.6 weeks, with Mallow and Skibbereen both having average wait times just shy of 15 weeks.

Reality

Mr Gould said: “There are well in excess of 10,000 people waiting for driving tests across Cork. Many of these people need to take the test to start new jobs or gain some independence.

“The reality is that the bus service is grim and the car is the only choice for many people in Cork.

“That they are being forced to wait months to even receive a test date is simply not good enough.”

“I am concerned that these long test waiting times are encouraging people to drive without a full licence, which is completely unacceptable.

“We have seen the rises in tragic road incidents this year, every step must be taken to ensure that there are only competent, safe drivers on the roads.”

Alternative

He suggested that the testing centre in Ballincollig, which currently tests trucks and buses, could be a potential alternative option to take some of the strain off Wilton, adding: “I would think that Cork’s population size warrants an additional test centre”.

Speaking to The Echo, Jerry Dwyer from Dwyers Driving School in the city said that while waiting lists times have recently decreased, he explained: “The issue is they haven’t got enough testers.

“After the pandemic they got a load of testers, but they put you on contract and don’t give you a permanent position. They got waiting lists down to four to six weeks and then they let all the testers go.”