New driving test centre being considered for north Cork town

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has confirmed that a site for a new driving test centre is "under consideration" in North Cork.

Speaking to The Echo, a spokesperson for the RSA said that plans for a new centre in Mitchelstown "are progressing”.

"Plans for a new driving test centre in Munster are progressing, with a potential site in Mitchelstown under consideration,” the spokesperson said.

“An agreement has not yet been finalised."

Fianna Fáil Cork East councillor, Deirdre O’Brien, said that she received confirmation from the Department of Transport and the RSA this week that the facility is expected to open next month.

Ms O’Brien said that the centre will be “a good boost” for the community of Mitchelstown.

“I was told this week that [the Department], the RSA and the Office of Public Works (OPW) will be opening a driving test centre in Mitchelstown,” said Ms O’Brien.

“I’m waiting for more detail to come through, but this is wonderful for Mitchelstown and for anyone waiting for a driving test.

“I had been inundated with calls from people asking to get their tests brought forward, so you’d hope this centre will bring the waiting lists back down.

“They [the waiting lists] had gone crazy, and some months back the RSA said they would tackle it by bringing it down to a 10-week average.

“We depend so much on cars, even for students driving to college and for people working,” she added.

“There were a few new centres opened in Dublin earlier this year and there was a plan mentioned to open another in Munster – and its only ideal to have it in Mitchelstown.

“The thing about Mitchelstown is that it’s so accessible – we've long had our ring road and the motorway, so you won’t have any traffic issues or impact on traffic in the local area either.

“At the same time, people will be able to come into the town too if they want to and it’ll be a good boost for the area.

“The main thing is that people will get their driving test faster, which is great.

“The good news is that it’s definitely happening, and they [the Department of Transport and the RSA] are saying that it’ll more than likely be open in October.” 

Additionally, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Seán Canney TD, confirmed that the average national waiting time for a driving test is now 10 weeks, marking a "major improvement” from the wait time of almost 30 weeks earlier this year.

"I am very pleased that we have achieved our target of restoring average waiting times for a driving test to 10 weeks,” said Mr Canney.

“This represents a major improvement from the position in April, when waiting times had reached an unacceptable 27 weeks.

“Getting waiting times under control was the first step, now we must build on this progress by addressing the broader issues in the driver testing system.

“My aim is to ensure that everyone, no matter where they live, can access a driving test within 10 weeks and that the system is working to help learner drivers move forward in a timely and responsible way."