Vale MP Alun Cairns has welcomed confirmation from the Department for Transport that local candidates can sit driving tests in Barry on three days a week in 2015, up from two days in 2014.
Driving tests returned to Barry in 2011 after a controversial period of closure. An experimental pilot scheme launched with driving examiners based in Barry on one day per week.
Demand has since increased significantly and the waiting time during 2014 was as high as 14 weeks for a driving test. Mr Cairns wrote to Department for Transport minister Claire Perry to highlight the long waiting times being endured by candidates across the Vale of Glamorgan. Young learner drivers and instructors had expressed concerns about the delays, and the added cost of travelling out of the county take a driving test.
Mr Cairns recently met with several Barry based driving instructors and learners to welcome the news, and discuss the positive impact reduced waiting lists will have on new drivers.
Barry driving instructor Lyndon Davies said: “The extra day has been welcomed by all the instructors in Barry and around the Vale. The decision makes a great deal of sense for instructors and learners, and we are grateful for the effort Alun Cairns has gone to in helping us secure this extra day.”
Mr Cairns said: “I am really pleased that learner drivers from Barry and the surrounding towns and villages will have significantly improved access to a local driving test. Taking a driving test is nerve-wracking enough, without the added stress and cost of travelling lengthy distances. Since re-opening back in 2011 the test facility has gone from strength to strength. The current waiting time is around 11 weeks for a test, but I now expect this to drop significantly as a result of the additional day.
“For youngsters starting out in a career, access to their own vehicle can be vitally important as it can be the difference between refusing and accepting a job offer. It is great news for local instructors too, and I am grateful to the local organisations that contributed to such a successful project in Barry.”