Drogheda is Ireland’s largest town but, despite many years of campaigning, not only has it not got a driver test centre but the temporary, which was opened in Marian Park just two years ago offering a watered down service, is now set to close.
The relevant authority, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) seem incapable of finding a suitable site despite many suggestions from local TDs and Councillors.
Responding to the RSA’s decision not to extend the lease on the temporary driving test centre, Deputy Ged Nash said that since last spring he had proposed a number of alternative locations for a new test centre.
He said that he had received a written commitment from the RSA late last year that a greenfield site had been identified, only for cold water to be poured on that at a meeting in early February.
“Since then I have been seeking to engage with RSA on an almost daily basis but RSA has been less than forthcoming in their communication with me” he said.
“The decision is the worst of all possible worlds and leaves local people waiting on driving tests in the lurch, forced to join the queue for tests in Dundalk or Navan and I simply won’t accept the RSA blaming the (Marian Park) residents for its own decision to pull out of the town.”
“For the last two weeks, the RSA fell oddly silent on this issue and out of the blue, on Thursday morning, I received a letter from them by email informing me of the association’s decision to close the current test centre and not extend its lease.”
“I was flabbergasted by the decision and it leaves me with serious and justified doubts over the RSA’s commitment to the town.”
Deputy Fergus O’Dowd said that he was bitterly disappointed by the news as he had been confident that the ongoing negotiations with residents (of Marian Park) would have led to a positive outcome, in particular as the service had downgraded to the bare minimum over the last few years.
“Separately, I’m extremely disappointed in the RSA and their continued lack of impetus in securing either a temporary or permanent site over what has been nearly six years since the search began.
“The people of Drogheda are being treated contemptuously in this situation and the fact that up until Thursday of last week the proposals put to residents were still not agreed showed the last-minute panicked nature of the negotiations.
“I will be raising this matter in the Dail today and will be seeking an urgent intervention from both the government and the RSA to go above and beyond to secure a temporary site for driver testing to continue at the very least.”
In a letter to political representatives, the Chief Operations Officer of the RSA, Brendan Walsh, said the process of trying to identify a suitable location for a driving test centre in Drogheda had proved “…very difficult, protracted, and frustrating.”
He explained that the requirement for a test centre to be on a suitable test route had raised several issues, the main one being the traffic congestion in the town.
“The RSA has examined many locations, and all were deemed unsuitable for various reasons including congestion, lack of parking, significant planning issues and health and safety issues.
Mr. Walsh continued by saying: “the RSA, along with the Office of Public Works (continues to look for a suitable site and we welcome support from local businesses, authorities, political representatives and stakeholders to find such a site, as we are committed to providing a service in Drogheda.”
He added that a potential site has been identified but it will need to go through the planning process and require a substantial financial investment. A statement which, it has to said, is remarkably similar to one made by the RSA several years ago.
