BBC: UK's new motorcycle test centres 'waste of money'

[5hort5]

Millions of pounds have been wasted on a government decision to close down local motorcycle test sites, a report from MPs has concluded.

Erm yer, any biker could have told them that!

Read more:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8582141.stm

[Jayneflakes]

Having just done my Module 1 test, I can confirm that riding forty miles for an eight minute test and then riding forty miles home again was exhausting. Being forced off the road by joyriders in a stolen car on the way to the test centre did not do a lot for my confidence either. The road on the way there was under construction and we were sprayed with mud, so when we finally got to the test centre, I could not see out of my visor, my bike was brown and it was pouring with rain.

Thankfully my kit is waterproof, but it was not a great day. All of that expense and trouble for eight minutes is hard to justify. The test centre did have a lovely new carpet with the letters DSA woven into it and the building was very warm, with lots of lovely seats. Money well spent...

On the positive side, swerving around cones was great fun and being on a totally smooth and grippy road surface was a revelation compared to the normal greasy, potholed and worn out roads in Weston.

That is my pennyworth. :D

[Milky Bar Kid]

It's a stupid test. And what is the deal with doing the swerve at 37kph? Which is 31.5mph, which is breaking the built up area speed limit? It's stupid, stupid, stupid! So there. That is my 2p.

[Sid Squid]

50 Kmh is ~31 Mph - the European standard built up area speed limit. Which is why our test takes place off road.
The Euro test takes place at 50Kmh, instead of doing the test at 30 Mph our clever Government decided that they couldn't possibly change the test to be done 1.06Mph slower but they'd have to spend millions, (of your money, obviously), on test centres so that vehicles would be able to take the test at 31Mph off road.

You really, really couldn't make this tosh up.

[Milky Bar Kid]

Where did I get 37 from? lol!

Anyway, I agree that it is just stupid. No common sense involved in thinking these things up and it put a whole lot of independent instructors and little training schools out of business cos they couldn't afford the get somewhere to practise. My nearest centres now are apparently Carlisle and Glasgow - both nearly 2 hrs drive away from where I live. Thank god I did mine before they changed!

[orose]

I think its 50kph, which matches the majority of suburban limits in mainland europe - I suspect that is the downside of retaining mph for speed limits over here.

I'm not convinced that the swerve is as badly thought out as it seems to be though. It looks like about a 3-4 foot deflection in path (bearing in mind I haven't seen it live, just on TV). Combining it with a stop is a reasonable analogue to real riding, but the problem for me is that you have to enter it off a bend. Some 125s struggle to cope with getting up to speed in the room available, diverting concentration from the task ahead, and in some cases requiring a mid-corner gear change.

[Noble Ox]

So it is a safety driven insentive by the sound of things? Making it more 'robust' to improve rider skills?

Im sorry, but most accidents caused by motorcyclists (ignoring uncapable chavs on scooters) are due to us trying to drive like Rossi (which no amount of tests will prevent the urge to open up the throttle) or an unlucky accident (birds, road, weather...). Not due to our riding skills.

Its the deaths caused by other drivers which needs to be the focus, if they want to improve the stats. So yes, it is a waste of millions.

[Noble Ox]

I think its 50kph, which matches the majority of suburban limits in mainland europe - I suspect that is the downside of retaining mph for speed limits over here.

I'm not convinced that the swerve is as badly thought out as it seems to be though. It looks like about a 3-4 foot deflection in path (bearing in mind I haven't seen it live, just on TV). Combining it with a stop is a reasonable analogue to real riding, but the problem for me is that you have to enter it off a bend. Some 125s struggle to cope with getting up to speed in the room available, diverting concentration from the task ahead, and in some cases requiring a mid-corner gear change.


I had to rag the balls of the 125 I took my test on, to get it up to speed. Promoting safety, my donkey?!!

[Ed]

The article claims that the super centres replaced 'older, less well-equipped centres' - not in Shrewsbury it didn't - I was one of the first candidates at the now 'old' centre, in 2006. They closed it last year, big 'To Let' sign on it now, I imagine the DSA are locked into a lease.

[madcockney]

Having just done my Module 1 test, I can confirm that riding forty miles for an eight minute test and then riding forty miles home again was exhausting. Being forced off the road by joyriders in a stolen car on the way to the test centre did not do a lot for my confidence either. The road on the way there was under construction and we were sprayed with mud, so when we finally got to the test centre, I could not see out of my visor, my bike was brown and it was pouring with rain.

Thankfully my kit is waterproof, but it was not a great day. All of that expense and trouble for eight minutes is hard to justify. The test centre did have a lovely new carpet with the letters DSA woven into it and the building was very warm, with lots of lovely seats. Money well spent...

On the positive side, swerving around cones was great fun and being on a totally smooth and grippy road surface was a revelation compared to the normal greasy, potholed and worn out roads in Weston.

That is my pennyworth. :D

I can beat that I did over 20 miles by car to the school and then a further 60 odd miles to the test centre. When you add that to the aborted tests that you don't find out until you get there it gets very expensive and time consuming. Still think that the new tests are fairer than the old one, if not time consuming though.

[wyrdness]

50 Kmh is ~31 Mph - the European standard built up area speed limit. Which is why our test takes place off road.
The Euro test takes place at 50Kmh, instead of doing the test at 30 Mph our clever Government decided that they couldn't possibly change the test to be done 1.06Mph slower but they'd have to spend millions, (of your money, obviously), on test centres so that vehicles would be able to take the test at 31Mph off road.

You really, really couldn't make this tosh up.

Couldn't they just find a 40mph road for this part of the test? There's plenty of them about, even in urban areas.

[barwel1992]

to cut down on cost i decided to take the risk and do both tests on the one day, 10 min for the off road and 30 min for the on road passed both, with faffing around as well took a hour in tottal

is it true that if you fail mod 1 you cant do mod 2 ? i think thats stupid i think you should be able to try both on the same day saving on cost of fuel and your's and your instructors time (if he/she comes with you) so if you fail mod 1 then you can still pass mod 2 but you just have to come back and do it again

[dizzyblonde]

Its one of the many reasons why I decided not to take a job at my old training school.
In the old days when I did my test I had a choice of Halifax, Bradford and Barnsley to do it.
When they brought in the new one, they could only do it in Rotherham......errrrrr where?

Obviously I know where it is, but thats not the point, its never been a place they used, but its now the only place they can go apparently.

[yorkie_chris]

It's an absolute disgrace, load of eurotrash. Should kick those gallic garlic breath tossers in the nuts.

But millions of pounds wasted... what's new there, the government can manage that one going for a dump.

[Sid Squid]

Couldn't they just find a 40mph road for this part of the test? There's plenty of them about, even in urban areas.A perfectly reasonable and sensible question - which is why it was completely ignored I imagine, I mean it's clearly a better plan to **** away millions of pounds of public money, whilst making the test less convenient.

Isn't it?

I know I'm repeating myself, but:
You really, really couldn't make this tosh up.

[Sosha]

A perfectly reasonable and sensible question - which is why it was completely ignored I imagine, I mean it's clearly a better plan to **** away millions of pounds of public money, whilst making the test less convenient.

Isn't it?

I know I'm repeating myself, but:

Off topic...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/07/ruddy-duck-cull-waste-money

Expectations?

[yorkie_chris]

WTF? Most people would shoot them for free?

[eviltwin]

Off topic...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/07/ruddy-duck-cull-waste-money

Expectations?

We could go on all day with this, he he

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/northamptonshire/8582914.stm

[madcockney]

The module 1 could not be undertaken on a 40 mph road due to what is involved in parts of the the test. I didn't know, until one of my instructors told me, the one who is also able to be a DSA examiner, that you are not allowed to undertake a simulated controlled stop on the road above 30 mph. The new tests states that the swerve and controlled stop must be in excess of 50 KPh. Under the old test you usually did the controlled stop at around 20 mph. It appears that the guy at the top of the DSA who approved all of the new tests doesn't ride, and hadn't appreciated the problems, and complexities, before he signed up to it. Havig said that he should have been because all of the motorcycle riders representative and trade organisations had an input.

The controlled stop and high speed manoeuvre, and stopping in a box, with your front axle in the box after the latter manoeuvre would be difficult unless conducted under controlled conditions and without interference from others. Hence the special, stripped surface, and everything laid out to prescribed specifications including dimensions. This also takes out the problems of an examiner setting a difficult or lax course depending on how they felt about you. Incidentally they will call off the test due to highish winds and other weather conditions, (I believe winds over 15 kph, or was that mph, has been mentioned.)

[daj39]

did mine 3 weeks ago..had so much time to stop in the box after the swerve test i had to let off the brake and roll into the box.to many slow tests 4 in all..its all about money...IF you do direct acess it cost £96 for mod 1 for 10 mins what a joke....

[Noble Ox]

Its cheap. All I spent was £10 Mod 1, £80 Mod2 and £20 insurance for a month on a mates 125. £110? + Petrol.

Its just a stupid test. and a complete rip off for those who choose to have lessons. I say choose, its pretty much the only option for most.