New test delayed til March next year

Just come across this on another forum. Quoted form www.mag-uk.org, I cut most of the self congratulating out..

Following two years of hard campaigning, the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) has welcomed the official announcement of an eleventh-hour delay to the introduction of an extended practical test for new motorcycle riders.

Several large regions would have been left without any test facilities. Riders in many parts of the country faced journeys of several hours to reach a test centre.

Three out of four Driving Standards Agency (DSA) test centres are due to be sold-off to fund a small number of new "Multi-Purpose Test Centres" (MPTCs) capable of hosting the new test.

The regulations were due to be imposed at the end of September, but with less than half the test centres completed the new implementation date will now be Monday, March 30, 2009.

The move comes after the DSA came under pressure from motorcycle riders’ organisation MAG, working alongside organisations representing the rider training industry (MRTA), motorcycle industry (MCIA) and others.

...

The whole thing has seemed like a shambles to me, maybe it's time to cut its losses and not bother. I didn't read muchof the MCN article, but from what I gather the whole thing is due to the EU being tougher, and demanding the emergency stop be carried out at 50kmh, which is faster than the 30mph speed limit allows. Making the need for off road test centers..

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=117476

Ha!

1. See 2
2. See 1


Mods, feel free to delete mine then.

Good. Crazy idea anyway and the perfect way to kill the future of motorcycling. If some of the instructors find it too difficult, then sure as hell the students will.

It's very worrying that some instructors find it too difficult..

I've been on the phone to the person who taught me to ride, trying to organise to go out with him for a day every few weeks- he's been working 7 days a week for weeks on end. We've seen instructors and learners out at 06:45 on the way to work too, so there must be plenty of interest in taking the bike test. Hopefully this test won't kill it, though it seems to me like it'll be a recession of types. The good years where taking the test is easy enough, then the dark years where the EU takes over and the UK barks when told to, and then hopefully all will be good again after that...

If only they could put it back a couple more days so I could have one attempt at my DAS test and not be restricted! You think if I ask nicely enough they will put it back to the 3rd April??