xsmotorcycleschool.co.uk blog

Further to the blog entry of 9th June this year about a review having been ordered into the “new” style Motorcycle Practical Test.

This has now been completed and in it Mike Penning, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, states that he “wants to see the practical test delivered as a single on-road event in a way which will maintain riding standards, protect safety and increase accessibility of the test to all candidates”.

The review suggests that the test could now include the hazard avoidance manoeuvre as well as the other specified manoeuvres ‘on the road’ or suggests that the low-speed manoeuvres could possibly be examined at CBT training centres ahead of the main test.

This change would of course mean that there would no longer be the need to take the test at one of the inadequate number of specialist test centres, as is now necessary and so do away with the current, inherently unsafe, need for a test candidate to ride for 2 hours or more just to get to a test centre in order to take a test.(There are reports of some candidates having to ride for over 5 hours to reach their nearest test centre.)

The actual report is on-line at:- http://tinyurl.com/294qsfj

We’ll have to watch out though that this change is not used as an excuse to boost the cost of a test yet again.

When the “new” test was first proposed we were told that it would not be necessary to increase the test fee but they have subsequently boosted it by over 50%. (A motorcycle test is now over £90 in comparison to the £62 it is for a car.)

Dateline Wednesday 9th June 2010

It was announced today that a review has been ordered into the Motorcycle Test system.

Recently released figures show that since the implementation of the new system last year the number of tests being taken has plummeted to a half of the previous years figure and that there have been around 300 reported accidents during “Module 1″, the controversial new part of the Test that is done on a safe enclosed yard at one of the new specialised Multi Purpose Test Centre of which there are 45 open to cover the entire British Isles.

The review was ordered following a meeting between Road Safety Minister Mike Penning and representatives from the BMF, MAG and the Motorcycle Industry Association.

The Dft news release is at http://tinyurl.com/392xepf

The news release from the BMF is at http://tinyurl.com/2wqulz3.

The news release from MAG is at http://tinyurl.com/38pymer

The Department of Transport state that “The precise scope and terms of reference of the review will be determined following discussions with motorcycle groups and other interested parties, with the aim of concluding the review by the autumn.” and are asking for any views to be sent in to them by e-mail before 31st July 2010 at :- RUSD4consultation@dft.gsi.gov.uk