Apparently, the Reservoir Road Test Centre in Hull has been closed on Health & Safety grounds after a neighbouring factory apparently experienced “a 
series of explosions” and “smoke from a shredding machine” caused an examiner to experience an asthma attack.
The article is in one of those “This is…” local publications and the emotive headline and reference to “explosions” is pretty vague. Even when they quote the owner of the factory where these explosions are taking place you’re still not much wiser. However, the owner explains that explosions occur inside a machine used for crushing cars a couple of times a week and are no hazard to anyone – which is at odds with the story’s initial reference to “shock waves” shaking the test centre and setting vertical blinds swinging.
Anyway, let’s leave the issue of alleged nuclear explosions in a breaker’s yard next door to the Hull test centre and look at the various responses to the temporary closure.
The story is dated today – the 11th – and yet tests appear to be going ahead until 23rd (so the whole issue can’t be that serious), after which time they will be run out of Beverley and Bridlington. Beverley is a 24 minute drive away from Hull, whilst Bridlington is 50 minutes away. Even Scunthorpe is only a 40 minute drive.
I ought to point out that I often take pupils who live in Long Eaton, for example, to tests in Colwick – a 25 minute drive at best, and often 40 minutes or more depending on the route I take. I carry out manoeuvres at various locations along whatever route we’re using, and that pushes the total travel time to anything up to 90 minutes – the warm-up time I include prior to test for all pupils..
One instructor reckons that pupils will now need two hour lessons because they will need experience of the roads they’ll be taking their tests on. He asks if they will be able to afford that. Well, the simple answer is yes, because all you do is let them miss a week and then do a two hour lesson the following week. I do that all the time with those who are strapped for cash. And he refers to a “huge fireball” erupting from the machine in the breaker’s yard – the BBC version of the story is somewhat less dramatic.
A DSA spokeswoman says:
…there is more to a test than learning test routes and it is expected that any candidate who considers themselves to be ready for test should be able to drive in any area.
That was exactly what I was thinking. Fair enough, there are certain features that it is useful to cover on lessons around any test centre, but you don’t spend all lesson, every lesson just covering test routes, test roads, test corners, and so on. Unfortunately, some ADIs do just that.
Another instructor thinks that Beverley will be “swamped by learners” and she adds:
They already have to put up with the Leconfield lorries going through their town.
The point she’s trying to make here escapes me. I’m not sure what lorries have to do with it, but I would very much doubt that even if every Hull examiner moved to Beverley and conducted all the planned Hull tests that there would be a significant increase in traffic. It would amount to a few dozen extra cars spread out over a whole day.
I wish people wouldn’t try to dramatise things so much.
Edit 10/10/2013: The latest news is that a temporary centre could open shortly – less than a month after the original office was shut.