More than 9,000 people across Galway city and county are still waiting for their theory and driving tests, according to new figures from the Road Safety Authority.
The figures, which were released to Sinn Féin transport spokesperson, Dep Darren O'Rourke, reveal a total of 9,413 people in Galway are still waiting for their theory and driving tests. Of these, 5,271 Galwegians are waiting for a driving test, while 4,142 are on the theory test waiting list.
Galway East Sinn Féin's Louis O'Hara [pictured below] has criticised the lack of action to deal with spiralling waiting lists for theory and driving tests.
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“Last year Sinn Féin warned Minister Eamon Ryan his lack of preparation and planning for driving tests was going to cause chaos during 2021,” he said. “We called for additional testers to be hired to help address the growing backlog, but it took months for the Minister to grant approval for the 80 extra testers the RSA themselves requested. They are still not in place.”
Mr O’Hara said the situation was “not good enough”, especially as young people were “predominantly affected” by these delays.
“The delays are impacting their employment opportunities and will become a major problem for many as they return to college in September,” he said. “Universities were able to immediately switch to online exams during the pandemic, but no action was taken by Minister Ryan on this front.”
Mr O’Hara is calling for an immediate increase in testing and theory testing capacity, including the fast-track recruitment of staff, longer opening hours, and the establishment of pop-up centres.
