Over 7,000 in Cork await driving tests, sparking criticism from a TD over excessive six-month wait times.
Ó Laoghaire thinks this delay hurts people’s lives. It makes planning work and family hard. Cork’s bus service problems make it worse. Last year at this time, about 6,000 waited.
Wilton has 5,024 people waiting for tests. Ballincollig has 397. Mallow has 1,703. Ó Laoghaire calls this situation unacceptable. People need licenses for work and school.
He thinks the government failed to plan for more drivers. They knew more people would want to take their test. They did not increase staffing accordingly.
Another Sinn Féin TD, Thomas Gould, also spoke out. He thinks Ballincollig should offer car tests. This could help cut down the waiting list.
Cork City’s testing is too limited right now. Gould knows people who missed job offers from the delays. Some even missed parts of college. He says this situation causes dangerous road issues too.
Applying today means a test date in August. Gould finds this unacceptable. Ballincollig, he says, is a good solution. Investment is required, but it would relieve pressure.
Gould has also mentioned problems with Cork’s public transport. Sinn Féin met with transportation officials recently. They talked about the problems on Cork’s bus routes. New bus plans got delayed.