Learner drivers in Huddersfield are beginning to feel anxious as there is an increased likelihood of driving on unfamiliar roads following the relocation of the Huddersfield Driving test centre. After moving to Cedar Court Hotel in April 2021, the Huddersfield DVLA centre has relocated yet again. Learner drivers will now set off from the Chestnut Centre, a local community centre, in Deighton.
Some learner drivers have become worried about the sudden change in location, including Daniel Shannon, 20, who has been learning to drive since November 2022, who stated that he now feels “unprepared”. Daniel says “it feels to have thrown me out a bit. I’ve been learning the test routes so that hopefully places feel familiar on the test, but the new centre means that I may drive in areas that I haven’t driven in before.”
According to GOV.UK, “you’ll drive for around 40 minutes” in a practical driving test, meaning that only a certain radius can be covered in this amount of time. As well as general driving, learner drivers will also be required to carry out a manoeuvre and stop multiple times at the side of the road, which consumes time, limiting the distance that can be covered in just 40 minutes of driving. This means that it is now very unlikely that learner drivers will drive in areas that were close to Cedar Court Hotel, such as Lindley and Marsh, and makes areas like Mirfield more likely to be covered on the test.
However, Riley Irving, a 20-year-old who passed his test in January 2023, thinks that new learners in Huddersfield “have it lucky”. “It took me a couple of times to pass my driving test,” states Riley, “and I think that part of what made me so nervous was having to stand outside in the cold at Cedar Court to be called for my test, rather than waiting in a waiting room like you can at the new test centre.”
At the Chestnut Centre, learner drivers going for their test wait in a room for their examiner to greet them and go through details, however at Cedar Court Hotel, learners had to wait outside of their car before starting the test. Riley says “for both of my tests I had to wait in the rain on a dark morning, so it’s not the best start to a test. I think that people doing their test at the Deighton location have it lucky to be able to sit and be warm before their test starts.”
The DVLA currently have no information on how long they will be using the new temporary Huddersfield test centre.
(Image credits to Creative Commons Licensing)