Pontypridd Driving Test Centre to close
The Driving Test centre in Pontypridd is set to close and move to Llantrisant early in the New Year. The leasehold property in Pwllgwaun is in a poor state of repair and it appears that the Department of Transport who own and run the centre think the solution is to move out of the area.
Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly candidate for Pontypridd Councillor Mike Powell says other solutions should be looked at.
"There must surely be other options within the Pontypridd town area. It is unacceptable that what is supposedly the County Town of Rhondda Cynon Taff is left without a test centre, a centre that is extremely well used.
"There is a distinct lack of public information about this move – although it is of huge concern to instructors across Pontypridd and the Rhondda.
"It will be yet another service lost the town. What is the point in spending millions on fancy pavements if more and more facilities are being lost?
"I very much doubt that the extra traffic will be welcomed by residents in the Llantrisant area where there is already grid lock for much of the time and where planning permission has been granted for anew town centre."
His Welsh Liberal Democrat colleague and Rhondda Assembly candidate Karen Roberts added
"Learner drivers from the Rhondda will have further to travel to the test centre in Miskin, which is the apparent suggested location and at peak rush hour time the route there is impossible.
"Pontypridd has its own problems with traffic jams, but the Pwllgwaun site is well located so as to be easily accessible from the Rhondda and has the benefit of offering two different test routes, one through Pontypridd and the other through Porth, depending on the time of day.
"There have already been numerous comments from instructors about the suitability of the Llantrisant area to cover all elements required effectively. This must be looked at again."
