Fed up motorbike instructors are calling for troublesome moss to be cleared from an Aberdeen driving centre after waiting months for students to take their tests.
Malcolm MacRae of CMS Training School has not been able to book in tests at the centre in Cove since November 9 despite repeatedly contacting the The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to find out what is going on.
Mr MacRae said the test centre was built in 2009 and since then there has been constant issues with the surface of the MMA, the motorycle manouvering area.
The area, which is about 460ft (140m) by 131ft (40m) wide, is used for emergency stops and avoidance exercises which riders must prove they can pass before graduating to the road.
Mr MacRae said he called for the DVSA to chemically treat the surface, and was pleased to discover that an area of the MMA was treated before Christmas.
But, the site is still out of action.
“It’s an absolute disaster,” said Mr MacRae.
“Since the 9th November it has been totally closed.”
Five motorbike schools across the north-east use the centre and Mr MacRae said those wanting to sit their test have had to travel to Dundee or Inverness instead.
He expects to have 22 tests cancelled by the end of this month.
“It’s shocking because I’ve still got to pay my rent and pay instructors and they just seem to be sitting on their hands and they’re not doing anything pro-active to sort this out.”
Alan Skinner of Right Start Motoring in Peterhead said he had about 22 tests cancelled because of moss.
“The support of the local DVSA staff has been great,” he added.
“But the end product I presume is outside of their area.
“You expect a government body as big as the DVSA to come up with, or have resources to sort this out, but it just seems to be dragging on.”
DVSA Regional Operations Manager, Martin Owens apologised for the ongoing issue.
He said: “We are looking to fix the problem as quickly as possible and are actively looking for an alternative temporary site to conduct tests from whilst the problem is being resolved.”