Statistics released this week show that Cheltenham is one of the hardest places for learner drivers to pass their test.
Figures taken from a Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency collection of data in December 2017 show that the town is a tricky place to drive for learners. This is likely to be a result of the complicated roundabouts, traffic lights and the new two-way system introduced in January this year.
Though the national average pass rate is 43% and the town’s driving centre has a 46.6% pass rate, it is still considerably lower than surrounding towns. But are these figures news to residents?
I’m not surprised pass rates for driving tests are low in Cheltenham…No-one uses their indicators!
— Shôn Douglas (@shon_douglas) April 19, 2018
Phil of Slowride School of Motoring shed some light on what could be the issue;
“Cheltenham is one of the hardest test centres outside of London. Predominantly it’s the location of the centre and its surrounding roads which are heavily congested with parked cars making passing and vision difficult. Coupled with the horrific state of the roads makes it what it is. Cheltenham used to be around national average ~50% until a few years ago, so why did it change is the key question.”
Parklife spoke to some people that live in Cheltenham to discuss driving in the town;
University of Gloucestershire student and learner driver Oliver Walker is apprehensive about his upcoming test in May.
“I moved from Bristol and after looking at the newly released stats, I wish I’d booked my test for my local test centre back home. I’ve found it really hard to learn to drive in Cheltenham with all the one-way systems – I’ve definitely gotten myself into a few sticky situations! These statistics aren’t doing anything to help my confidence.”
Cheltenham resident Hesham Abdelhamid is so put off by the Cheltenham road systems that he refuses to learn to drive in the town.
“I passed my theory test late last year and was determined to start lessons in the spring, but I refuse to learn in Cheltenham. I’m always a passenger in my friends’ cars and I get stressed out even watching them try to navigate the roads. I’m going to wait until I move out of the county before I learn, it’s much quicker and more enjoyable to walk everywhere.”
Cameron Hayward learnt to drive in Taunton, and has struggled to adjust to Cheltenham roads.
“Where I learnt to drive was very quiet, there’s one main road and it’s too slow to make mistakes on. Being welcomed to Cheltenham by potholes and one-way roads that aren’t signposted properly was a bit of a shock to the system. If I lived here permanently, I would just buy a bike, driving around a place like this is stressful enough, let alone finding somewhere to park afterwards where I won’t be slapped with a fine!”
Those considering learning to drive should perhaps think about learning in neighbouring areas that have higher pass rates, such as Swindon, which has a rate of 53.5%.