DRIVING instructors fighting to save Gravesham’s only test centre have driven through Gravesend town centre in a protest convoy.

Dave Bolton, vice chairman of the 60-member Gravesend Association of Driving Instructors, organised the 80-car convoy on Saturday morning.

It followed the Driving Standards Agency’s (DSA) decision to axe the test centre in Pelham Road by March next year.

The closure means learner drivers will have a 20 mile round trip to take their driving exam in Gillingham or Erith.

Mr Bolton, of Halls Road, Northfleet, has been a driving instructor in Gravesend for 15 years and says the closure is “ridiculous”.

The 56-year-old said: “It’s unfair to our pupils, who do not know the area very well.

“They will have to pay for more lessons to get to know Gillingham and allow for travel time in between.

“For the DSA to expect people to take their tests in places like Gillingham is absolutely ridiculous.”

Meanwhile, Jacky Levy’s son John is learning to drive in Gravesend.

The 59-year-old project manager from Northfleet said: “I feel incensed by what’s going on.

“John’s not familiar with the roads in Gillingham and the big roundabout is tricky to navigate.

“It’s difficult enough funding your child when they start learning to drive, so added extras like this is ridiculous.”

The DSA says it decided not to renew the lease on the test centre’s Victorian building due to the amount of money needed to maintain it.

It said there is spare capacity at places like Gillingham, or Erith, to absorb demand from Gravesend without compromising the waiting time service targets.

The DSA also says it relies on test fees to provide its services and has to make sure those services are cost effective.

However, Mr Bolton told News Shopper the centre saw 6,487 driving exams take place last year, saying it is clear Gravesend is an efficient and productive centre.

Barry Kenward, chairman of DIDU, an organisation for approved driving instructors, has lent his support to the campaign against the closure, citing a number of reasons.

He said: “It will significantly increase the cost of lessons to the student if it takes longer to get to the training area, both for lessons and for the test itself.

“It will also increase the carbon footprint as there will be increased carbon emissions through extra travel to the test area.”

Mr Kenward pointed out Gravesend has a pass rate of 48.4 per cent, the highest rate from its neighbouring test centres, including Gillingham and Erith.

He concluded: “The obvious answer would be to continue to search for suitable premises in the Gravesend area, of which I am assured there is plenty of availability, then increase staffing levels to accommodate the numbers and bring waiting times down to a more acceptable level.”

If the closure goes ahead, the last tests at the centre will take place on February 18 next year.