The saga around MOT testing has hit another bump in the road after it emerged that cracks have been discovered in 16 lifts in inspection centres across the north.
According to the Driver and Vehicle Agency, which is part of the Department for Infrastructure, the hairline cracks are in the “lowest category” and the lifts remain in service.
The DVA says that MOT appointments have not been affected. That is good news, but is hardly a cause for celebration and horn-tooting.
MOT backlogs, like hospital waiting lists and potholes, have become a fact of life. They are another sign of the steady decline in public services that has been a feature of the years that Sinn Féin and the DUP have dominated at Stormont.
So far have expectations fallen, that no-one expects to get an MOT date before their current certificate expires. Apply for a test today - a service we pay for - and you will be fortunate to get near a ramp before the summer.
The latest cracks are different from those discovered at the end of 2019. That debacle saw tens of thousands of appointments cancelled in 2020, a backlog compounded by Covid delays and problems with a new online booking system. New test centres in south Belfast and Mallusk have also been delayed.
Having a valid MOT certificate is a legal requirement. It is this which elevates what might otherwise be irritation at being unable to submit a vehicle for testing in a timely fashion into a source of significant stress for many people.
MOT backlogs, like hospital waiting lists and potholes, have become a fact of life. They are another sign of the steady decline in public services that has been a feature of the years that Sinn Féin and the DUP have dominated at Stormont
The PSNI has agreed not to penalise drivers whose MOT has expired, at least as long as the vehicle is “roadworthy and safe”, insured and an appointment has been booked. But this raises questions of its own; beyond obvious telltales such as bald tyres and broken lights, how can a police officer correctly judge the roadworthiness of a car without access to an MOT centre?
The Association of British Insurers, the industry’s trade body, says that the lack of a valid MOT certificate “would not necessarily invalidate” an insurance policy, which hardly sounds completely reassuring.
Nor is the situation facing anyone whose tax expires before they have been able to get a new MOT certificate; they are advised to “keep checking the booking system” for an earlier appointment.
What an indictment of Stormont that the issuing of such guidance has become entirely routine. It’s all rather feeble.
Previous executives were distinguished by dysfunction and a basic lack of competence. If this Stormont is to be different and inspire any degree of confidence, it has to get to grips with issues like the MOT backlog. Infrastructure minister John O’Dowd needs to act quickly.
