By Mikayla van Loon
Learner drivers from across the Dandenong Ranges, Yarra Valley and outer east will have to travel further to sit their licence test when the Mooroolbark testing centre closes in March next year.
A new purpose built testing centre is set to open in Heatherdale Road, Ringwood in a few months replacing the offices in both Mooroolbark and Burwood East.
“We’re creating a larger, purpose-built Testing and Inspection Centre in Ringwood, which will have more testing capacity than any existing centre in Melbourne’s east,” a Department of Transport spokesperson said.
“We’ll continue to operate at the Mooroolbark Licence Testing Centre until customers are able to access the new Ringwood facility next March.”
The Department of Transport (DoT) estimates that the Ringwood Testing and Inspection Centre will create more testing capacity for the east and outer east than the current Mooroolbark and Burwood East sites combined.
For residents based in the Yarra Valley, the closure means learner drivers will be required to go to either Ringwood or Pakenham to undertake driving lessons and sit their driving test.
This closure of a VicRoads facility will be the fourth for the Yarra Ranges Shire in the last five years, after the Monbulk, Healesville and Yarra Junction centres were shut down in 2016.
Monbulk residents could travel 29km to Ringwood or 33km to Pakenham and Warburton residents have the furthest trek with 47km to Ringwood or 54km to Pakenham.
Mount Evelyn residents’ travel time will also double from 8km to 16km when travelling to Ringwood instead of Mooroolbark.
The shift will also see a move to more online testing and technology based infrastructure at the new customer hub on Maroondah Highway in Ringwood with digital self-serve kiosks meant to make customer transactions quicker and simpler.
Both the Learners Permit Test and the Hazard Perception Test are available online meaning prospective drivers can complete those milestone tests from home.
The Ringwood location was chosen because of the growth corridor it falls into and the public transport access it has but travelling from the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges could take over an hour on public transport.
The Burwood East Customer Service Centre will remain open for registration and licensing services until mid-2022 before being transferred over to Ringwood.
Booked appointments will continue to be delivered at Mooroolbark until the Ringwood site opens. Appointments for the new site will open later in December.
