After having to close for various stints of lockdown over the last 20 months, DriveTest centres in Ontario are seeing massive backlogs of residents hoping to finally get their licenses.

Since road testing was permitted to resume again in June, people have found it difficult to secure an appointment for months, with some even turning to the black market to pay for existing time slots after hundreds of thousands of tests were cancelled thanks to the pandemic.

Though the Ministry of Transportation hired more than 130 new temporary employees to help meet demand, lineups have still been out the door while coveted test spots are few and far between, and booking many months in advance.

Now, the province has decided to take yet another step to chip away at the backlog faster: shortening the road tests themselves.

Really, its that important to fast track inexperenced drivers ?
Who is that upset the we are willing to reduce the safety of these inexperienced drivers ?

— Ox Fall Down (@jeff_lillycrop) January 11, 2022

The G test in particular is now set to take less time, as certain elements already covered in the G2 licensing test will be skipped over.

Though highway and major road driving will still be part of the assessment, certain types of parking and turning may be omitted.

A spokesperson for the ministry told CTV News that this will allow for more test slots per day thanks to more "streamlined" tests that still meet national standards.

Meanwhile, the test for a G2 license will remain the same.

This makes sense. The only new thing tested during the G test is highway driving, so just do that and finish up. Highly unlikely the driver got worse at parking and stopping since the G2 test.

The changes are only due to remain in effect until March 31, depending upon lockdown rules and the backlog at that time.

— Uziel Chaim Snyder (@Hrcnhntr613) January 11, 2022

Unfortunately, under current health and safety restrictions, the only driving instruction allowed in our modified Step 2 is for drivers of commercial vehicles, not those seeking their G2, which even further delays the process.

Details about what aspects the new G test will cover, exactly, are yet to be released, but so far, people seem pretty divided on the issue, with many concerned about how competent those who complete the revised test will be on the road.