Traffic Centres Tackle Licence Testing Backlogs

State of the art electronic booking systems, which will fast-track appointments for learner's and driving tests, have been introduced in Cape Town as one of only two pilot projects in South Africa.

The system at the Lingelethu driving licence test centre (DLTC) in Khayelitsha will help eliminate double and triple test bookings, thus freeing up at least 35% of the waiting list. It will also help spread the bookings load across the City of Cape Town's 15 DLTCs.

"If proved to be successful, this electronic system, together with a sister system in Knysna, will be rolled out to the rest of the Cape metropole and replicated at all other testing centres nationally," says Assistant Chief Vernon Little of Cape Town Traffic Services.

"The high fuel prices have led to Cape Town's DLTCs being inundated with a 50% increase in bookings for motorcycle learners' and driving tests in the past year alone.

"Cape Town is not unique in this respect. Most other municipalities have experienced a sharp spike in licence test applications over the past 18 months. Municipalities merely act as licensing agents for the national and provincial authorities, so there are many factors beyond our control. Notwithstanding the legal constraints, Cape Town Traffic Services is doing its best to cater to the needs of the city's 3,2 million residents," says Little.

Traffic Services has started its transformation by restructuring into two divisions - one dedicated to licensing and the other to operations, which includes general law enforcement.

Within the licensing division, the 15 DLTCs resort under four geographical areas headed by Assistant Traffic Chiefs, Kallie Dick, Vernon Little, Sibongile Makhapela and Nicky Michaels.

Assistant Chief Dick is in charge of the DLTCs at Lingelethu, Kuils River and Gordon's Bay. Assistant Chief Little oversees Gallows Hill, Milnerton and Atlantis. Assistant Chief Makhapela heads Hillstar, New Ottery, Joe Gqabi, while Assistant Chief Michaels heads Bellville, Goodwood, Brackenfell, Elsies River, Parow and Durbanville.

The number one challenge is to cut the average waiting period for test appointments from an average of six months to three months for a driving licence test, and two months for a learner licence test.

"The past year was fraught with major stumbling blocks. This started with the launch of the National Traffic Information System (eNatis) in March 2007 requiring municipalities to switch over to the centralized computer system.

Run by the Department of Transport, the eNatis system crashed intermittently, resulting in long queues at traffic centre's across the country. Although the system has stabilized, it is often slow and traffic departments are still battling with enormous backlogs.

The situation was compounded by the last minute rush of drivers wanting to meet the five year deadline for the renewal of driving licences in March 2008.

But Cape Town's Traffic Service has now turned the corner and is introducing various measures to streamline licensing processes for an estimated one million road users in the Cape Metropole.

During the past three months alone, a total of 14 997 driving licence tests and 29 737 learner's licence tests were conducted by the City's 15 driving licence test centres. Plans are also in place to appoint an additional 50 examiners to supplement the current 64, as well as an extra 144 clerical staff.

Besides beefing up its staff complement, the department has major expansion plans for its DLTCs.

In the past 18 months, new centres have opened at Lingelethu West and Joe Gqabi, and the New Ottery centre has been recommissioned. Mitchells Plain is waiting to be officially gazetted and is expected to open by November 2008.

Three centres - at Gallows Hills, Kuils River and Joe Gqabi have been earmarked to become the flagships of the department and a R3 million upgrade is already underway at Gallows Hill.

Other plans in the pipeline include a revamp of the Milnerton and Brackenfell centres, the opening of a new test track at Kuils River, the upgrading of the test track at Bellville, and the construction of a new DLTC in Somerset West after the old one had to be closed for N2 road works.

The department is also exploring the possibility of opening a centre in Clovelly to service the Deep South, Fish Hoek and Simon's Town residents.

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Issued by:
Communication Department, City of Cape Town

Media queries:
Merle Lourens
Principal Inspector: Media, Events, Communications, Cape Town Traffic Services
Tel: 021 406 8860
Cell: 072 200 1512

Vernon Little
Assistant Traffic Chief in charge of Gallows Hill, Milnerton and Atlantis DLTCs
Cape Town Traffic Services
Tel: 021 406 8839
Cell: 084 333 3005