NEED to renew your driving licence and don’t want to face a long queue? Or apply for a learners’ driving licence or a roadworthy certificate but don’t know where to go?

The City of Cape Town’s Traffic Services has made it easier for you to get your vehicle and driving licences by launching a website that gives useful information, such as which testing centres have the shortest turnaround testing times, useful sites to visit for safety tips, and practical tips for the K-53 driving test.

Every month, the city’s 15 driving licence testing centres process an average of 5 000 learners’ driving and 5 300 driving licence tests. They also issue and renew driving card licences and professional driving permits for over one million road users.

To cope with this demand, the City has introduced various measures to streamline its licensing processes, such as opening a new driving licence testing centre in Eastridge, Mitchells Plain, introducing a new electronic booking system and supplying the public information via the website.

The testing centre in Mitchells Plain, which opened on 2 February, increases the number of testing centres in Cape Town to 16. It will take bookings for learners’ and driving tests from 9 February 2009. Practical tests will commence from 16 February 2009. The centre is located on the corner of Katdoring and 5th Avenue, Eastridge, Mitchells Plain.

Kelvyn Visser, deputy chief: Licensing and Logistics, says the site should be a one-stop destination for all traffic queries, and will be expanded to include useful sections where the public can view and pay outstanding fines.

“Practically everything traffic-related will go on the site,” he says, adding although that it was only activated on 21 January 2009, and is still in its early stages, it will be updated on a weekly basis.

“The site is dynamic and as additional information becomes available, it will be updated and improved.

“The City has received numerous complaints about waiting periods at our testing stations, so we decided to put all the information onto a website so that the public can access it and then approach the testing centre with the shortest waiting period. Although these are only guides, at least they won’t be frustrated by having to wait for a few months.”

The site has a list of all the traffic centres, with the addresses, phone numbers, and names of the management representatives and their functions.

The approximate waiting times for learners’ driving, driving and motorcycling licences at each centre are also listed.

Information on the application procedure, such as what documents to bring, how much it costs, and the process, is also given

For more information on the License website click here.