Somerset West testing centre to relocate in October

THE Somerset West Driving Licensing Testing Center (DLTC), which is believed to be preventing the planned realignment of the N2, will close in October 2024 and relocate to Strand.

The facility located just off the N2 on a deserted part of Victoria Street in Somerset West serves hundreds of residents as far as Grabouw and other areas weekly.

The testing centre will now close shop before the end of the year as the planned realignment of the N2.

City of Cape Town Traffic Service spokesperson, Kevin Jacobs, said the location of the current DLTC forms part of the N2 road reserve and the planned realignment of the N2 will impact the DLTC.

“The City’s Traffic Service is in the process of identifying an alternative site for the DLTC. This site will be a temporary site until such time that a new DLTC will be constructed in Strand, Erika and Main Road,” he said.

At the end of last year, the City’s Traffic Service and Urban Mobility Directorate met with SANRAL regarding the changes.

John Jackson of LL Cool J Driving School claims that this has been going on since 2008 and there was no public participation in the decision-making process.

“All that we know is about an upgrade taking place of the river,” he said.

“Our people don’t have any knowledge of this, we must make it as public as possible.”

Jackson said that there have been no upgrades or developments at DLTC since 2008, so why move it now? “For 16 years they haven’t budgeted for the testing centre. Why must it move now due to the N2 realignment?

Meanwhile, the estimated date to vacate the facility is October 2024 subject to Sanral’s project implementation. Jacobs added that the City wants to make the transition as smooth as possible to avoid service delivery problems. “The City’s Traffic Service envisages to have a seamless transition to a new temporary site to minimise the impact on service delivery to residents and customers,” Jacobs said.