Delhi to get 8 new automated driving test tracks to speed up licence issuance

Delhi is set to get a number of new driving test tracks in the national capital region in an effort to reduce the waiting period for people looking forward to get a permanent licence. The state government is planning to set up eight new such test tracks around Delhi to speed up the process.

The Delhi government has already floated tenders for the construction of the automated driving test tracks and hopes to get them completed within two years after the tender process is completed. The eight new tracks will add to the already existing 10 driving test tracks in Delhi-NCR, taking the overall total to 18.

The new driving test tracks, to build at a cost of ₹10 crore, will come up at the Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women in Kashmere Gate, Delhi Technological University in Bawna and five Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in Pusa, Jaffarpur Kalan, Mayur Vihar, Shahdara, Jail Road and Narela.

"These new automated driving test tracks will help reduce the waiting time for applicants seeking permanent driving licences. Currently, the waiting period before taking up the test is around two months," a senior officer at the Delhi transport department was quoted by news agency PTI.

The automated tracks are used to test the skill of the applicants across stretches which include up-gradient, forward-8, reverse-S and traffic junctions. The applicants seeking permanent driving licences are tested on as many as 24 driving skills. These include reversing a vehicle on 'S' shaped stretch, parking, overtaking and crossing at intersections.