Park for learner drivers mooted for Durban
The plan entails establishing a number of well-resourced driver development parks in which driving schools can provide training to learner drivers.
ETHEKWINI Municipality wants to establish an appropriate facility to be used by driving schools to train learner drivers and conduct specialised training and refresher courses.
The plan was tabled before the municipality’s human settlements and infrastructure committee on Tuesday, 2 June.
This plan is expected to be tabled before council later this month for approval.
In the interim, Ethekwini Transport Authority (ETA) will continue to engage with relevant stakeholders to establish a driver development park. This forms part of city’s road safety strategy. The driver development park will provide a ‘one-stop-shop’ service for the development and assessment of drivers.
The plan entails establishing a number of well-resourced driver development parks in which driving schools can provide training to learner drivers. These parks will be used by driving schools to conduct their business, and would have classrooms for lectures, tracks for skills training, driving simulators, waiting areas and ongoing refresher courses for all public transport drivers in the city.
The two sites proposed by ETA are along the Warwick node and the other next to the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Edgewood Campus in Pinetown.
The budget for the project is not yet finalised, but R1.5-million was needed to develop a financial model and business plan.
The Head of ETA, Thami Manyathi said: “The city values the role of drivers and they are key for the success of the road safety strategy. Inappropriate and aggressive driving behaviour exposes road users to the risk of accidents, together with the known drastic consequences. The parks will provide an enabling environment for good driving behaviour and promote a culture of professionalism,” he said.
Manyathi added that the Municipality will approach the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport and its Road Traffic Inspectorate, the National Department of Transport, and the Road Traffic Management Corporation to discuss the concept of Driver Development Parks because matters around licencing are a national and provincial competency.
