DRIVING TEST CENTRES (Request for now sites)

Mr Tan Soo Khoon asked the Minister for National Development and Communications, in view of the heavy concentration of learner-drivers in Stirling Road, Mei Ling Street, Mei Chin Road, Tanglin Halt Road and Commonwealth Drive, thus causing great inconvenience to residents in those areas, whether there are plans for new sites in other parts of Singapore for driving tests to be conducted.

Mr Lim Kim San: Mr Speaker, Sir, my Ministry is aware of this problem and has early this year established a new driving test centre at Jurong. From November this year, the testing of learner drivers of lorries, cranes and other heavy goods vehicles will be transferred from Queenstown to Jurong. This move will help ease the concentration of learner drivers in Queenstown.

To ease traffic congestion within the Central Business District, my Ministry is phasing out the Maxwell Road Test Centre. Two smaller test centres outside the Central Business District are planned. These will be sited away from densely populated residential areas and will be kept small so that the traffic volume generated will be within manageable proportions and will not create a nuisance.