The Hindu  

MANGALORE, Apr 8: Obtaining a driving licence will get more transparent as the Mangalore Regional Transport Office is all geared up to set up a scientifically designed driving track at Pachanady village near here.

Expected to be commissioned in the next six months at an estimated cost of Rs. 96 lakh, this will be the second such driving track in the State, after Koppal, Regional Trasnport Officer D. Sadashiva told The Hindu here.

The track, coming up on a 2.5-acre plot, has been designed in such a manner that it will give the person appearing for the test an idea of whether he has passed it or not. There will no need for anyone to feel aggrieved about the outcome of the test, he said.

An applicant has to undertake parallel parking, angular parking, handle a ‘zero’ double lane manoeuvre, negotiate a zigzag turning and a hairpin curve during the test. The undulating terrain, on which the track will come up, has enabled the transport authorities to make provision for each of these features.

“The track will test the driving skills that an applicant needs to possess before seeking a driving licence. Parallel and angular parking and handling a zigzag turn on an incline are some of the areas in which the drivers are required to be proficient. Then there are also the skills needed to handle the main roads,” Mr. Sadashiva said.

Will the track be an alternative to the driving simulator that the RTO has acquired? Not necessarily, he said. An no-literate person with good driving skills might not handle the simulator well. On the other hand, youngsters without good driving skills could breeze through challenges posed by the simulator. “The simulator can never be a substitute to testing a person’s driving skills at the track, but complementary,” he said.

In order to getting people attuned to appearing for the test at the proposed driving track, Mr. Sadashiva said all tests would be conducted at Pachanady from May 1. The RTO has set up an office there for the purpose. “The test, which is presently being conducted in the area surrounding the RTO, is not satisfactory. Heavy traffic in this area makes it difficult to evaluate a person properly,” he added.