London's G2 test route

Speed limit

There is so not the stress of speeding up to 80 km/h, do a quick lane change and then prepare for a left turn at the traffic lights. That was the part many candidates found very challenged on the old route. However, the new route will see more lane changes within short distances, in particular after leaving the test centre and left turns at traffic lights. Candidates are expected to move over on their own to the right lane after those turns. Many students find this hard especially if the car following in the turn would drive directly into the right lane, blocking your chance to do the move over. More training in this manoeuver would certainly better prepare a candidate for the test.

Previous three-point turns or backing, hill parking and sometimes parallel parking were often performed in a relatively quiet industrial area. These technical manoeuvers are now done on a residential street. Candidates lacking these skills will find themselves delaying traffic, thus adding more stress during the test.

This test is not just about parking

There are also less parked cars in the area for parallel parking and candidates may have to return to the parking lot and do a back-in stall parking. If you don't know how to reverse park by now, you better learn it. I have to emphasize that the road test is not just about parking and in fact parking only carries a very small weight in the whole test. If parking is so important, the exam would have been called "Parking Test" instead of "Drive Test".

There may also be fewer parked cars in the area for parallel parking and candidates may have to return to the parking lot and do a back-in stall parking. If you don't know how to reverse park by now, you better learn it. I have to emphasize that the road test is not just about parking and in fact parking only carries a very small weight in the whole test. If parking is so important, the exam would have been called "Parking Test" instead of "Drive Test".

Please respect the privacy of the neighbours

Learning how to park and doing three-point turns are the same at any location. So please refrain from repeating your practice in the neighbourhood near the test route. Residents there are already putting up with extra test traffic. So please do not keep practising your parking in front of their houses. The last you want to see in London is an order that would restrict student drivers within a 2 km radius of the test centre.

Over all, the new test route is a little bit easier for new drivers who are afraid of high speeds. But drivers lacking good visual habits and observation skills will become more apparent. One good thing about the new location is it's now accessible by public transit on a time-limited basis. You can catch the Newbold bus (Route 30) at White Oaks Mall in the morning or mid-afternoon to travel to the "Ice House". There are also several fast food restaurants nearby. Good luck with your road test.

Articles that may also interest you:

• 10 things to know about passing the G2 road test

• Parallel parking

• Three-point turns