DRIVING LESSONS IN WIMBLEDON SW19

Famous for its annual Tennis Championship and less so for the Wombles, Wimbledon is located in South West London bordered by the converging A23, A24 routes and to the north by the A3. The town centre has a major railway station feeding into London from the south and west. The station is also a terminus for the District Line, part of the Underground Network serving London.

Driving Schools in Wimbledon are hard pressed to find suitable areas for the new driver and tend to head towards the closest test centres for driving lessons. Tolworth and Lower Morden are the nearest. The test centre at Southfields was closed some years ago.

There are quiet areas though which are suitable for the first driving lesson in Wimbledon. Nothing more than a straight road without too many parked cars is all that is needed. South Park Road comes to mind just behind The Broadway. The road is closed off at the western end by Queens Road so through traffic is minimised. The same area could be used for introducing left and right turns. Princes Road off Kings Road is also closed off from Queens Road. There are some one way streets which remove the problem of oncoming vehicles and will allow the new driver to concentrate on steering, positioning and the basic disciplines.

The other side of the Broadway, namely the roads adjacent to Pelham Road can be busier as they are used as a cut through from South Wimbledon so further development could mean travelling outside the area. The Wimbledon driving instructor may need to check out a suitable location elsewhere for the novice driver. Driving tuition off Traps Lane, New Malden has possibilities, though it can get busy around Coombe Girls School during the school run. Wimbledon Park has some long winding roads and hills. This area is good for introducing hill starts, clutch control and learning about the effect of a gradient on moving off and stopping. The effect of coasting (downhill) can be highlighted also. The roads off Worple Road can serve the same purpose for Wimbledon driving instructors.

If you want to learn to drive in Wimbledon, there are residential roads off Wimbledon Chase, but as ever, parked cars limiting the width of the roads does make it difficult for Wimbledon driving lessons and particular care must be taken when meeting oncoming traffic. The problem for the new driver in these narrow roads is spotting the oncoming car early enough to recognize a passing place, taking into account the other driver is doing the same. At the same time they have to anticipate what the other driver might do and where.

There are a number of locations that can be used by Wimbledon Driving Schools for introducing and practising the manoeuvres. I find Avebury Road, as well as South Park Road, a great place to cover the turn in the road (three point turn). Residential areas like this one, with parking permit restrictions, usually means lots of spaces during the day while people are at work. This gives the driving instructor the space to run through this manoeuvre. The same applies to the parallel park and personally I prefer to find a place for this exercise where there is no parked car opposite. If a vehicle does come along the driver has the option of passing without being held up.

Once the new driver begins to feel more confident in traffic the larger roundabouts and main routes come into play. Driving away from Wimbledon town centre up Wimbledon Hill takes you through the Village and on to Parkside. This 30mph road runs alongside Wimbledon Common northwards to Tibbet’s Corner, a major intersection with the A3. Taking on the A3 is a great experience for the new driver, two lanes each way and 40mph initially it opens up to three lanes and 50mph once you get beyond the Robin Hood roundabout at Kingston Vale. From there you can drop south to Raynes Park, New Malden and head back into Wimbledon.

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