From First Drive To Fourth Gear: Driving Lesson Routes In Feltham
With Heathrow Airport to the north, Twickenham to the east, and Ashford and Staines squeezed up on the west, Feltham is one of West London’s most bustling towns. Its busy thoroughfares – like the A315 Staines Road in the north – can often seem daunting to learner drivers.
Yet there are plenty of good routes here for those taking lessons – from new beginners right through to people preparing for that all important test day.
Complete newbies could do worse than head to Hampton and the relatively wide streets around Buckingham Road, Hanworth Road, Dean Road and Acacia Road. A combination of quiet daytime traffic and gentle junctions makes this prime beginner territory.
For the quick leaners, meanwhile, a nearby mini-roundabout connecting the residential Broad Lane and busier A312 Uxbridge Road might start the initial integration into more trying routes.
Another good starting point – especially for those practicing starting and stopping exercises – is further west in the residential streets around Raleigh Road, Avenue Road and Princes Road.
A good series of circuits can be developed here, especially around Guildford Avenue and Rochester Avenue, and although designated parking spaces mean cars can often be lining the streets, there is generally plenty of space for pulling in and pulling off.
As learner drivers grow in confidence, busier but well-defined routes can be found east of the town centre, close to Feltham City Learning Centre and Cineworld Cinema.
Here, a series of lightly challenging junctions and small roundabouts – notably that connecting Air Park Way and Browells Lane – can be used to improve confidence in this field. Bigger roundabouts can then be tackled by following the Forest Road into Lower Feltham, specifically to the two four-way circulars connecting Poplar Way and Plane Tree Crescent.
For manoeuvres like turns in the road and parallel parking, head down Felthambrook Way to a series of cul-de-sacs around Elizabeth Way, Shakespeare Way and Queen Way, which are all ideal.
For bay parking, consider taking the long Elmwood Avenue and Forest Road back to the vast Cineworld car park.
By this time, drivers might be ready for the challenges of one of the town’s main arterial routes – the A242 High Street becoming the B377 Ashford Road – and then onto the nearby Feltham Hill Road where the speed limit increases to 40 mph, allowing 4th gear to be used.
