Areas Covered - Southfields
DRIVING SCHOOLS SOUTHFIELDS (SW18) Leading driving school in South West London
Fulham Driving School offers driving tuition in Southfields in the London Borough of Wandsworth, South West London. All our driving instructors are fully qualified, highly experienced and professional and offer driving tuition on both standard and automatic vehicles.
No matter what your level of driving proficiency, our professional DSA-licensed driving instructor’s primary aim is to achieve a significant improvement in your driving skills, ability and experience as safely and as quickly as possible.
Southfields, is situated approximately 5 miles from Central London and as such is a bustling residential suburb of the city. As one might expect, learning to drive in Southfields comes with all the challenges associated with driving on busy roads with high traffic volumes throughout the day and night. That is why our driving lessons in Southfields focus extensively on mastering the necessary driving skills and techniques you will require in order to drive proficiently in busy “city” environments.
That is not to say we only focus our driving lessons on “city driving". As you would expect from a premier driving school, our driving lessons cover all aspects of “The Highway Code” and we aim is to prepare you to pass your practical driving test at the first attempt. That means that we will not put you forward for your practical driving test until we are absolutely sure that you will pass it first time round.
At Fulham Driving School we put particular emphasis on mastering driving skills associated with negotiating Roundabouts, Pedestrian Crossings, Overtaking, Road Junctions and Reversing.
Map of Southfields in the the
London Borough of Wandsworth
Take for example the large raised roundabout above the A3 at Tibbet’s Corner, at the north eastern corner of the Southfields area. Here, at this large multi-lane roundabout, the A219 Wimbledon Park Side becomes the A219 Tibbet’s Rise. This is a particularly tricky roundabout and although the road layout, road markings and traffic signals are very good, caution is required at this roundabout.
A key tip for handling this and many other roundabouts is to make sure that when you are getting close to the roundabout you take notice of, and make sure that you act on, all the information available to you at the time. It is particularly important to be aware of any traffic signs, traffic lights and lane markings which direct you into the correct lane. You should also keep a close watch out for all other road users already on the roundabout and be aware that other drivers may not be signaling correctly at all time or in many cases, at all.
The Highway Code provides excellent and clear instructions for negotiating a multi lane roundabout, for example, “give priority to traffic approaching from your right, unless directed otherwise by signs, road markings or traffic lights”
Take for example the Zebra Crossing on the A218 Merton Road outside the Wandsworth City Learning Centre (337 Merton Road) and opposite Brookwood Road. Here motorists approaching a Zebra Crossing are made aware of the crossing because of its black and white poles with flashing yellow beacons and zig-zag road markings. Here, as with any type of pedestrian crossing, drivers approaching the crossing must make a point of looking out for pedestrians waiting to cross. Drivers should be ready to slow down or stop to let them cross.
As The Highway Code instructs us, in relation to Pelican Crossings (also known as signal-controlled crossings)…..”these are signal-controlled crossings where flashing amber follows the red ‘Stop’ light. You must stop when the red light shows. When the amber light is flashing, you MUST give way to any pedestrians on the crossing. If the amber light is flashing and there are no pedestrians on the crossing, you may proceed with caution”.
Several good locations exist within the Southfields area for practice overtaking. Take for example the A218 Merton Road. In certain areas this is a relatively wide road with no obstruction to restrict your view of the road ahead. One does however need to remain vigilant as certain section of this road has painted traffic islands in the centre of the road and therefore overtaking in these sections is prohibited.
We refer you to The Highway Code for further detailed advice and instruction on overtaking safely. For example….”make sure that you have enough room to complete your overtaking manoeuvre before committing yourself. It takes longer to pass a large vehicle. If in doubt do not overtake.”
Southfields probably has more road junctions than many other areas of London due to the quite unique road layout in much of the Southfields area. The main residential area of Southfields has a unique series of parallel roads that are crossed at right angles by a series of parallel streets. This area, now as “The Grid” due to this road layout and is more reminiscent of an American city than a suburban area of London.
Nevertheless this unique road layout presents the perfect environment for practicing ones driving skills in relation to road junctions. From Replingham Road, in the north to Revelstoke Road, in the south, and the streets from Elsenham Street, in the west, to Astonville Street and the A218 Merton Road in the east, new drivers can take their pick and practice approaching and negotiating many different types of road junction with ease.
For example, one will have ample opportunity to practice stopping behind the line at a junction with a “Stop” sign and a solid white line across the road. Here you are required to wait for a safe gap in the traffic before you move off. Alternatively, as The Highway Code advises, “You MUST give way to traffic on the main road when emerging from a junction with broken white lines across the road.”
The Southfields has many quieter residential streets which are ideal for practicing a reversing maneuver. For example the quieter residential roads around “The Grid” from Elsenham Street, in the west, to Astonville Street and the A218 Merton Road in the. Here the grid layout of the road network allows for reversing practice during the day when most residents are working and the streets are generally quieter
The Highway Code advises, in relation to reversing, advises…. “Choose an appropriate place to manoeuvre. If you need to turn your vehicle around, wait until you find a safe place. Try not to reverse or turn round in a busy road; find a quiet side road or drive round a block of side streets.”
Nearest Test Centres to Southfields
If you are a resident of the Southfields or surrounding area your local Practical Test Centre is situated in Morden, Sutton or Tolworth.
Our Driving School in Southfields
Fulham Driving School is a leading Driving School based in Fulham and covering Fulham and other South London areas. We offer friendly and professional driving tuition from experienced qualified instructors for either standard or automatic vehicles. Our instructors have earned an excellent reputation for their unhurried and patient approach to driving tuition which has helped us achieve an excellent 1st-time driving test pass rate.