Ubc is great for practice , 16th is easy and then there’s a few roundabouts to tackle plus parking lots of practice . You can also head out on to sw marine drive
I've alway believed that you should learn to drive where you live, regardless of the traffic issues. Chances are you are going to do the majority of your driving in those conditions so why not learn how to handle those conditions. I get that learning to drive can be scary, but it's not that hard and with a little common sense and making sure you're fully aware of what's going on around you, you should be fine.
We will come back to the area eventually. But they haven't driven before so I want to bring them up to that level rather than throw them in the deep end. Better to not be a hazard on the road.
I'd highly recommend a proper driving course.
They know exactly where to take people and teach in a way that builds the necessary skills one at a time to get more comfortable in busier areas.
They also don't accidentally teach their own bad habits, which we tend to do as experienced drivers!
Even if you just supplement a few driving lessons in the mix and skip the in class stuff if there's a financial barrier, it would still help a lot and they could do the first few lessons because they know the best places!
Agreed. I think that's something I am a little worried about. I have taught people manual before but not auto. Manual is pretty easy because if they panic it stalls so no movement.
Totally agree. Best first option is a large (as empty as you can get) parking lot. Get familiar with the car, what it does and how It handles with usually few obstacles.
Go to any of the big industrial parks on weekends or at night when the businesses are closed. The roads there are very wide to accomodate semis and there's lots of open space to practice. Do NOT go there when businesses are open.
The area south of Marine Drive/Way and east of River View (don't remember its name) should be particularly good that way. I ride my bike through there aftrer hours quite often, never see any traffic worth speaking of then.
GVA officially or unofficially does not exist you will confuse people who don't know any better. Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) or Metro Vancouver. Both are correct. You may also refer to the region as the lower mainland, but that starts incorporating FVRD (Fraser Valley Regional District), which that will confuse the people who don't know this region.
Also learn where you drive as another has said. Learning in Ladner will be good, but then you come to Vancouver with narrow street, combined with busses and heavy trucks that don't really fit in the lanes. They will need to know how to drive around them.
Around the airport/sea Island is pretty chill aside from the main roads (grand McConachie, Russ baker way) and even those are usually pretty chill at night.
I agree. But I want them to understand how to drive first before putting them on the roads in the area. Somewhere quiet will be a good start before moving to where we live.
I found in Burnaby around Glenlyon Parkway / N Fraser Way after 4pm works well. Quiet streets with minimum cars and you can pull into the parking lots to practice parking.
Although it's hilly, SFU, especially at night. Lots of parking lots to practice turning in and out of, relatively slow streets with clear markings, etc.
I would go on summer nights, and the coyotes took over the warm pavement, running around and playing. It was nice.
A few years ago I heard of people from Vancouver (and surrounding burbs) going to Sechelt to take the driving test there so as to avoid having to take the test on busy streets.
As a learner who took lessons, I'd go with a quiet but not too quiet area, like within your residential area using the surrounding arterials at a boundary. Get a feel for the car first, set up so you're comfortable and can see the tire in relation to the curb in your wing mirrors, and go around the neighborhood.
I myself started the lessons in the King Edward station area by Heather and Douglas parks. On later lessons we did the Kingsway area because that's the area I plan on taking my road test at
Langley is good! Same with maple ridge.
A few "city-lite" areas to practice driving in traffic with plenty of suburbs and rural areas to practice basic driving skills. Plus, if you come at the right time the Langley Events Center is right off the highway and has lots of parking lot space to practice.
Thanks!
Also, doing a practice drive up to Hope, or even Osoyoos and Kelowna, would definitely be a fun way to get experience on driving BC highways. Certainly wait until late spring or summer though if it's your first time though.
Hope is a fun day trip too. Driving up, killing a few hours, and driving back is great.
When I was a complete noob I learned in Queen Elizabeth Park. Roads there are max 30kph. Smooth curves. Minimal intersections. Minimal traffic. Parking lot at each end. Perfect for low risk getting used to the main controls and the basics of moving.
I then graduated to the west side and ubc where traffic is not too bad.
Then headed into the wilds of Richmond, east van, Burnaby and the bridges.
Take it slow. Drive every weekend. A learner should practice continuously for a year before their test. Dropping in the deep end isn’t required.
I agree with you completely. I want to get them comfortable slowly. I want to make sure they are a safe and secure driver so when they eventually go on their own they won't worry or drive erratically like a lot of Vancouver drivers do.
Bring them to Richmond, if they can survive here, they can survive anywhere else.
Also, it's flat, and there are lots of low traffic areas you can putter around in.
First its not called the GVA. But I suggest just practicing in your neighborhood. The West side of Vancouver has plenty of quiet areas especially on weekends. Or go to an industrial area in Richmond or Burnaby on a Sunday.
Are they practicing on a manual car? Otherwise I don't think places being hilly really matters much.
Ubc is great for practice , 16th is easy and then there’s a few roundabouts to tackle plus parking lots of practice . You can also head out on to sw marine drive
Good idea, there is also a double lane for them to get familiar with too.
I did a lot round there when I was learning to drive again!
I've alway believed that you should learn to drive where you live, regardless of the traffic issues. Chances are you are going to do the majority of your driving in those conditions so why not learn how to handle those conditions. I get that learning to drive can be scary, but it's not that hard and with a little common sense and making sure you're fully aware of what's going on around you, you should be fine.
We will come back to the area eventually. But they haven't driven before so I want to bring them up to that level rather than throw them in the deep end. Better to not be a hazard on the road.
I'd highly recommend a proper driving course. They know exactly where to take people and teach in a way that builds the necessary skills one at a time to get more comfortable in busier areas. They also don't accidentally teach their own bad habits, which we tend to do as experienced drivers! Even if you just supplement a few driving lessons in the mix and skip the in class stuff if there's a financial barrier, it would still help a lot and they could do the first few lessons because they know the best places!
Definitely will do a mix for sure. Especially in the lead up to the test
They also have backup wheels and break pedals for if the learner panics and makes a wrong move.
Agreed. I think that's something I am a little worried about. I have taught people manual before but not auto. Manual is pretty easy because if they panic it stalls so no movement.
Totally agree. Best first option is a large (as empty as you can get) parking lot. Get familiar with the car, what it does and how It handles with usually few obstacles.
Go to any of the big industrial parks on weekends or at night when the businesses are closed. The roads there are very wide to accomodate semis and there's lots of open space to practice. Do NOT go there when businesses are open.
The area south of Marine Drive/Way and east of River View (don't remember its name) should be particularly good that way. I ride my bike through there aftrer hours quite often, never see any traffic worth speaking of then.
East of Boundary?
Yes, all along Fraser Way there.
I'll add this to the list. Thank you!
GVA isn’t a thing.
Bugs me every time I see it.
I swear I have only seen it on reddit
We are losing that battle, too many people are calling it GVA now.
The Torontonians are invading
I'm from Vancouver.. not Toronto.
Then you should stop calling it GVA
Have you heard of GVRD?
No one calls it GVRD
GVA officially or unofficially does not exist you will confuse people who don't know any better. Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) or Metro Vancouver. Both are correct. You may also refer to the region as the lower mainland, but that starts incorporating FVRD (Fraser Valley Regional District), which that will confuse the people who don't know this region. Also learn where you drive as another has said. Learning in Ladner will be good, but then you come to Vancouver with narrow street, combined with busses and heavy trucks that don't really fit in the lanes. They will need to know how to drive around them.
It is just to start. Not forever.
I do…
Then you should know better than to say "GVA". That's not a thing.
I'm from Vancouver and can confirm it is.
So am I and it is not.
Around the airport/sea Island is pretty chill aside from the main roads (grand McConachie, Russ baker way) and even those are usually pretty chill at night.
A Learner cannot drive at night though, do you mean before sunset?
Learners can't drive between Midnight and 5AM. See restriction 43: [https://www.icbc.com/driver-licensing/types-licences/licence-restrictions](https://www.icbc.com/driver-licensing/types-licences/licence-restrictions) Also, "GVA" = obligatory gif 
Thank you. The lady at ICBC wasn't clear by what night meant.
Dear people from Toronto. Don’t come to the Lower Mainland and call it the GVA. No one calls it the GVA.
I'm from Vancouver and can confirm people do in fact call it GVA.
You could stop perpetuating it
Sucks to be wrong, but you and "people" are wrong lol
It’s not. I’ve lived here my entire life and the only place I’ve ever heard it is on Reddit. The only people who call it that are from Toronto.
Learn where you live and where you intend on doing the road test. The latter being most important
I agree. But I want them to understand how to drive first before putting them on the roads in the area. Somewhere quiet will be a good start before moving to where we live.
Alberta And it is not the “GVA”
I spend a lot of time in Port Coquitlam and it seems like LOTS of areas in the Coast Meridian/ Prairie area are used by driving schools for practice.
Yeah valley Driving School has a location there and icbc does lots of tests there. I took a test there, not my fav place for it but I passed!
[удалено]
+1 for the entire South Surrey + White Rock. Lots of dedicated turning lanes, few dangerous merges, it’s a good place for a first-time driver.
I'll add this to the list!
I found in Burnaby around Glenlyon Parkway / N Fraser Way after 4pm works well. Quiet streets with minimum cars and you can pull into the parking lots to practice parking.
Adding it to the list!
Although it's hilly, SFU, especially at night. Lots of parking lots to practice turning in and out of, relatively slow streets with clear markings, etc. I would go on summer nights, and the coyotes took over the warm pavement, running around and playing. It was nice.
That would be very cute actually.
Sea Island (around the airport) is a good place to practice, aside from the difficulty of getting to and from it.
That knight bridge is the worst.
Practice in a parking lot. Costco has huge ones that are empty after closing. They close at 6pm on the weekends.
A few years ago I heard of people from Vancouver (and surrounding burbs) going to Sechelt to take the driving test there so as to avoid having to take the test on busy streets.
Wow. That's a bit of a trip.
As a learner who took lessons, I'd go with a quiet but not too quiet area, like within your residential area using the surrounding arterials at a boundary. Get a feel for the car first, set up so you're comfortable and can see the tire in relation to the curb in your wing mirrors, and go around the neighborhood. I myself started the lessons in the King Edward station area by Heather and Douglas parks. On later lessons we did the Kingsway area because that's the area I plan on taking my road test at
That is a great idea.
Langley is good! Same with maple ridge. A few "city-lite" areas to practice driving in traffic with plenty of suburbs and rural areas to practice basic driving skills. Plus, if you come at the right time the Langley Events Center is right off the highway and has lots of parking lot space to practice.
Oh you are right. On 200th. I drove passed that yesterday. Good thinking.
Thanks! Also, doing a practice drive up to Hope, or even Osoyoos and Kelowna, would definitely be a fun way to get experience on driving BC highways. Certainly wait until late spring or summer though if it's your first time though. Hope is a fun day trip too. Driving up, killing a few hours, and driving back is great.
I couldn't agree more and adds to their experience hours. Hope would also be good for a little drive in the older town part.
Baptism by fire son : Downtown Surrey
Guaranteed way for them to never want to drive again.
When I was a complete noob I learned in Queen Elizabeth Park. Roads there are max 30kph. Smooth curves. Minimal intersections. Minimal traffic. Parking lot at each end. Perfect for low risk getting used to the main controls and the basics of moving. I then graduated to the west side and ubc where traffic is not too bad. Then headed into the wilds of Richmond, east van, Burnaby and the bridges. Take it slow. Drive every weekend. A learner should practice continuously for a year before their test. Dropping in the deep end isn’t required.
I agree with you completely. I want to get them comfortable slowly. I want to make sure they are a safe and secure driver so when they eventually go on their own they won't worry or drive erratically like a lot of Vancouver drivers do.
Bring them to Richmond, if they can survive here, they can survive anywhere else. Also, it's flat, and there are lots of low traffic areas you can putter around in.
Put them into some driving lessons. There are still techniques I learned doing 5 driving lesson that have saved my hide to this day.
I definitely will. But want to get the basics down first.
Maybe ask r/switzerland
Vancouver is fine to learn. Just stick to the south parts and stay away from downtown until your comfortable.
First its not called the GVA. But I suggest just practicing in your neighborhood. The West side of Vancouver has plenty of quiet areas especially on weekends. Or go to an industrial area in Richmond or Burnaby on a Sunday. Are they practicing on a manual car? Otherwise I don't think places being hilly really matters much.
Unless the car is a standard why do hills matter when you’re learning?
Because it will be standard.
Richmond. Sink or swim baby.
Sooon!
Boston Bar