Where you park your car before your Point Grey road test can have a direct effect on your road test result.

I was just introduced to a new student who recently failed his Point Grey class 7 road test. He had been using the services of another driving school, and before his road test his instructor had the unfortunate client park directly in front of the Point Grey ICBC office. This is a classic blunder that sets you up for a rough start. Here’s what can go wrong if you start here.

Everything seemed fine when you parked the car, but now things have changed. That space in front of you has shrunken as another vehicle has replaced the one ahead. A car has pulled up behind you giving you less space in the rear. Now you have to pull out from a tight spot with traffic coming up from behind on MacDonald and all the other road test takers coming out from the ICBC parking lot in the alley behind you. Then the traffic gets backed up because the traffic light on Alamein St. in front of you has turned red; now you need to merge into the traffic. Five minutes have already passed, and you’re feeling the pressure. Or in this examinee’s case, there was now a vehicle haplessly trying to parallel park in front of him causing more confusion. Let’s just say that things didn’t work out.

So where should you park? You can park in the small ICBC parking lot in the alley if there is a spot available. The advantage of parking here is that you can practice backing into a spot before your road test. Just don’t make the other classic mistake of going nose-in into the spot. Then you’ll have to back up into a narrow alley; be sure you don’t bump into a garbage can. If there are no spots available, drive around the block a few times until something opens up.

Another good place to park is on Oliver Crescent, half a block south of the Point Grey office. This street has lots of parking, lots of space. Don’t make the mistake of parking on Alamein on the north side of the office. This street is usually jammed with parked cars, and there is only room for one car in the center of the road. If there is an oncoming vehicle, it’s going to be fun and you definitely don’t want to start your road test this way.

If you want to a successful road test, small details, like where you park your car, can make a big difference. I want my students to have their best shot at passing their road test. Take advantage of my knowledge and expertise, and give yourself the best chance of passing the Point Grey road test.