Passed in Ballymun [Test route map included!]

snappieT

Well, I just passed first time in SGS Ballymun/Northpoint last week, having been driving less than 6 months, and I'm utterly thrilled. I know how daunting it can be coming up to the test, so I decided to try and sketch out the route I was brought on, and I present it to you here:

Once I left the test centre, they brought me straight onto junction 4 of the M50. The part in the bottom is some estate where the tester had me do 5 or 6 left & right turns, aswell as some VERY steep ramps. Was a little bit nasty because it was during the school's midterm, so kids were playing about, but all was well in the end.

Tester was very nice about the reverse around the corner. He got me to pull in before the junction I'd be reversing around, told me this was the junction I would be doing it on, then got me to drive as far forward as I wanted, then to reverse back around the bend. Kids were playing football, and bloody football went under car, affected me slightly in nerver, but I shot the kids some evil eyes, and they backed off until I was gone.

Overall, I was driving 25 minutes or so. Got 2 Grade 2's (one for tapping the kerb when I reversed around the corner, another because I let a bus out when I shouldn't have).

I wish you all good luck!

-snappieT

Wishbone Ash

snappieT wrote: »

they brought me straight onto junction 4 of the M50

Apologies for being pedantic snappieT but you weren't on the M50 but on the R108 (over the M50). It would have been illegal for them to bring you onto the M50.

BlackWizard

Totally book marked this. Thanks for the great post man!!

I've my test in about two weeks. Really looking forward to it!

Did you do any pre-tests before hand?

chicoben

Class! I've mine there in 3 weeks! Thanks snappieT!

spooky donkey

thanks for the infom im there next week, I did a pretest on a different route but I could pratice this before hand now.

spooky donkey

just one other question did ya go down santry avenue on youre way out or way back to the test center. This is not clear from the map. thanks

Wishbone Ash

spooky donkey wrote: »

just one other question did ya go down santry avenue on youre way out or way back to the test center. This is not clear from the map. thanks

presumably on the way back as the line is drawn on the left side of Santry Avenue and on the R108.

spooky donkey

yes thats what I was thinking. But the line down the ballymun road threw me off.

msg11

This is very very handy ! I have my test there this coming Friday !

spooky donkey

well be sure to let us know how you got on.

steveland?

Fair play snappieT

Have mine there Friday week so this is great to know.

Congrats on passing too

Oh one other thing, when you say steep ramps, do you mean like steep roads for the hill start or big-ass speed bumps?

msg11

spooky donkey wrote: »

well be sure to let us know how you got on.

I most certainly will ! I was up there on Monday looking around and trying out the map above to get an idea ! Bumped into a friend on the way out, she told me she was looking herself, I coped on and text her saying did you fail ?

She said Yes, so that someone who failed there.. She said she fail on/at the roundabout she was in the second lane heading straight on, which is wrong. You should be in the outside lane !

steveland? wrote: »

Fair play snappieT

Have mine there Friday week so this is great to know.

Congrats on passing too

Oh one other thing, when you say steep ramps, do you mean like steep roads for the hill start or big-ass speed bumps?

On the straight down pass the new towers there are a few speed bumps at most of the lights/junctions, just slow down so that the car is not bouncing.

Also in the estate which you turn left there is a few heavy owl ramps in there. All in all its not too bad, but observation is key .

buckfast4me

I was brought on a similar route to yourself and passed aswell. Was it the grey-haired fella with a moustache?

msg11

Passed today !

buckfast4me

Congratulations! If you fail in ballymun then theres really no hope for you lol ;-D

niamh86

passed today too!! Found the map you posted really helpful, was brought a similiar enough route!! Thanks for posting.

Standard Toaster

Route I took a while back. Passed too.

spooky donkey

there I passed mine as well there yesterday in Ballymun. Took the route by the side of the airport. Then down into santry. He wanted me to take a left turn and I missed it to I ended up doing part of the shanliss also that you guys did. I thought i had failed for missing that turn and got well flustered over it. Hit a curb and all and still pased I was well suprised i can tell you.

Standard Toaster

Well done on the pass

djkat

Hi Everyone

I have my driving test on the 25th March and i am looking for a good driving instructor that would know the routes around the Northpoint/nct centre driving centre

So if any of you out there could recommend one that would be great

Thanks

djkat

Hi lads

Just wondering who did you do your pre-tests with? I have my test there on the 25 march

Thanks

Wishbone Ash

Threads merged.

steveland?

djkat wrote: »

Hi Everyone

I have my driving test on the 25th March and i am looking for a good driving instructor that would know the routes around the Northpoint/nct centre driving centre

So if any of you out there could recommend one that would be great

Thanks

I had a pretest last night with the Independent School of Motoring and we went this route. Was very impressed with them. Instructor knew the route like the back of her hand so I can recommend them

Some advice I got last night for the Ballymun centre. There's two options on the way out of the test centre. You can go right onto the main road where you'll turn right (probably) to the junction with the M50 and then down Ballymun Rd to the route described above or similar, or they can ask you to turn left out of the test centre and continue down towards the bus depot that's down there somewhere (Harristown? Not sure the name or the area). Apparently there's not usually a lot of people using that route and it's mainly busses so they sometimes like to do the turnabout up that way.

Also, make sure to stay in the left lane when using the junction because you'll be taking the 2nd exit. As msg11 said above, someone's already failed for that one

djkat

hi steveland

can you pm me the number for the independent school of motoring and how much was it

steveland?

djkat wrote: »

hi steveland

can you pm me the number for the independent school of motoring and how much was it

Nae bother.

snappieT, thanks for the map, much appreciated. Had the exact same route today and passed first time

By the way folks they may take you left out of the testing centre and up the old airport road, through some smaller streets for the reverse/turnabout/hand signals/etc and down to Santry avenue and back, or they may take you towards Finglas but I'm not too sure about what route that is.

If anyone's interested the route number of my sheet thing is "3" for the Ballymun Rd/Shanliss/Shanowen/Santry Ave/back route

Oh and I was told that when you're turning off the main road to go to the test centre, or coming from the test centre towards the main road, stay in 2nd and keep it relatively slow (but not too slow to not be progressing).

There's a halting site just before the centre and when I went in today there was a kid running around on the side of the road, a dog in the middle of the road and two guys in a lorry throwing bits of cars off it into the middle of the road. Nearly got hit with a flying hubcap by them...

There's also potential debris on the sides of the road (glass, nails etc) so watch out for that.

chicoben

Passed in Ballymun today! Took a route similar to Op's but got confused when I kept having to take left and right turns etc. Thanks for the maps!

djkat

passed in ballymuntoday also so thanks for the map as it was nearly the same

Degsy

Anybody got a map of the finglas route?

Rabbits

Ballymun can be very hard to get out off at rush hour.You know were the stop sign is outside of test centre?Can be difficult on a test.

SnoopyDogDog

ttt

as another poster...

anyone have a map of the Finglas route? want to take my better half through some of the routes used

man1

Anyone know the Swords route? the test centre is in Airside!
Thanks