Driving Lessons in West Edinburgh
Learning to Drive in Corstorphine, South Gyle and East Craigs
At Driving Lessons Edinburgh, we believe in providing affordable, expert driving tuition only from fully-qualified instructors. Our instructors are very familiar with Corstorphine and surrounding districts, including East Craigs, North Gyle and South Gyle, and we offer a door-to-door service in this area.
Offering cheap lessons, intensive and semi-intensive driving courses, pass plus, gift vouchers and online payment, why not give us a try – call now on 07496 296 130. Call, text or email using the contact form at the bottom of the page, and we’ll help answer any questions you may have about learning to drive, sitting either your practical or theory test, booking in your first lesson, and more.
Test Centres Near West Edinburgh
For pupils learning to drive in or around Corstorphine, your nearest practical test centre is at Currie. Currie Test Centre, on Bryce Road, caters for pupils across the whole West region of Edinburgh, and is located just to the South West of the Bypass, near Heriot-Watt University.
Safety Cameras in the West of Edinburgh
Pupils who are just starting out learning to drive will notice that there are a large number of different safety cameras in this area – in part because it is such an important arterial route into Edinburgh from Glasgow and West Lothian.
There are a combination of fixed speed cameras (with different speed restrictions) and red light cameras around Corstorphine, including no fewer than seven cameras within a one mile radius of Drumbrae Roundabout!
It goes without saying that all drivers should keep careful watch of your speed at all times – whether or not you are a learner. But with so much else to pay attention to, as a learner it is easy to accidentally increase your speed particularly in response to the behaviour of other road users. And many safety cameras are installed at locations that present challenges to drivers or which have a history of collisions – so take particular care in this area.
It is important to monitor the changes in speed limits in Corstorphine, in part because they change so often. Many of the side streets are small residential roads marked as 20mph zones to increase safety for all road users.
As with elsewhere in Edinburgh, the larger artery roads are usually set to a higher speed limit – for instance South Gyle Broadway has a 40mph speed limit and has a large volume of traffic entering or leaving Edinburgh via the roundabout at Gogar.
You should keep an eye out for a change in speed limit on Corstorphine Road at Drumbrae Roundabout. East of the roundabout there is a lengthy 30mph stretch heading into the City Centre. However, west of this point the road changes name to Glasgow Road and the speed limit increases to 40mph as you travel west towards Gogar Roundabout. So it is vital you remain aware of the current speed limit by looking out for road signs and roundels painted on the road surface. Other road users are not a reliable indicator of the speed limit!
Here is a list of some of the safety cameras in and around Corstorphine, East Craigs, and North and South Gyle:
Fixed Speed 40mph
Glasgow Road east of North Gyle Grove
Glasgow Road near to St Thomas’ Church
Fixed Speed 30mph
Meadowplace Road south of Wester Broom Avenue
Drum Brae South north of Drum Brae Park Approach
Red Light
St John’s Road east of Manse Road
Meadowplace Road north of Broomhall Road
Local Tips from our Driving Instructors
Many pupils practise their driving skills between lessons, and your instructor will be able to provide you specific recommendations about where to go and what to practise in order to support what you have learned each week. However our instructors also have some general recommendations which you may find useful when starting out in this part of Edinburgh.
Outwith commuting hours, many of the residential streets around Corstorphine are reasonably good for absolute beginners to practise elementary car control techniques like moving off and changing gears.
Busier, faster roads like Glasgow Road, Drum Brae (South / North) and Corstorphine Road, should probably be avoided until you have more confidence in your ability to handle more complex road situations and to better deal with other road users. This goes doubly for the City of Edinburgh Bypass, accessed via Gogar Roundabout or Hermiston Junction.
There are a few locations suitable for practising parking manoeuvres such as ‘bay parking’, as long as you avoid peak hours. For example there is a large car park at the Gyle Shopping Centre, on South Gyle Broadway. And there is a good sized car park at the Tesco Extra off Meadow Place Rd – next to Corstorphine Police Station.
You should take particular care around schools, because at school opening and closing times there will be a large number of children some of whom may enter the road unexpectedly – so take care if you are driving near Craigmount High School (at Craigs Road), and the shared campus of Forrester High School and St Augustine’s Roman Catholic High School at Broomhouse Rd.
You may find it useful to look through some of the other area pages that we have published on the website, particularly our guide to Comely Bank and Craigleith, our guide to Murrayfield and surrounding areas, and our page on North West Edinburgh (including Blackhall and Davidson’s Mains).
Book Your First Lesson in Edinburgh West Now!
Take advantage of our competitive pricing and expert tuition and book in your first lesson with Driving Lessons Edinburgh now – simply call on 07496 296 130, or send an enquiry via the contact form at the bottom of this web page.
Our driving instructors are all fully-qualified and vastly experienced, and we offer a collection and drop-off service for all students in and around Corstorphine, South and North Gyle, East Craigs and surrounding areas.