Clark Driving Lessons, Circle to Parkway

Where the Parkway runs ten lanes wide

Ten lanes of Parkway run straight through Clark, divided by a Jersey barrier and lined by dense neighbourhoods, and exit 135 (Clark/Westfield) feeds directly into the Clark Circle. Those two features call for the most preparation, so both are on the lesson plan. Away from them, the township has plenty of parkland — Oak Ridge Park, the Rahway River Parkway and Robinson's Branch Reservoir — and quieter residential streets for early lessons. Each lesson starts at your door: our office is roughly 13 minutes from Clark without traffic, about 6.6 miles, so a driving school in Clark doesn't have to be in Clark to be close.

Where we practice in Clark

• The Clark Circle. It links Central Avenue, Brant Avenue, Valley Road and Parkway exit 135. Redesigned in 2007–2009, its movements are now controlled by traffic lights, so the skill is reading signals and picking the right approach rather than yielding as at an old-style circle.
• Exit 135 and the ten-lane Parkway. Merging, choosing a lane and planning exits early.
• Central Avenue, Brant Avenue and Valley Road. The roads that feed the circle, good for steady local driving.
• Around the parks. Oak Ridge Park, a county park on a former golf course; Bloodgoods Pond and Jackson Pond on the Rahway River Parkway; and the Hyatt Hills Golf Complex.

Close to Rahway for licensing and the test

Test-day logistics are easy from Clark. Paperwork and the road test both happen at 1140 Woodbridge Road in Rahway, at East Hazelwood Avenue, roughly 11 minutes (3.7 miles) from Clark with no traffic. The Elizabeth licensing center, 17 Caldwell Place, is about 17 minutes away, and the Newark road test site, 228 Frelinghuysen Avenue, about 18. If the first attempt doesn't go to plan, there is a 14-day wait before a retest, time we can use for focused practice. Our school car can be rented for test day.

Not just for new drivers

If you learned to drive before the Clark Circle was redesigned, or you simply want a confidence check before using the ten-lane Parkway every day, a one-on-one refresher with a Clark driving instructor makes sense. Our senior refresher and defensive driving lessons go at your pace, in a dual-control car, with pickup from home. For teens, the path starts at 16 with the special learner permit and 6 hours behind the wheel.

Picking up Clark students and commuters

Arthur L. Johnson High School, which also serves Garwood, and Mother Seton Regional High School are both on our pickup list, along with homes and workplaces in 07066. Clark has no passenger station; Rahway station is about 2 miles from the centre of town, so commuters can start a lesson right off the train. Lessons are 1 or 2 hours on any day of the week.

Choosing a program

For driving lessons in Clark, NJ with a test date in sight, book road test preparation; to rebuild confidence for the Parkway first, try a senior driver refresher. Rahway and Cranford, both bordering Clark, get the same service.

This school is licensed by the State of New Jersey. License #000184. Fully insured.