Port Union G2 Road Test: Free Guide Brought To You By G1 Genius

Port Union DriveTest Centre Contact Information:

What Makes Port Union DriveTest Centre Different?

In our discussions with real DriveTest examiners about the effectiveness of route training, they emphasized the importance of selecting a test centre close to where you typically drive. Port Union is the natural home centre for drivers in east Scarborough, West Rouge, Highland Creek, and the eastern edge of Markham around Cornell and Box Grove.

The Port Union DriveTest Centre is notable for several reasons:

• The Best Numbers in Toronto: 2022 Ministry data puts Port Union at a 65% G2 pass rate and 71% on the full G test, the highest of Toronto's four DriveTest centres.
• Quiet Streets for Your Maneuvers: Your parking and 3-point turn happen on quiet residential streets right behind the plaza, usually Tideswell Boulevard and Bonnydon Crescent, not on a busy through street.
• A Short Route: Around 2.5 km of driving on the most common loop. Less road time than most GTA centres, which is a big part of why the pass rates look the way they do.
• You Leave Out the Back: Almost every recent test starts by driving out the back of the plaza onto Tideswell Boulevard, not out the front onto Rylander. Knowing that ahead of time means the first instruction will not throw you.

Before you book here just because the numbers look friendly, one thing worth knowing. The same Ministry review that produced those pass rates also found that new drivers who test somewhere unfamiliar go on to crash more often in their first year, and Scarborough drivers who tested away from home had the worst record in the province at 27% higher. Test where you actually drive. If that is Port Union, great. If it is not, the drive out here is not doing you a favour.

This centre also runs the computerized G1 knowledge test, available in 32 languages with free audio at every kiosk. Worth knowing if you are bringing a family member along for theirs.

4 Things to Look Out for During Your G2 Road Test at Port Union

When taking your G2 test at Port Union, there are specific challenges you should be aware of to improve your chances of success:

The All-Way Stop at Rylander and Durnford

Nearly every route passes through this intersection, and on the main loop you turn left here onto Durnford Road. It trips people up more than it should, because the plaza has more than one entrance off it and cars arrive from several directions wanting different things.

The rules have not changed: first to stop goes first, and when two of you stop together the driver on the right goes first. If you are turning left and someone opposite is going straight or turning right, they go first. Come to a real stop, work out who was there before you, and go when it is your turn. Hesitating forever is also a fault, so decide and commit.

Two School Zones on a Short Loop

Durnford Road and Tideswell Boulevard both have school zones. Each is posted 40 km/h with a school safety zone sign and a flashing beacon, and both are Community Safety Zones, where speeding fines are increased. The limit does not drop below 40, but examiners expect visible caution: speed down, eyes moving, ready for kids and crossing guards.

Expect parked cars, and at school times buses, along the curb on these streets. Give them a full metre as you pass, and if there is oncoming traffic, wait rather than squeeze.

Google Maps Route For Port Union G2 Road Test

To help you prepare for your Port Union G2 road test, we mapped the route turn by turn. This gives you a visual guide of the test route, so you can familiarize yourself with the area and the key turning points before your actual test.

Route Overview: The Tideswell Loop

The Other Routes People Have Been Given

We have not mapped these turn by turn, but you should know they exist:

• The same loop, reversed. North on Tideswell, parallel parking and the 3-point turn on the way up, then right onto Vandorf Street and right onto Sheppard Avenue East on the way back to the plaza.
• The Durness loop. North on Tideswell, right onto Durness Avenue for uphill parking, the 3-point turn in Ryecliffe Court, then Durnford and Sheppard, right onto Kingston Road and right onto Rylander to get back. Most of the 2024 test footage we found used this one.
• Bonnydon first. North on Tideswell and straight into Bonnydon Crescent for your parking and 3-point turn, then out along Durness, Durnford, Sheppard and Kingston.
• Out to Kingston Road. Less often, the test heads east on Rylander to Kingston Road and the maneuvers happen on a side street off Kingston or Port Union Road instead.

Whichever one you get, three things hold. You start by leaving out the back onto Tideswell, your maneuvers happen on quiet residential streets, and you finish with a parking maneuver back in the plaza.

Important Notes

• Expect the examiner to name streets and traffic lights rather than saying "stop sign", so listen for "at the next street" and "at the traffic light".
• Parallel parking is very much still tested here. What varies is whether there are cars along the street to work with. When there are none, examiners have substituted front-in and reverse parking. Do not read that as parallel parking being optional at Port Union, because recent drivers have been failed on it.
• There is a stop sign inside the plaza, near the Dollarama entrance, that people miss on the way back in. You are still on test in the parking lot.
• If your route comes back along Kingston Road and you are sent left onto Rylander, that left has an arrow on the signal head but drivers say it never gets an advance green, so you are judging gaps with the finish line in sight. Waiting is free.
• Watch for parked vehicles on Tideswell and the side streets. A metre of clearance is the standard.
• We checked every speed on this loop against the posted signs: 40 km/h on Rylander, Durnford, Vandorf and Tideswell, and 60 km/h on Sheppard Avenue East. Bonnydon Crescent has no speed sign of its own.
• Rylander has two all-way stops on this loop, at Tideswell and at Durnford. Treat both the same way: a full stop, then go in the order you arrived.

Practice the Test Route Directly on Your Mobile

For those looking to get hands-on practice, we went ahead and linked this exact test route from the Port Union G2 road test into Google Maps. By clicking the link below, you can access and drive the actual test route directly on your mobile device! Access the Route Here: Drive the Port Union G2 Test Route If you happen to be in the area, or you plan to familiarize yourself with the area prior to your test, using this and acting as if you were taking the test can help build your confidence and increase your preparedness.

Watch a Successful G2 Road Test in Action

Check out this video from a driver who took their G2 at Port Union in May 2023 and passed on the first try. It walks through the whole day: checking in, the vehicle check, the drive itself, and the maneuvers.

Note that this driver's examiner sent him on a different route than the one we mapped above, which is a good illustration of how much the route varies at this centre.

Pro Tip: Click on the timestamps below to jump directly to key moments in the video.

Video Highlights:

• Where to park and checking in – 0:44 – Finding a spot in a full lot, and where the counter is once you are inside.
• The 30-minute check-in rule – 2:48 – Arrive early. Check in late and the appointment can be forfeited.
• The examiner's vehicle check – 3:08 – Lights, signals, horn, and brakes, before you are allowed to move.
• Leaving the packed lot – 4:13 – Pulling out with people and cars moving around you. You are already being graded.
• Parked school bus, give a metre – 5:02 – The parked-vehicle stretch just after the plaza, and the clearance the examiner expects.
• Full stop, three seconds, right turn – 5:13 – A clean example of the complete stop examiners are counting.
• The unmarked wide lane – 5:29 – A wide stretch with no lane markings, and how to position for it.
• Residential 40 zone – 6:14 – Settling into the quiet residential pocket where the maneuvers happen.
• Getting up to speed before a lane change – 7:03 – Matching traffic speed first, then changing lanes. Doing it in the other order is a common fault.
• Parallel parking, skipped – 8:22 – No cars were parked on the street, so the examiner asked for front-in and reverse parking instead. This happens often at Port Union.
• Back where the test started – 10:14 – The return leg and the final parking maneuver.

TL;DR: Port Union G2 Test Cheat Sheet

Didn't read the whole blog? Zoned out halfway? No worries, we got you! Check out the visual guide below that sums up everything you need to know about the Port Union G2 road test in one quick glance.

Pro Tip: If the image looks too small, click on it to view a larger version!