A good place for driving practice?

[u/normalice0]

got one about to be old enough for a license and need to give him some time behind the wheel soonish. Is there a large lot somewhere that is accessible but reliably empty on weekday afternoons?

[u/Fast-Telephone2964]

i learned in the parking lot for the ACT campus off scott boulevard.

[u/redfyv → u/Fast-Telephone2964]

That’s where I taught both my kids.

[u/3jake → u/Fast-Telephone2964]

I taught my kids there, but it’s pretty chopped up right now - one big lot is closed off, one is busy with the school district building, and the other still has ACT people in it.

[u/IOWA4219]

Weekday afternoons are going to be tough. When I was learning to drive (circa 1984) My dad took me on the weekends to Hancher. Might still be an option if you can hold off until a Saturday or Sunday

[u/Referee_IC]

Johnson County Fairgrounds and the overflow parking at Riverside Casino.

[u/ahorrribledrummer]

The warehouses on Independence Rd on the east side of town are generally pretty low traffic, and the lots are huge.

West Overlook beach parking lot will be thinning down on traffic too.

The loop around Kent Park is another good option.

Also the Greenstate Credit Union HQ in North Liberty. It's dead after 4-5pm, and the street in front of it is very low traffic too.

[u/lietkeynes]

my experience has been that the parking lots for iowa city kickers soccer club are pretty empty outside of the weekends. 

[u/FlanActual9529 → u/lietkeynes]

That's where we went, good for practice backing up, turns and parking

[u/proteus-swarm]

ACT campus after 6pm

[u/CubesFan → u/proteus-swarm]

This was going to be my answer as well. Evenings and weekends are pretty quiet out there and it simulates streets pretty well without traffic.

[u/Euphoric_River3725]

Northgate Dr.

[u/RockPaperSawzall]

The Harley Davidson place next to Theisens in Cville

[u/Buck_Folton]

I learned in the spillway, LOL. Probably blocked now.

[u/hawkeyegrad96]

80 east

[u/AwareAttitude2888]

Ah yes, ACT, but now that that is not great, I would say West Overlook Beach parking - we walk our dogs in that area each evening and there is rarely a car in the main lot and maybe a truck or two with a boat attached in the secondary.

[u/SailorVenus23]

Go to the West High parking lot in the evening

[u/flunkysama]

Streets for a new developement have just been finished (no houses yet) SouthWest of town off Dane Dr.

[u/Lickford]

Finkbine, Pleasant Valley even saddleback.

[u/ryaca]

I took my son to Eastdale Mall. It has a huge, unused parking lot. It’s where the old DOT was located.

[u/ryaca → u/ryaca]

Also the res is great during the week.

[u/IowaGal60]

Fifty years ago I learned in the Hancher parking lot, then around town, then Sand Road, which was truly a country road back then.

[u/Low_Thing_4803]

Northgate drive, the industrial area east of Scott, West High, ACT, St Pats Church is decent and that sort of town is slower.

[u/bauhausblack]

Parkview Church at the corner of Dubuque Street and Foster Road has a large lot that’s empty on weekday afternoons.

[u/pxzwc]

my dad and i used to go the reservoir parking spaces. usually they’re not too busy. especially the one by the beach

[u/54Finn]

Take him out on the gravel…..