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The Red Hook road test site is on Bay Street between Hicks and Henry Streets (113 Bay St, Brooklyn, NY 11231), with ballfields on both sides of the block. Within a few blocks you get narrow two-way streets, all-way stops, a truck route and a signalized intersection with lane-use arrows.
How the Road Test Works at Red Hook
The line-up. The DMV's directions read "On Bay St, between Hicks St and Henry St, facing Henry St." Cars wait on the south curb of Bay Street pointing east, between the ballfields, where signs reserve the curb for road tests on weekdays from 8 AM to 5 PM.
Arrival. Arrive up to 15 minutes early; if you are late, the examiner may not test you. With our road test car, your instructor meets you 10 to 15 minutes before the appointment at one of our offices or at the site. Check the DMV cancellations page before leaving, and dress for the weather: the line-up is an open curb.
At the car. You typically wait in the car until an examiner reaches you. The examiner photographs you, your documents and the car, then takes the front passenger seat. Your supervising driver (our instructor, if you use our car) needs a physical license, not Mobile ID. No other passengers or recording are allowed, so switch off dash cams. Bring your photo permit, the original MV-278 (no copies; online-course and MV-285 completions are on file instead), glasses if your permit requires them, and the MV-262 if you are under 18. The full checklist is on our Brooklyn road test page.
The drive and the result. You pull out eastbound on Bay Street, and tests usually finish with a pull-over back on the line-up block. In our experience the drive takes about 10 to 15 minutes, plus your wait in the line-up. Results go online after 6 p.m. on test day; here is how to check your road test results.
The Streets of the Red Hook Test Area
The examiner picks the route on the day; these are the streets where tests from this site usually run, not a fixed route. Tests usually stay in the grid around the ballfields; some go west toward IKEA.
| Street | What it is like | What the examiner watches |
|---|---|---|
| Bay Street (line-up) | Two-way, one lane each way; a truck route where bikes share the travel lane. Signals at Columbia and Clinton, but no stop for you at Hicks or Henry. One-way eastbound west of Columbia and east of Court. | Your pull-out, pedestrians at the zebra crosswalks, room for trucks and bikes, lane choice at Columbia. |
| Henry Street (Bay to Lorraine) | Short, narrow two-way block: STOP at Bay, all-way STOP at Lorraine, dead end beyond. A left from Bay onto Henry is a common first turn. | Turning into your own half without cutting across the STOP painted for the other direction. |
| Hicks Street (Bay to Lorraine) | Very narrow two-way block: all-way STOP at Lorraine, STOP sign and painted STOP at Bay. | A full stop at the white line, then yielding to Bay traffic. |
| Lorraine Street | Two-way with a yellow center line; signals at Columbia and Clinton, all-way stops at Hicks and Henry. B57 buses, and trucks may be parked at the curb. One-way westbound east of Court. | Lane position past parked trucks, order at the all-way stops. |
| Clinton Street (Bay to Lorraine) | Two-way with a bike lane; signals at Bay and Lorraine. | Left turns at the signals across oncoming cars and bikes. |
| Columbia Street | Two-way with bike lanes; signals at Bay and Lorraine, a median with KEEP RIGHT signs at Lorraine, a 15 mph school zone at Bay. | School-zone speed, bikes on right turns, the lane arrows at Bay. |
| Halleck and Beard Streets (toward IKEA) | Two-way with bike lanes and van and truck traffic from the Amazon delivery station and IKEA; a curve near IKEA. | Staying near the yellow line on the curve, clear of the bike lane; cars turning in and out of IKEA. |
| West Red Hook grid (Otsego, Dwight, Van Dyke, Coffey, Dikeman, Conover, Van Brunt) | Mostly one-way residential streets, speed humps on Wolcott, Richards and Sullivan, cobblestones on part of Coffey. Possible, but not usual. | One-way directions, speed over humps and rough pavement. |
Maneuvers You Will Be Asked to Perform
Every New York road test includes at least three left and three right turns, a controlled and an uncontrolled intersection, parallel parking and a three-point turn, plus pulling away from the curb. In Red Hook they look like this:
- Leaving the curb. Parked test cars block your rear view, and Bay Street traffic has no stop between Columbia and Clinton. Signal, check the mirror and look over your left shoulder; if the view is blocked, ease out a little, stop and look again.
- Turns. Signal at least 100 feet ahead and turn into your own half of these narrow blocks, neither too wide nor too short. At Lorraine you must turn, because Henry and Hicks dead-end beyond it.
- Controlled intersections. STOP signs at Hicks and Henry, all-way stops on Lorraine and at Bay and Court, signals at Clinton and Columbia. Stop fully at the line; when waiting to turn left at a signal, pull up toward the center of the intersection.
- Intersections with no stop for you. On Bay you cross Hicks and Henry with no STOP sign or signal facing you; only the side streets stop. Be ready for a car rolling out and for pedestrians in the zebra crosswalks.
- Parallel parking. On every test, at a spot the examiner picks; curbs here may be lined with vans and trucks as well as cars. End within one foot of the curb, look through the rear window as you back up, and park yourself: automatic parking is not allowed.
- Three-point turn. The examiner picks the spot, usually on a narrow two-way block like those around the ballfields. Check for bikes and children before each move, and never back into an intersection or over a crosswalk.
- Pulling over and controls. At the end, signal right, check for bikes and stop close to the curb. Know the wipers, defrosters, lights and windows: "unfamiliar with controls" is scored.
Road Signs and Signals Around the Red Hook Site
| Sign | Where | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| STOP, with STOP painted on the road | Henry and Hicks at Bay | Stop at the white line even if the sign is hidden behind a truck, then yield to Bay traffic. |
| STOP + ALL WAY, DEAD END, PLAYGROUND | Lorraine at Henry and at Hicks | Take turns in arrival order; at a tie, yield to the driver on your right. Watch for children. |
| Pedestrian crossing warning | Bay at Hicks and at Henry | Stop and stay stopped for anyone in the zebra crosswalk. |
| Lane-use arrows, DO NOT ENTER | Bay at Columbia | Westbound you can't go straight: the left lane turns left, the right lane turns right. |
| ONE WAY, DO NOT ENTER | Lorraine at Court | Lorraine is one-way westbound east of Court. |
| Traffic signals | Bay and Lorraine at Clinton and at Columbia | No turn on red in NYC unless a sign allows it; don't block the intersection. |
| TRUCK ROUTE; bike symbol with ALLOWED USE OF FULL LANE | Bay Street | Leave room for trucks and cyclists, and check for bikes before pulling out or turning. |
| SCHOOL SPEED LIMIT 15 and CITY SPEED LIMIT 25, both PHOTO ENFORCED | School limit: Columbia near Bay. City limit: Lorraine and Columbia | 15 mph in the school zone, 25 mph elsewhere unless posted, slower on tight blocks. |
Typical Mistakes at the Red Hook Site
- Pulling out on a mirror check alone, into a truck or cyclist.
- Hugging parked trucks or crossing the center line instead of letting an oncoming car pass.
- Rolling through the all-way stops on Lorraine, or missing the stop at Hicks or Henry when the sign is hard to see.
- Taking the wrong lane at Bay and Columbia, or driving the wrong way on Lorraine east of Court.
- Turning across a bike lane without looking, speeding in the school zone, or turning right on red.
How Coreway Prepares You for the Red Hook Road Test
Our preparation for Red Hook includes:
- Drills on similar streets outside the test area: pull-outs into truck traffic, turns on narrow two-way blocks, all-way stops and parking behind vans, in places like the industrial blocks of Gowanus, the truck streets of the Sunset Park waterfront and the tight curbs around our 26 Court Street office.
- A practice run of the test on your lessons, checked against the same categories as the DMV score sheet, with every error explained.
- A document and timing check, so you arrive early with the right papers. No certificate yet? Take our 5-hour course in Brooklyn.
- A DMV-compliant car: our car for the road test in Brooklyn is a well-maintained Toyota Corolla that meets DMV requirements, with our instructor as your supervising driver.
- A warm-up in the same car: a 45-minute lesson right before the test, held outside the test area.
- More practice or a test date: driving lessons, lesson packages, and standard or rush road test appointments, in English, Spanish, Russian or Ukrainian.
No Practice on the Red Hook Test Streets
New York DMV rules do not allow learner-permit holders to drive in a road test area except to take the test (15 NYCRR §4.1), and they do not allow driving instructors to give lessons there (15 NYCRR §76.16(c)). The DMV also states that practice driving is not allowed at New York State test sites. It does not publish a map of the test area, so we treat all of Red Hook south of Hamilton Avenue and west of Smith Street as off-limits for lessons, Van Brunt, Coffey, Dwight and Beard Streets included. We train on similar streets outside it and come to Bay Street only on test day.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Where exactly do I line up for the Red Hook road test?
On the south curb of Bay Street between Hicks and Henry Streets (113 Bay St, Brooklyn, NY 11231), facing east toward Henry Street. The Red Hook Recreation Center one block east makes an easy GPS target, and B57 buses stop nearby on Lorraine Street.
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Which streets does the Red Hook road test use?
The examiner decides on the day. Tests usually stay around the ballfields on Bay, Henry, Hicks, Lorraine and Clinton Streets; some reach Court, Columbia, Halleck, Beard or the one-way streets of west Red Hook.
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Can I practice on the Red Hook test streets before my test?
No. DMV rules (15 NYCRR §4.1 and §76.16(c)) do not allow permit holders to drive in a road test area except for the test itself, or instructors to teach there. We practice the same maneuvers on similar streets outside Red Hook.
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Is Red Hook a hard road test site?
Every site uses the same DMV scoring, but Red Hook has its own traps: pulling out into fast traffic on a truck route, narrow two-way blocks with parked cars and trucks, all-way stops with blocked views and the lane arrows at Bay and Columbia.
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Will the Red Hook test take me onto the expressway or into the tunnel?
No. The Gowanus Expressway is not part of the test, and a learner permit does not allow driving through MTA tunnels such as the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel, whose approach lanes are on Hamilton Avenue.