How to Drive the Black Boy Roundabout in Shinfield

Ask learners in Reading which roundabout worries them most and plenty will say the Black Boy roundabout. Waleed Nuseir, the DVSA approved driving instructor behind Pass With Waleed, rates it the hardest roundabout his learners face. It is close to Reading test centre, so it is worth getting right.

Where is the Black Boy roundabout?

The Black Boy roundabout is in Shinfield, just north of the M4 and a short drive east of Reading test centre. It joins four roads:

• the A327 Shinfield Road, north into Reading
• the B3270 Lower Earley Way, east towards Lower Earley
• the B3270 west, towards Whitley Wood Lane and junction 11 of the M4
• the A327 Shinfield Eastern Relief Road, south over the M4 towards Arborfield

It takes its name from the pub beside it, which was renamed The Shinfield Arms in 2021. Wokingham Borough Council, which looks after the roads there, still calls it the Black Boy roundabout.

Why learners find it hard

Waleed rates it the hardest roundabout his learners face, and local press has called it "a major challenge for learner drivers". Four busy roads feed it, including traffic heading to and from junction 11 of the M4 and the Shinfield relief road. A local councillor described it in 2020 as having "three pinch points". For a learner, that means choosing the right lane early, judging gaps in moving traffic and leaving at the right exit, all within a few seconds.

How to approach it

• Read the signs early. Pick your lane from the advance direction signs and road markings well before the roundabout, not at the give way line.
• Left lane for the first exit, right lane for exits past twelve o'clock, unless the markings say otherwise. Follow the arrows painted on the road.
• Signal at the right time. Left for the first exit. Right on approach for exits past twelve o'clock, then left as you pass the exit before yours. Going straight on, there is usually no signal on approach, then a left signal as you pass the exit before yours.
• Look right, and keep looking. Judge the gap in traffic already on the roundabout. If you are not sure, wait. Hesitating when it is clear can cost a fault, but pulling out into a short gap is a serious one.
• Stay in your lane on the roundabout and check your mirrors and blind spot before leaving.

Practising it with Waleed

Lessons build up to the Black Boy roundabout. First come quieter roundabouts, then the approach on its own, then each exit in turn, until it feels routine. Every lesson is two hours in a 2017 automatic Toyota Yaris, so there is time to go round again and talk through what happened. Every learner Waleed has taken on has passed, and 92% passed first time.

Read the Reading driving test centre guide, see automatic driving lessons in Shinfield or check availability.