Yes Draig I've read this before. Also in the Telegraph a year or two ago there was an article on this and I recall one main city in Italy either Milan or Rome which in the twenties used to have a dual system where outside the city they drove on one side and inside on the other. confusing.....?
There was great debate in this country about 1960 as to whether we should convert over to the right and plans were drawn up. I recall them saying that we would have one traffic free day as signs were changed and the only traffic allowed would be emergency vehicles. And then speed limits would be cut for a period for safety reasons.
British car makers were in support of conversion making for easier production for export. (yes we did once export cars) but the subject just drifted away.
One colony!!!! did change about this time and I think it was NZ.
I think it a pity that we didn't go for it then while it was still viable.
alvin
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Typically British notion. The Japs have no bother exporting!
alvin booth wrote:
>
> Yes Draig I've read this before. Also in the Telegraph a year
> or two ago there was an article on this and I recall one main
> city in Italy either Milan or Rome which in the twenties used
> to have a dual system where outside the city they drove on
> one side and inside on the other. confusing.....?
> There was great debate in this country about 1960 as to
> whether we should convert over to the right and plans were
> drawn up. I recall them saying that we would have one traffic
> free day as signs were changed and the only traffic allowed
> would be emergency vehicles. And then speed limits would be
> cut for a period for safety reasons.
> British car makers were in support of conversion making for
> easier production for export. (yes we did once export cars)
> but the subject just drifted away.
> One colony!!!! did change about this time and I think it was
> NZ.
> I think it a pity that we didn't go for it then while it was
> still viable.
> alvin
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When changeover was first mooted in Nigeria a national newspaper carried the suggestion that, to ease the problems, cars should change sides one day and goods vehicles the next!
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when they introduced dual carriageways in Zambia, the locals thought they were two brand-new parallel roads, and drove in the one which was least congested!
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Actually the last country to change to driving on the right was Sweden in 1967. The roads were closed to all but emergency vehicles for a weekend while the signs and road markings were changed. Initially, the accident rate went down as drivers were concious of the change and took great care, but I believe that for a period after that the rate went sky high due to people reverting to old habits.
We have long passed the point where any change would be possible in this country, the cost alone would be out of the question although there is a body of opinion in Europe who would like to see it forced on us. Taking the world as a whole, however, I don't think there is that great a difference in the percentages who drive on the right and those who drive on the left. I may be wrong, but does anybody know what the figures are?
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perhaps naively, I hope that as long as UK drives on left we'll also keep the pound sterling ..
PS anyone know if we along with Cyprus and Australia are the only countries not to drive on the right?
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SA, Zim, Botswana, Mozambique etc - most of sub-saharan africa.
also Japan, India (i stand to be corrected) and a lot of asia.
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Belgians drive on both sides, surely ...
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Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Just under three quarters of roads in the world are for driving on the right, but a third of the worlds population drive on the left!
Errrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmm
(And it's all down to the UK's lack of road building !;-(
See:
www.travel-library.com/general/driving/drive_which...l
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When in italy a few years ago, i was amazed that many HGV's were lhd. Even the toll booths had l and r payment boxes!
Driving on the left makes sense - left foot for clutch/hand for gearshift.
Stronger and more co-ordinated right hand (on most folk) holding the wheel, and foot pushing the petrol pedal!
Think of a motorcycle left/left and right/right.. you know it makes sense!
BTW, ever tried to wind down a window with your left hand? try it, and see how awkward it is!
*Ireland propose changing across to RHS driving. They will do it in stages, with first the busses, then a month later the trucks, and finally cars making the change*
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Hmmm, not quite sure I agree Ian,
It depends upon your point of view, why are most rally cars lhd? Well apart from the convenience to the team engineers which is important.
Right hand is controlled by the part of the brain which is more involved with intricate actions.
Left hand is controlled by the part of the brain which is better at fast reactions but not so good at intricate stuff.
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Ireland ?
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They are changing, Mark. see my previous answer.
:)
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I would also add Malta, but then look at my post on Maltese Toni's thread!
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> PS anyone know if we along with Cyprus and Australia are the only countries not to drive on the right?
> SA, Zim, Botswana, Mozambique etc - most of sub-saharan africa.
also Japan, India (i stand to be corrected) and a lot of asia.
> Ireland ?
> I would also add Malta, but then look at my post on Maltese Toni's thread!
Does NO one EVER follow my links ?;-(
> www.travel-library.com/general/driving/drive_which...l
Or does it have to be like this (hopefully !;-)
THE BEST LIST OF ALL THE COUNTRIES IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD AND WHICH SIDE THEY DRIVE ON PLUS LOTS OF OTHER USELESS INFO !;-)
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In the Philippines you can drive on any side in any direction. Just pick the one which seems to have less traffic on it.
How about this example near where I live. Imagine a large open area about the size of a big town square. Entering the square on the south side of the box are a tollway exit (4 lanes), a service road, a regular street, and the exir from MacDonalds. Entering/exiting the square on the left side are a bridge (four car widths) a service road, a regular road. Ditto entrering and exiting the square on the right side. On the top (north side) of the square, 4 streams of traffic converge into two tollway entrances, a service road enters/exits the square as does another road, and in the top right hand corner is a vegetable market. Buses, jeepneys stop at any point where anyone wants to get on/off. This includes in the middle or on either side of any road and at any point within the square. Traffic entering any poin tof the square is attempting to cross it to get to any point out of it. There are no lights or priority signs (waste of time) and a policeman sits in a small tower watching all this.
Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! Well, we have gorgeous women and cheep beer anyway.....
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That's an interesting phenomenon.
When the traffic lights are out at any major junctions here, the usual queues seem to disappear, traffic flows freely and there are no accidents. makes you wonder why we have traffic lights at all, just no priority junctions.
Sid
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