Ireland driving on the Right?

G Luxel

Our road signs and speedometers are now in Kms and now there are many east european drivers on the road. Should we as a nation go in line with Europe and drive on the right? It would probably take about 4 or 5 years to prepare for the change over. This happened in Sweden in I967. It could result in older people giving up driving and maybe a reduction in road deaths. The cost of motor cars would come down as RHD is expensive. What do others think of this?

MrJoeSoap

G Luxel wrote:

Our road signs and speedometers are now in Kms and now there are many east european drivers on the road. Should we as a nation go in line with Europe and drive on the right? It would probably take about 4 or 5 years to prepare for the change over. This happened in Sweden in I967. It could result in older people giving up driving and maybe a reduction in road deaths. The cost of motor cars would come down as RHD is expensive. What do others think of this?

Can't see it working, and can't see any correlation between switching to the right hand side and a reduction in road deaths.

maidhc

G Luxel wrote:

This happened in Sweden in I967. It could result in older people giving up driving and maybe a reduction in road deaths.

Too many cars now I'd say. 1967 was a different world .

If older people can get a medical cert and get their eyes tested they should be allowed drive. I'd hate a culture where we kicked people off the road the day they got a bit slow at the lights.

fjon

I don't see any advantage in doing so, and it would be painful and expensive process. Why bother?

Pherekydes

What age would you put them off at? I think younger drivers would have more problems switching over. If the Brits don't do it we never will, and they haven't even adopted the €uro, so they're not going to change anytime soon.

Wishbone Ash

G Luxel wrote:

This happened in Sweden in I967

6am on September 3rd 1967. Traffic was suspended at 1 am (except for emergency vehicles) and resumed at 6am when that photograph was taken. It was very expensive and took 4 years of planning. All media were used and house visits took place to educate people. Special instruction was given to the aged , the blind and guide dogs. Schools opened a week early to give driving instruction. The main bus company had an enormous expense adapting their fleet. Accidents rates plummeted for the first few weeks presumably as motorists were over cautious.

The weird thing was that, in Sweden, private cars always had the steering wheel on the left enen when they drove on the left.

If it happened here, it would make crossing the border interesting. :eek:

Victor

Wishbone Ash wrote:

Accidents rates plummeted for the first few weeks presumably as motorists were over cautious.

No, they slashed the speed limit to something like 30km/h and gradually raised it.

Tipsy Mac

G Luxel wrote:

The cost of motor cars would come down as RHD is expensive.

Importing a LHD car at the moment has little or no savings compared to an Irish RHD model due to VRT, nothing will change with regard prices of cars until we stop paying this illegal importation tax from goods sourced within the EU.

Wishbone Ash

Tipsy Mac wrote:

this illegal importation taxes

Registration tax!

Tipsy Mac

Wishbone Ash wrote:

Registration tax!

Why then do UK owners who have had their car for more than six months and diplomats who want to bring their car here get their registration plate for free?

Wishbone Ash

Tipsy Mac wrote:

Why then do UK owners who have had their car for more than six months and diplomats who want to bring their car here get their registration plate for free?

Many owners do not have to pay registration tax:

Finance Act 1992

134.—(1) A vehicle may, subject to any conditions, restrictions or limitations prescribed by the Minister by regulations made by him under section 141 be registered without payment of vehicle registration tax if the vehicle is—

( a ) the personal property of a private individual and is being brought permanently into the State by the individual when he is transferring his normal residence from a place outside the State to a place in the State,
( b ) being brought permanently into the State as part of the capital goods and other equipment of a business undertaking which definitively ceases its activity outside the State and moves to the State in order to carry on a similar activity there,
( c ) the personal property of a deceased person and is being brought permanently into the State by a person resident in the State, or a person or body of persons established in the State and engaged in a non-profit making activity, who either acquired by inheritance the ownership or beneficial ownership of such vehicle or is the personal representative resident in the State of the deceased person,
( d ) given as a gift, in token of friendship or good will by an official body, public authority or group carrying on an activity in the public service or interest, which is located outside the State, to an official body, public authority or group carrying on an activity in the public service or interest, which is located in the State and is approved by the Commissioners for the purposes of this paragraph,
( e ) for official use by an institution of the European Communities,
( f ) for the personal use of officials or other members of the staff of an institution of the European Communities who transfer their residence to the State to take up a position there with an institution of the European Communities,
( g ) supplied under diplomatic, consular or similar arrangements by virtue of the Diplomatic Relations and Immunities Acts, 1967 and 1976, and orders made thereunder.
(2) Effect may be given to the provisions of subsection (1) by means of a repayment of vehicle registration tax subject to any conditions the Commissioners see fit to impose.
(3) The reliefs allowed under the Disabled Drivers (Tax Concessions) Regulations, 1989 (S.I. No. 340 of 1989), shall apply with any necessary modifications to vehicle registration tax.
(4) A vehicle may be registered, subject to such conditions, limitations and restrictions (if any) as the Commissioners may impose, without payment of vehicle registration tax and with the repayment of any such tax paid, where the Commissioners are satisfied that such vehicle is for use—
(i) in the establishment or maintenance of an international air service using or involving the use of an airport in the State,
(ii) in the establishment or maintenance of radio or meteorological services or other aids to air navigation ancillary to any such international air service, or
(iii) for experimental purposes in connection with the establishment or maintenance of any such international air service.
(5) Whenever the Minister so thinks proper, he may authorise the Commissioners to register a vehicle, subject to such conditions, limitations or restrictions (if any) as they may impose, either without payment of vehicle registration tax or on payment of the tax at less than the rate ordinarily chargeable or, where the said tax has been paid, to repay the tax in whole or in part.

peasant

That's just not feasable any more. Every single motorway/dual carriageway on- and offramp would have to be re-engineered. Traffic lights would have to be re-postioned, road signs as well, the same with road markings at intersections.

Waaaaay too expensive ....

Just My View

Wishbone Ash wrote:

Registration tax!

I am sick to death of hearing that tired old line being trotted out.
Isn't it true that when the when the Eu open border policy would have allowed tax free imports from other Eu states the Irish Govt introduced a so called "Vehicle Registration Tax" which just happened to be exactly the same amount as was collected from the old import tax? We are being ripped off by our own Govt. Face it and leave out the hypocracy, nobody is buying it.

zilog_jones

If we start driving on the right, what's going to happen to the industry built up around importing used cars from Japan and the UK?

It would cost the government millions to do, and we won't really gain anything out of it.

Wishbone Ash

zilog_jones wrote:

If we start driving on the right, what's going to happen to the industry built up around importing used cars from Japan and the UK?

It would cost the government millions to do, and we won't really gain anything out of it.

The transport costs of importing cars from Japan (€800 per unit average) would probably be slashed if we imported from our neighbours in mainland Europe.

BTW - I would not like to switch to driving on the right.

sprinkles

what with us being an island nation it would serve no point. Sweden was surrounded by countries which drove on the right so it was in their interest to change. As has already been said there are far more cars on the road now and it would be a major upset to an already crippled traffic issue in dublin at least.

Also think of all the useless Buses we'd have.... (although there's a case that they are pretty useless as it is )

Tipsy Mac

zilog_jones wrote:

If we start driving on the right, what's going to happen to the industry built up around importing used cars from Japan and the UK?

They will have to retrain in how to clock left hand drive cars

Wishbone Ash

sprinkles wrote:

what with us being an island nation it would serve no point

Exactly. The vast majority of countries which drive on the left are island nations OR share land borders with other countries who drive on the left.
There are a few countries who share land borders and do not drive on similar sides. (They tend to be poorer countries with a less developed infrastructure).

Examples:

Afganistan/Pakistan
Thailand/Burma
China/Nepal
India/China
Kenya/Ethiopia
Namibia/Angola

el tel

Driving on the right? Don't we already do that on the motorways?

bazz26

Irish motorists in general are poor drivers as it is. Can you imagine the carnage if we are told to switch to the other side. What would we do with all the rhd cars in the country at the moment? Export them to the UK?

Plus could our economy afford all those McDonalds and Burger King drive thru converstions.

Wishbone Ash

bazz26 wrote:

could our economy afford all those McDonalds and Burger King drive thru converstions.

I saw a chap in a LHD Ferrari approach the Red Long Term car park in Dublin Airport recently. I was expecting him to do the usual - get out and walk around to pull the ticket. No, not this guy. He gives a quick look around, then a handbrake turn, reverses in, pulls ticket and another handbrake turn to rectify his position again. Cool bástard. :cool:

Vegeta

Wishbone Ash wrote:

I saw a chap in a LHD Ferrari approach the Red Long Term car park in Dublin Airport recently. I was expecting him to do the usual - get out and walk around to pull the ticket. No, not this guy. He gives a quick look around, then a handbrake turn, reverses in, pulls ticket and another handbrake turn to rectify his position again. Cool bástard. :cool:

probably wasn't a handbrake, just floored it from standing with the wheel turned. rear wheel drive

My brothers call it "diffing"


still a cool bastard, no way i'd try that in a car that expensive

Seth Brundle

Didn't Jim McDaid try to change the side of the road we drive on?

el tel

Wishbone Ash wrote:

I saw a chap in a LHD Ferrari approach the Red Long Term car park in Dublin Airport recently. I was expecting him to do the usual - get out and walk around to pull the ticket. No, not this guy. He gives a quick look around, then a handbrake turn, reverses in, pulls ticket and another handbrake turn to rectify his position again. Cool bástard. :cool:

Are you sure it wasn't an MR2-based replica?;)

drdre

no it can never work now,there too many cars and it would take YEARS.

Wishbone Ash

el tel wrote:

Are you sure it wasn't an MR2-based replica?;)

I don't know. They don't particularly interest me. It was red, had a prancing horse on the rear, beige leather interior and 'Ferrari' was written on it. (The make is irrevelant to the story anyway).

BnA

This map shows the side ofd the road for driving on throughout the world

el tel

Wishbone Ash wrote:

I don't know. They don't particularly interest me. It was red, had a prancing horse on the rear, beige leather interior and 'Ferrari' was written on it. (The make is irrevelant to the story anyway).

I only said it (with a ) as someone usually does!

Given some of the other threads on here at the minute, if he was driving a LHD 'girlie' car he SO would not have been a cool bástard

Wishbone Ash

el tel wrote:

I only said it (with a ) as someone usually does!

Given some of the other threads on here at the minute, if he was driving a LHD 'girlie' car he SO would not have been a cool bástard

No problem.

Wishbone Ash

BnA wrote:

This map shows the side ofd the road for driving on throughout the world

From http://www.brianlucas.ca/roadside/

el tel

Wishbone Ash wrote:

From http://www.brianlucas.ca/roadside/

Something interesting from that site on the subject of exceptions to the national uniformity:

Ireland

Parnell Bridge in Cork. One-way traffic approaching from opposite quays hug the right-hand-side of the road over the bridge. (Red Shannon)

Anyone familiar with this place?