The Irish Government will start the process of converting our traffic system to a right hand drive one in the next few months. The current system of driving on the left is a legacy of British rule in this country but now that we’re part of the EU this change is finally taking place. Grandad has more details on his blog.
I expect this will be a welcome change for tourists and foreign travelers to our shores, especially Polish people who will no doubt start businesses teaching people to drive on the wrong other side of the road.
Initially, all buses and articulated vehicles will move to the right to allow for a period of adjustment. Car owners may opt to make the switch themselves on an individual basis, depending on their level of confidence.
Starting on the 1st of August, all motorists outside city limits will be required to drive on the right. And finally on the 1st September, all city traffic will make the transition.
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in all seriousness, there’s an amazing photo of the “flag day” when one of the Nordic countries switched sides sometime in the 60s!
ah, here it is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagen_H
Justin – thanks for finding that. It’s a great find. I wonder what kind of chaos would follow the same kind of thing happening here? It’d be utter madness!
It is noted that most transitions to date happened in the developing world or before the construction of motorways and other complex shaped concrete structures.
I just returned from Ireland and I have to say that I saw the most astonishing thing happen at the first roundabout on the Tramore road: some moron who wanted to go “right” at the roundabout did just that. He ended up on the wrong side of the road, briefly. I thought I had seen it all! Perhaps there’s something to this “drive on the right” story.
It’s allright for you up there in the big smoke boasting about your fancy two sided roads – It would make no difference down here in the West which side of the road we drive on, we just try to avoid the grass in the middle.
[...] Posted elsewhere is a reference to this wikipedia article covering a similar transition in 1967 in Sweden. [...]