Driving education

[Manila-X]

Some countries drive on the left side of the road while some drive on the right. I always wondered why there are two driving system. In HK for example, the driving system is similar to that of the UK and most Asian countries. But once you go to Mainland China, the system is similar to The US and most of Europe.

This may sound impossible but are you in favour of a universal driving system where all countries drive either on the left or right side of the road?

[dcdgbd]

Do you have a list of countries where people drive on the right and a list of countries where people drive on the left?

I was quite shocked with your statement that most Asian countries drive on the left??? May be I'm just ignorant but I always thought only a minority of countries drive on the left and I consider that to be driving on the wrong side of the road.

[ChrisZwolle]

Dutch advertising from the department of transportation about driving on the right. The sticker says; "I love driving on the right". But that's more a nod to left-stickers as to driving on the right system.

[ChrisZwolle]

[x-type]

it would be nice, but i'm not sure that it's neccessary because left siders are mostly kinda isolated and they are not mixing with right siders

[Manila-X]

The majority of countries still drive on the right. Anyway, the reason why I created this thread is despite being from HK where our road system is left, I'm more used to driving on the right since I mostly drove in China, The Philippines and US. I don't see HK drivers having a hard time especially when they drive in China. I have driven in China especially in the Guangdong province but I don't risk driving in HK since I'm not familiar with our system.

[goschio]

I can imagine, that Hong Kong will change in the future when it becomes fully integrated into China.

They could do it during a holiday period and restrict driving for a couple of days to change all the signs and markings.

[Jeroen669]

I don't think it really matters, driving on the left or on the right. However, I'm curious about how the change is on the border line between driving on the left and the right.

[snupix]

But how do you change from one system to another anyway? The Swedes did it in the 60's, I'm curious how? Just overnight? What about the position of the steering wheel?

[ChrisZwolle]

Nigeria and Ghana also changed it in the 70's.

[EricIsHim]

Originally Posted by goschio

I can imagine, that Hong Kong will change in the future when it becomes fully integrated into China.

They could do it during a holiday period and restrict driving for a couple of days to change all the signs and markings.

Impossible.

It's not just signing and pavement markings. It is about the entire roadway network. For example, highway interchanges are designed to suit the left-side driving and rebuilding is the only way to fix them, which is not possible.
Numerous one-way side streets and driveway are built in with the cities.

It is basically talking about rebuilding the whole city.

[EricIsHim]

Originally Posted by Jeroen669

I don't think it really matters, driving on the left or on the right. However, I'm curious about how the change is on the border line between driving on the left and the right.

In a particular country or state, it wouldn't be a matter which way you drive if there is no interaction between the left and right side driving. But if say city A is right side driving and city B is left side driving, and two cities' drivers are free to drive in either city, the problem is there will be a lot of drivers driving on the wrong side of the road and making wrong turn causing a lot of head-on collision.

To answer the second part of your question, the switching is done by putting the road in one-way only and leads the road to the correct side of the network at the either end.

[wyqtor]

Originally Posted by EricIsHim

To answer the second part of your question, the switching is done by putting the road in one-way only and leads the road to the correct side of the network at the either end.

I don't understand, are you talking about some sort of roundabout-like thing? Because that's one way only...

[Urban Legend]

don't forget that people need to get use to it. people who drived all their life on the left side can't sudenly drive on the right side becouse the goverment decided. it will cause many accidents.

[Republica]

there is absolutely no point in this, so my answer would be no.

[EricIsHim]

Originally Posted by wyqtor

I don't understand, are you talking about some sort of roundabout-like thing? Because that's one way only...

Check out this aerial of one of the board between HK and Shenzhen:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...&t=k&z=17&om=1
South of the river is Hong Kong where drives on the left, and north of the river is Shenzhen where drives on the right.
The bridge crossing the river is built in HK's style driving on the right.
Travelling from south to north, the bridge is splitted into two roads, one going
to the west, and one coming from the east (traveling west). Both roads
leaving and feeding the bridge are one-way from/to the broader facilities
before connecting to the city network. With a one way street, it doesn't have
the conflict to drive on the right or left side of the road for the correction
driving direction.

--------------------------------------
This is another boarder facility between HK and Shenzhen:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...&t=k&z=16&om=1
Operationally, this one is a little more complicated because it separates
passenger and freight traffic. But the idea is the same as the first, only allow
one way traffic in the main road and leads it to the right direction on the
crossing bridge.

[RawLee]

Originally Posted by Urban Lagend

don't forget that people need to get use to it. people who drived all their life on the left side can't sudenly drive on the right side becouse the goverment decided. it will cause many accidents.

Then how come english dont die in massive amounts in continental Europe and versa?

[Lydon]

You can't just ask a country to suddenly change like that...

[FML]

Originally Posted by snupix

But how do you change from one system to another anyway? The Swedes did it in the 60's, I'm curious how? Just overnight?

Basically just overnight. Of course, signs, intersections, bus stops, bus doors, etc., were prepared before that.

Stockholm on the changing day:


Okinawa also had a same event, or rather an opposite event, in 1978. In their case, they changed from right hand drive to left hand drive ("the wrong side" ), in accordance with mainland Japan.

So place like Hong Kong can change the system if they wanted to. Whether it's cost-effective or not, I don't really know.

[ChrisZwolle]

I think that a convertion from miles to kilometers worldwide has more priority than this left/right hand driving.