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Ireland could switch from left to right-hand driving

 
21 5,165 views Feb 11, 2008

Ireland could switch from left to right-hand driving

Ireland could switch from left to right-hand driving

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Considering the close proximity between Ireland and Europe it’s surprising to note that motorists in each area drive on opposite sides of the road. Ireland, like its neighbor England, drives on the left-hand side of the road but this could one day change because there are calls to switch sides as a way of reducing the number of accidents from travelers coming into the country from the rest of Europe and the U.S.

Donie Cassidy, the leader of Ireland's upper chamber Senate, said Ireland should consider the switch because of the tens of thousands of workers, especially from central and eastern European countries, that are currently flooding the country. It is also a popular tourist destination for visitors from the United States. "We have all of these people coming in from Europe and from America and (because of) the roads that they are used to driving on in their own countries it is a huge difficulty when they start driving here," Cassidy told public broadcaster RTE.

Such a move is not unheard of. Back in 1967, Sweden switched from driving on the left to driving on the right to come into line with the rest of Europe. However, motoring bodies have deemed the proposal as “completely impractical.” Another solution put forward by Cassidy is to limit the maximum speed of visitors to 80km/h, while Irish residents could travel at up to 120km/h.



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Comments (21)

  1. By chris Posted: 2/11/2008 10:44am PST

    wow... variable speed limits? thats even more stupid. I'd like to see the isles change over to left hand drive. i suppose there are a few more large countries such as south africa and australia that would have to switch as well, but it would be nice to see development costs reduced if the remaining 20% of the world just switched over.
     
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  2. jwas65 avatar jwas65 Posted: 5/21/2012 2:49pm PDT

    I think you meant to say "I'd like to see the isles change over to RIGHT hand drive".
     
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  3. By NaBUru38 Posted: 2/11/2008 1:02pm PST

    I guess thousands of motorway intersections will have to be rebuilt.
     
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  4. By Roy Posted: 2/11/2008 1:38pm PST

    This lunacy will not ever get made into law. If it does, it will be designed as a snub against the UK, not for safety. I have switched sides of the road many times over the last decade and it is not problematic as long as the steering wheels are correctly placed. In that case, the driver must just position himself or herself closest to the center of the street. End of problem.
    As for switching the UK, Japan, Australia, South Africa (and India?), I don't think it's feasible anymore. Moreover, the car manufacturers get to charge their customers in those countries more money for having to "re-engineer" cars for the opposite side of the road, which increases their profits.
     
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  5. By chris Posted: 2/11/2008 3:24pm PST

    roy im sure they arent profiting from reversing the steering wheel. u have to redesign a lot of parts, and the assembly line too. its not exactly a simple matter. and yes, india is also on the wrong side of the road :D

    i dont see how thousands of motorway intersections would need to be rebuilt. normal traffic lights and motorways (highways) would just have to change directions. the standard cloverloaf intersection would still work... so long as EVERY road is changed over.

    now.. i've never seen it so i wont know.. but at the boarder for countries such as england and france (you can drive in the chunnel right?) how do the roads change sides? thats just about the only concern.

    and you'd have to repost all of your signs... which should be a fairly simple matter of just turning them 180 degrees.
     
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  6. By Jim Posted: 2/11/2008 7:08pm PST

    ....the changing process seems painful...
     
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  7. By MARK Posted: 2/11/2008 8:22pm PST

    Chris you must be a typical american idiot who thinks there system is the only system.
    I have driven left hand and right hand drive cars and to me RHD is the better option.
     
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  8. By admin Posted: 2/11/2008 9:55pm PST

    Mark - no need to make the comment personal. If you think RHD is better please explain your reasons.
    Thanks.
     
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  9. By Alan Posted: 2/12/2008 1:43am PST

    This will be a pain to change, i really don't see the point though, i've driven on either side of the road and found both sides easy to drive on without much problem
     
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  10. By Tina Posted: 2/12/2008 10:04am PST

    That seems silly. I drove on the left hand side of the road when I was over there, and it doesn't take that long to get used to it. Anyway, aside from the conversion being expensive (with all of the cars having steering wheels on the wrong side then), did they ever think that then all of the Irish people who actually LIVE in the country would have to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road? Couldn't that have the potential of causing accidents as well?
     
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  11. By RB Posted: 2/13/2008 12:35am PST

    thought this was an april 1st joke but its only feb!

    Chris - in the UK and Ireland we generally do not have the cloverleaf exit system used in the states - we simply have not got the room!. Crossing the channel you drive your car onto a train, park up and drive off the other side!

    In the sixties when Sweden switched I wonder how many cars were on the road then!! - Even though it would be a good idea if the world all drove on the same side I can't see this ever happening within the UK and Ireland-

    The argument given in the text suggesting it safer for the visitors - what a but the locals who considerably out number the visitors and happen to live there all the time!

    Just thought Anyone know why some drive on the left and some drive on the right??
     
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  12. By Bill Dryden Posted: 6/12/2008 2:17pm PDT

    In Scotland and Wales we also drive on the left,so it's not just England.
     
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  13. By Andy Posted: 6/17/2008 2:30pm PDT

    RB hit it on the head. Traffic levels in 65 were probably 25% of what they are today. (happy to be corrected on that figure, it's ust a guess)

    Sweden had good reason to change to driving on the rightr in 65.
    She has land borders, thousands of km long, with Norway and Finland that drive on the right.
    An island, like Irleand, or UK for that matter, has no real need. To use the argument of making easier for visitors, is quite frankly preposterous.
    I wonder if anyone asked the Irish people what they thought, before this crackpot idea was mooted.
    Someone asked why some contries drive left, and some right.
    Most of the world kept to the left until the 17th/18th century. Something to do with right handed people having their swords on the left, finding it easier to mount their horses from the left. Also passing other horsemen on the left so that their sword scabbards didn't clash.

    Around 35% of the world drives left, (Large part of Asia, East and Southern Arica, many Carribean Islands, + 4 counties in Europe) ,65% right, irerspective of whether you count contries or population.
     
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  14. By DM Posted: 8/11/2008 3:22pm PDT

    Why should we switch??Why don't the rest of Europe change to the left??
     
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  15. By Art Posted: 8/24/2008 7:37am PDT

    First of all, sorry to say Bill, but when the rest of the world speak about England, they generally mean the UK, which includes Wales, Scotland and probably Northern Ireland.

    I'm from the Netherlands (Holland for the rest of the world), I've migrated to Australia a few years ago and am used to driving on either side of the road. To me driving on the right side of the road has one practical benefit: most people are right handed and it's a little easier to operate the gear stick with your right hand. In Australia that doesn't really make a big difference as 99% of the people drive automatic anyway (and I guess you get used to changing gears left handed anyway)...
     
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  16. ma_Scott avatar Scott Posted: 10/16/2008 10:55am PDT

    When Malta joined the EU it was suggested that they change to the right. They answered by stating that they prefered to drive in the shade.
    Changing sides would mean a completely new bus fleet, and I suspect Ireland like the UK has spent a great deal of money already buying low floor buses which would be out of date if such a change were to come about. As for foreign visitors, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. I have seen many articulated lorries in Britain with a UK number plates over their country of origin plates, meaning they swapped the tractor unit at the port to suit the left hand drive. Sensible solution.
     
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  17. By  Motoring Posted: 2/11/2010 6:24am PST

    This is probably one of the worst ideas i have ever heard of. Please tell me a really good benefit and i will tell you what the disadvantages are. The only way to help things on the roads is to try to produce less co2 emissions and get as many none needed cars of the road.
     
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  18. By John Posted: 5/16/2010 8:10am PDT

    Did Donie Cassidy consider the cost of replacing the the entire fleet of public road transport on a company that is hard pushed at providing sufficient service as it is. Turning the traffic signals 180 degrees would not be enough as they would have to be transferred to the opposite corner of the junction as well not to mention road markings,i.e.bus lanes. All of this disruption for the sake of a few hundred thousand drivers a year. what about the four million people in Ireland that are used to the traffic on the left hand side and most of they may not even drive. When Donie Cassidy said Ireland should consider the switch it should have been for a good logistical reason and said that it was considered and found not to be a runner.
     
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  19. By Peter Posted: 6/1/2010 9:18am PDT

    Consider this: have you ever pushed a pedal cycle? If so and you're right handed, then the cycle will be on your right. If you mount and dismount it will be to the left - this is intuitive. The last thing you want to do is mount and dismount into traffic, which means that using the left side of the road is more intuitive for right handed people. QED
     
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  20. By Luxurybarom Posted: 7/16/2010 8:44pm PDT

    It's clear that most of you standing the switch are from the UK or have been driving like in the UK. You all talk about the cost of changing; there is a cost to every change. The cost of changing would be less than the cost of war per month. Yes, there would be some accidents, but that's also part of the cost. If you guys drove in right-side-drive countries and didn't have accidents, why do you think others would? The UK is just full of herself and her old conservative traditions. If you are a member of the UK, why not just make important things like traffic code the same as in the rest of the EU. The UK doesn't wanna use the Euro either, but the republic of Ireland does already. Someday, trust me, the republic of Ireland will switch to the right side of the road, and the UK will only get more pressure to follow suit. Stop being too conservative! Why do UK air plane captains sit on the left side of the cockpit? Maybe they should have been different and sat on the right side :P
     
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  21. By Terry Posted: 2/17/2011 4:49am PST

    This idea seems to have come to light when Ireland had money to burn. I'm not sure it would get as much support in Ireland's present economic climate. Of course it would make much more sense for the UK and Ireland to drive on the right, especially given the large amount of international traffic which flows between them and the Continent but the cost of changing woud be phenomenal and the upheaval - especially for the UK's dense and complex road system - beggars belief. I'm afraid the UK simply left it too late and like it or not, we're stuck it. As for the arrogance of those who suggest the rest of Europe should change to driving on the left - well are we meant to be debating this subject sensibly or not? For God's sake little englanders, grow up! When it comes to the innate conservatism of the UK , well, yes, you're quite right but again, that's a fact of life we just have to live with and rest assured, there are quite a few born and bred Englishman like me who find it just as tedious as you do, Luxurybarom. We Brits don't have a monopoly on that either. My American friends wouldn't know what the metric system was if you hit them over the head with it.
     
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