Should we switch to driving on the right?

Balanadan

To be more aligned with our European friends. I certainly think so.

looksee

Yes, we'll do it tomorrow, what could go wrong?

Signore Fancy Pants

Balanadan wrote: »

To be more aligned with our European friends. I certainly think so.

Why?

Mongfinder General

Balanadan wrote: »

To be more aligned with our European friends. I certainly think so.

Yeah, because brexit isn't complicated enough.

LessOutragePlz

Balanadan wrote: »

To be more aligned with our European friends. I certainly think so.

No /thread

Balanadan

looksee wrote: »

Yes, we'll do it tomorrow, what could go wrong?

Other countries have done it, not a bother.

looksee

It would give a whole new meaning to the term 'hard border' - it would be very hard to organise the swap over every time everyone was going in and out of the North.

dxhound2005

We should experiment by letting lorries and buses try it out first.

LessOutragePlz

Balanadan wrote: »

Other countries have done it, not a bother.

Give us some examples so please.

Fr_Dougal

If Brexit goes ahead Shane Ross has suggested a two months trial, for articulated lorries only initially.

Zaph

Balanadan wrote: »

Other countries have done it, not a bother.

Well I wouldn't exactly say not a bother...

looksee

Balanadan wrote: »

Other countries have done it, not a bother.

Not exactly 'not a bother'. Considerable amounts of planning and changing of signs and road markings - and all at a time when roads were not nearly as crowded and complex as they are now. Have you even the faintest idea how much it would cost?

Balanadan

LessOutragePlz wrote: »

Give us some examples so please.

Samoa is probably the most recent one. Sweden another fine example.

Samsgirl

Should do it from next Monday. Would be hilarious, what could go wrong.

Atlantic Dawn

We should have never adopted km/h speed signs and speedometers until the UK also did.

Monkeynut

the drink drivers would prefer it.

murpho999

Would cost a fortune at this stage.

All road signs to change.

Motorway junctions would be a disaster.

Major safety issues as people would have to adapt and also all cars would have the steering wheels on the wrong side for years until they're replaced.

Jessie Belle

I find it hard enough to drive on the left.

murpho999

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

We should have never adopted km/h speed signs and speedometers until they UK also did.

Disagree with this. They have never adopted and now definitely won't.

Why should we require them to change to do our own thing?

Metric system is much easier and more logical.

Laois_Man

looksee wrote: »

Not exactly 'not a bother'. Considerable amounts of planning and changing of signs and road markings - and all at a time when roads were not nearly as crowded and complex as they are now. Have you even the faintest idea how much it would cost?

Not to mention the sudden sure in road fatalities with all the accidents due to drivers sitting on the wrong side of the car for the side of the road they are driving on.


Good luck with the huge jump in car insurance premiums because of that too.

Balanadan

looksee wrote: »

Not exactly 'not a bother'. Considerable amounts of planning and changing of signs and road markings - and all at a time when roads were not nearly as crowded and complex as they are now. Have you even the faintest idea how much it would cost?

We have a population smaller than that of Berlin, spread across about 100 times the area. Bit of planning and it'll be no bother. I'll ask Shane to work on a feasibility study.

branie2

I think it's fine as it is

Vic_08

It would cost billions of €, push the road casualty rates through the roof and confer no benefits at all.

Sound like just the sort of stupid shyt the Dail could get behind.

Dakotabigone

Will create confusion driving home from the pub.

KERSPLAT!

Can't even use indicators or lanes on a roundabout, switching sides would causes years of torment and destruction

AdamB

branie2 wrote: »

I think it's fine as it is

But it's not right!

Dakotabigone

Won’t someone think of the cyclists.

Monkeynut

its ok to be different. isn't that what we are taught today..........

dan1895

Stupid ideais stupid

Dakotabigone

Need to import rhd teleporters.

RMAOK

We should alternate it between left and right every second day.

KungPao

Yes!

And McDonalds here should sell The Royal with cheese.

We have the metric system now, man.

EdgeCase

We should have 60+ years ago.

I always find it odd that Ireland, despite everything, was very very slow to adopt non UK international norms.

We clung onto things like imperial measurements for almost as long as the UK.

You'd think that we'd have gone for logical systems much sooner. Even just to cut the apron strings.

It's probably too complicated to do it now, although with the relatively short life of cars, we'd be mostly totally left hand drive within a decade or so at most.

The problem at this stage is traffic volumes, complex junctions that might not be reversible and so on.

It was simple to do decades ago.

Kitty6277

Irish roads in general are dangerous enough, never mind say changing the side of the road we drive on

Dakotabigone

Kitty6277 wrote: »

Irish roads in general are dangerous enough, never mind say changing the side of the road we drive on

They are the safest in the world.

EdgeCase

Dakotabigone wrote: »

They are the safest in the world.

Well, we're in the top few safest.

Despite the notions we have, statistically per 100,000km driven it's one of the safest places you can drive.

Charles Babbage

Dakotabigone wrote: »

Won’t someone think of the cyclists.

cylists already often go on the right

Kitty6277

Dakotabigone wrote: »

They are the safest in the world.

Hard to believe that when you see the state of some people’s driving tbh

Vic_08

EdgeCase wrote: »

We should have 60+ years ago.

I always find it odd that Ireland, despite everything, was very very slow to adopt non UK international norms.

We clung onto things like imperial measurements for almost as long as the UK.

You'd think that we'd have gone for logical systems much sooner. Even just to cut the apron strings.

It's probably too complicated to do it now, although with the relatively short life of cars, we'd be mostly totally left hand drive within a decade or so at most.

The problem at this stage is traffic volumes, complex junctions that might not be reversible and so on.

It was simple to do decades ago.

No it wasn't as referenced by Sweden in the 60's.

We also share a long border with the UK which has hundreds of road crossings.

Cars are not the only things on the road. HGVs have blindspots and European trucks which are used in the UK have much higher accident rates due to the problems with being driven from the wrong side. Buses and coaches have doors only on one side, every single one in the country would be unsafe to use so the entire fleet would have to be replaced overnight.

Again, can anyone point out 1 single benefit from doing this, now or 50 years ago?

No, we drive on the correct side of the road so why should we change. It’s europe and the us etc the drive on the wrong side.

Philipx

Balanadan wrote: »

To be more aligned with our European friends. I certainly think so.

Ah great Ted.

Go and put another madcap idea in Shane Ross's head why don't you.

:D:D

Graces7

Most of the roads I use are single lane anyways....

Atlantic Dawn

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

We should have never adopted km/h speed signs and speedometers until the UK also did.

Yes, we should never have become a republic either until they did. The Irish should never, ever do anything unless it entails following Mother England.

fxotoole

The vast majority of drivers on our roads haven’t a clue how to use indicators, roundabouts, hard shoulders, or stop signs. And now you want this shi’ite?????

no.8

Atlantic Dawn wrote:

We should have never adopted km/h speed signs and speedometers until the UK also did.

Disagree. We are a sovereign nation and they could just as likely keep us in the dark ages for ever.

Wanderer78

no.8 wrote:

Disagree. We are a sovereign nation and they could just as likely keep us in the dark ages for ever.

Sovereign nation! You sure?

no.8

1 clear advantage.... Access to a much bigger used car market . Imagine rocking over to Deutschland to pick up a savage new momo.

salmocab

How does this keep coming up? Roads are designed for driving on the left it’s not just a matter of turning signs around. Any complicated junction would need to be rebuilt. Practically every m50 junction. Billions spent just so we can get slightly better specced second hand cars.

tigerboon

Dakotabigone wrote: »

Won’t someone think of the cyclists.

Will they need to get right hand drive bikes or something??

Poor Uncle Tom

When was it changed to the left...:eek:

Silent Running

I dunno, the idea has some merit. Get Shane Ross to do the in-depth study, It could take years.

That's years where Ross isn't thinking up stupid ideas of his own to justify his salary, and of course he wouldn't come up with a workable plan.