Thailand To Change From Left To Right Hand Driving

[Westaurel]

LOL the nice April Fool's Day joke ! ​

[sabye]

HAPPY APRILS FOOL DAY EVERYONE

[velias]

Come on Guys - this is an April Fools Gag

[Rinrada]

Not such a bad idea to consider harmonization with other ASEAN countries.

As we all know the UK Government has already released its intention of doing the same over here (with the usual large EU Grant)to formulate Britains road changeover by the year 2020 and become fully integrated with Europe

The pilot which starts next year will begin with the M25 which is Londons main outer ring road and then hopefully ..that's the intention... to gradually re-align the M1-M6-M8 etc with as already mentioned a Swedish style switch in 2020.

Other big advantages are that it will be part of the new plan to kick start our construction industry and with the up and coming developments of the new high speed rail links HS2-3-4,the new Thames Gateway Airport and second Channel Tunnel...maybe just maybe things will really get moving.

Regarding motor vehicles I believe that there will be plans to incorporate financial grants (sums mentioned of 10,000 pound each)to assist the purchase of new right hand drive cars etc.

Should imagine my 2020 the grants will be more like 20K but lets see.

[bunta71]

He worked on this years post for some time I'll bet

[ratcatcher]

I only got to the end of page 1 and still no one had caught on yet. Mind you they already drive on both sides anyway.

The reason "no one had caught on" is quite simple. Mine and other posts had been speedily deleted by the hawk eyed mods in order that their superb April Fools joke was able to continue for over 500 posts. Yet even with page after page of "April Fool" comments, still there were righteously indignant posts complaining about the crazy scheme and how dumb Thais are etc.

What it did prove is that Thais are no more dumb than farangs.

[bijanuk]

What is today's date ?

[Suradit69]

Another utterly retarded Thai government idea, the Thais have enough trouble driving as it is without throwing the added confusion of a driving side change into the mix,

perhaps this is the thai governments idea of population control lol, i can only imaging the chaos this is going to cause because as per usual it wont be thought out, and as for the car companies i cant imagine the amount of revenue this is going to cost them, i was just about to buy a new BMW that's now off the list and will sell my current car and use a bike, i wonder how little LMFAO a driving side change will be for a BMW 300k plus i would guess, car markets going to be quiet for a year or so i guess, at least we can sit back and watch the mayhem ensue should be fun,

can anyone honestly believe that all road signs traffic lights and roadwork changes are going to be complete by Jan 1 2014 to accommodate a driving side change LMFAO

and as for sat nav oh dear lol,

they talk about tourists perhaps they should be honest and say Russians as they seem to be bending over backwards for these painful penniless people who's only benefit to this country is cheap hotels and 7/11s for cheap booze, go into soi 9 police station any time of the day or night and its full of Russians locked up for stealing and being drunk at 1pm in the afternoon,

Russians drive on the right yeah ? Pattaya is like a Russian province these days it should be called Pattayapetrovsky make a nice name change to go with the driving side change

you gotta be kidding........

"Another utterly retarded Thai government idea"

"perhaps this is the thai governments idea of population control lol"

lol indeed. One of the dangers of calling someone else "retarded," it might come back to bite you.

This does show how gullible so many of the whiners are. Their sense of faux superiority tends to blind them to even the most simplistic of fabrications. Population culling is needed somewhere.

"can anyone honestly believe ..."

Pretty retarded, right?

Edited April 1, 2013 by Suradit69

[Sayonarax]

I knew it was an Aprils fool joke the moment the headline popped up. Nice work guys!

[sjl]

Excellent April fool !

[bigbamboo]

I only got to the end of page 1 and still no one had caught on yet. Mind you they already drive on both sides anyway.

The reason "no one had caught on" is quite simple. Mine and other posts had been speedily deleted by the hawk eyed mods in order that their superb April Fools joke was able to continue for over 500 posts. Yet even with page after page of "April Fool" comments, still there were righteously indignant posts complaining about the crazy scheme and how dumb Thais are etc.

What it did prove is that Thais are no more dumb than farangs.

I'm with you on that. Present company excepted of course.

[Bobsufc]

Great joke boys I was waiting fo an AFD prank

[happysoul]

What day are we today? B-)

[rbrooks]

My advice, stay off the Thai roads starting 2014.

[diarmuidOGW]

Who makes up this drivel?

[Songhua]

If not a joke, then surely it is poor planning, after last years promotions to put a few million more right-hand drives on the Thai highways. I think I heard a figure of about 1.4 million new cars sold thru the tax rebate scheme to first time owners.

No problem. A mechanism has been developed to reduce the cost of a conversion. Should cost around 600 baht.

[SCARLETIBIS1]

I say for once the Thai intelligencia got it right. What a perfect day to start on January 1-New Year's day when half of the Thai drivers are drunk anyway and already driving on what would be the wrong side of the road but now they will be fine.

Of course the other 50% won't know what hit em! And all those idiot, drunk farongs, who cause all the accidents anyway, who cares about them? Just more bar girls for rest of us. LOL

And of course, all those "professional" taxi, van, truck and bus drivers that we usually see in the ditches will undoubtedly make all the necessary adjustments.

Edited April 1, 2013 by SCARLETIBIS1

[splodger]

HELL! thats gonna be dangerous . Anyhow, a large % of them drive on the wrong side already.

This would be major cluster fk.Other than that I like the Idea.

[newbegin4]

Could it be April 1st already?

[splodger]

SO MANY APRIL FOOL'S

[animatic]

All roads should be one way.

Solve the problem easily.

Then just build a road next to it for the other way, makes more jobs too.

[splodger]

SO MANY APRIL FOOL'S

[johnnycthedog]

Hey It's the 1st of April everybody!

[Jim walker]

AND ALL THIS ON APRIL 1ST

[skonisa]

Is this april fool?can any one confirmed plsssss

[Ulic]

April Fools. LOL

[scorecard]

All roads should be one way.

Solve the problem easily.

Then just build a road next to it for the other way, makes more jobs too.

Or, one above and one under roads everywhere with traffic moving in opposite directions, and change the directon at midnight every night. Hi-tech lift mechanism at start and finish of all overhead roads, stop building those ugly ramps. Will avoid all front on accidents, great safety stuff.

Plus dedicated mocy lane above and under / seperated from the 4 or more wheeled vehicle lanes. And a machine plonks a helmet on every driver plus connects the buckling mechanism with a nifty click sound.

Dedicated health insurance with a 5,000Baht payout plus 1,000Bahts worth of flowers for any moco driver strangled by the helmet mechanism.

[rbrooks]

I suggest Thais learn how to drive first before attempting to how to drive in a different lane. This sounds like utter chaos to me and will result in more loss of lives if there is no training or retraining involved.

[fakename]

If this is really an April Fools joke, then what about the millions of tons of rice in storage, is that April Fools also??5555

[laocowboy2]

The last country to change was, I believe, Sweden in the late 60s.

Italy changed between the wars, and in typical Italian fashion, changed gradually. Cities with trams were allowed to continue driving on the left (Rome was one) provided they posted signs at the city limits.

Nigeria did it in the late 70s or early 80s I (dimly) recall. What I do remember was that they actually proposed staggering the changeover (with a week separation) for cars and trucks. When the little problem with this idea was pointed out, it was changed to a staggered changeover by state!