Will Myanmar eventually switch back to right hand drive like American Samoa did?

[wilcopops]

why you think about L HD or RHD ??? None of you will drive a car in Myanmar, because for foreighners its still forbidden to drive a car in that country!!!!!!!

this is not actually true - at present there are "caravans" that drive through Myanmar quite regularly, unfortumnately they are a bit too expensive for the likes of me.

secondly, under the new ASEAN rules - international traffic SHOULD be permitted throughout the AEC.

[wilcopops]

I don't think trade is a key issue here...i just think as the country's road infrastructure - such as it is was built for RHD and the majority of vehicles in both Myanmar AND ASEAN are RHD then it is a good idea.

The dropping of of goods at borders is nothing to do with being LHD or RHD, it'll be to do with the need to keep logistics done by home country companies.. It doesn't make a significant difference driving a large vehicle on the left or right as such a large amount of visibility is down to mirrors (or even TV!)

it would be nice if Myanmar saw sense...........they are whether they like it or not part of a block of drive on the left roads.

Actually trade IS a very big consideration and has been a key reason (probably the main reason) why in the past, some countries in Europe and Africa changed the sides of the road they drive on, mostly around 40 or more years ago. Otherwise why did Nigeria and Ghana change from left to right if it weren't for trade and surrounding countries driving on the same side of the road as they do? Similarly, Rwanda and Burundi are considering changing to the left given their main trading partners and surrounding countries mostly drive on the left and they already have a large number of RHD used inside their countries.

Myanmar is a different story and they originally changed for superstitious reasons all those years ago. However, I think there is good reason for them to change back as you say. This would be partly since much of the infrastructure was developed with driving on the left in mind, while most vehicles are RHD as in Thailand, Bangladesh and India. And yes it doesn't really matter which side of the road large vehicles travel on because all drivers need to do is leave a little bit of extra space with the vehicle in front, and typically drivers don't travel alone anyway, so there's always someone to watch the road when overtaking. Of course on multi-lane roads like in Thailand this is even less of a concern as there's no need to overtake into the lane of oncoming traffic.

Whereas trade is often cited as a "main" reason, this is not necessarily the case........this reason can easily be overshadowed by the practicalities of changing over. Most changeovers occur in developing countries that have relatively little traffic or developed transport infrastructure. Many of these countries were either landlocked or didn't have large maritime trade or ports.

'If this is the case then a changeover could be advantageous as it brings them into line with there neighbours and ready for future growth.

Myanmar has maritime trade - and neighbours on borth sides that drive on the left. They also have a stock of RHD cars. China is the big exception. however experience from UK and Ireland will show that commercial road transport in particular does not suffer from changing sides - it's been done in massive volume both ways since the 1970s and no-one has seriously suggested a changeover even though the volume of trade is HUGE.

the benefits for Myanmar apart from trade road transport, would include the stock of cars in existence the import of both new and secondhand vehicles, road safety from the disgorgement of passengers from public transport, and the ease in which private vehicles can move freely around the AEC, tourism, policing and road safety and a potentially much larger market for the already predominant RHD vehicles in ASEAN....not to mention the psychological benefits for the citizens of Myanmar and its neighbours.

Edited September 28, 2014 by wilcopops

[badshah]

have you got the ref for the FT article?

Car quirk poses quandary for Myanmar

By Michael Peel in Yangon

©Reuters

Taking sides: with right-hand drives on the right side of Myanmar's roads, some brands are calling for a leftward turn

Squads of new foreign cars ranging from rugged Ford four-by-fours to sleek Jaguars have landed on Myanmar’s streets in what could be the first steps in a revolution on roads where most vehicles are built the wrong way round.

The gleaming Yangon showrooms of recently arrived western carmakers are part of a small but growing challenge to the remarkable hegemony of right-hand drive automobiles in a country where traffic also flows on the right.

This is a highly political affair. The fast-opening southeast Asian country’s reliance on wrongly configured cars has sparked a debate that cuts across public safety, the internationalisation of the economy and the sometimes idiosyncratic legacies of almost 50 years of military dictatorship.

“It’s a perfect example of policy incoherence,” says Moe Thuzar, a Myanmar national and fellow of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies think-tank, of the rightward lean across the country’s highways. “It should have been changed decades ago.”

Right-hand drive cars are widely estimated to account for at least 90 per cent of vehicles on the country’s roads, making hair-raising moments an everyday occurrence. Drivers have no line of sight into oncoming traffic as they overtake, while buses that have not been adapted disgorge passengers on to the roadway rather than the kerbside.

“Highway driving is a little problem,” admits Ko Min, a Yangon taxi driver, with some understatement, as he nudges his head towards the many blind spots to his left.

Myanmar’s tilt away from the central reservation dates to the moment Ne Win, the notorious late junta chief, suddenly decided to switch the country from driving on the left more than four decades ago. Speculated reasons for the change range from a desire to repudiate the left-side driving British former colonists, to astrological influences on a leader who also introduced banknotes denominated in multiples of his lucky number nine.

The dextral highway dominance has been reinforced by geopolitics and geographical accident. While a mix of junta isolationism and western sanctions mostly kept out imports of cars from left-hand drive countries in North America and Europe, Myanmar was serviced from Asian states such as Japan and Thailand that drive on the left and so have right-hand-drive cars.

Now the Myanmar military’s 2011 handover of power has drawn western auto manufacturers back to the country, bringing in left-hand drive cars – and in some cases calling for all new imported vehicles to comply with the same layout.

“I think that’s a responsible position from a safety standpoint,” says David Westerman, Malaysia and Asia-Pacific emerging markets managing director of Ford, whose Yangon dealership marks its first anniversary next month. “We have set the market up to be left-hand drive.”

But such calls have unsurprisingly run into opposition from the independent car importers who still dominate the Myanmar vehicle trade. Other observers say few people can afford new left-hand drive cars imported all the way from Europe or the US, given that Myanmar’s gross domestic product per capita – despite rapid growth – is still estimated at less than $1,000 a year.

“Affordability is an issue,” said Aung Tun Thet, economic adviser to President Thein Sein, noting that growing wealth is nevertheless feeding car buying, traffic congestion and the right-steering status quo. “Now for the first time a middle-class family can afford to have a car, which is a positive development – but it led to all these consequences.”

While Myanmar’s quasi-civilian administration is aware of the left-right conundrum, it faces elections next year and has shied away from a move that would run most of the country’s vehicles off the road. As with many other troubles in this nation in flux, the weight of history and competing vested interests means few see a quick government fix to this car war as likely – unless, perhaps, it is to return to a pre-junta past.

“Go back to driving on the left,” is one long-time political observer’s suggested solution. “There will be a few accidents, but not as bad.”

[Tomtomtom69]

why you think about L HD or RHD ??? None of you will drive a car in Myanmar, because for foreighners its still forbidden to drive a car in that country!!!!!!!

this is not actually true - at present there are "caravans" that drive through Myanmar quite regularly, unfortumnately they are a bit too expensive for the likes of me.

secondly, under the new ASEAN rules - international traffic SHOULD be permitted throughout the AEC.

That's true. The comment by diaspora is quite ignorant. As it stands, plenty of Thai cars cross into Myanmar daily, some driven by non-Thais, albeit they aren't permitted to stray very far from the border unless going on a tour. Plenty of expats in Myanmar also drive cars, while tourists occasionally rent self-driven motorcycles. In the near future, self-drive car rental will come to Myanmar and this is currently a business opportunity to make a lot of money by whoever is the first international rental company to set up shop in Myanmar.

And you're right wilcopops, international traffic should be simplified under AEC. Although I haven't read any to suggest the current rules on cross border traffic will change, it's likely they will.

[ignis]

When in Rome do as the Romans do!

What do they do ?

many delivery truck in Italy are RHD as safer for the driver to get out to make his deliveries.

[LivinginKata]

Post removed. Please use quotes and then your post. Please do not mix up your post with a quote.

[badshah]

Let's keep this thread alive, shall we?

[wilcopops]

When in Rome do as the Romans do!

What do they do ?

many delivery truck in Italy are RHD as safer for the driver to get out to make his deliveries.

I don't see this post has much to offer - many countries use vehicles with "opposite" driving positions for specialised vehicles. Switzerland had RHD trucks as they were considered safer on winding mountain roads. UK has road sweepers etc, many countries use the "other" side for vehicles doing multi-drop.

The point is that the MAJORITY of vehicles in Myanmar and both India and Thailand (who both manufacture vehicles for ASEAN) are RHD and as the roads are hardly converted to LHD cars, it would seem logical to swap back.

[onthemoon]

The funny (?) thing is that I talked to Myanmar people, and they consider RHD vehicles appropriate for driving on the right side of the road. They didn't even understand why I said that Myanmar should change from being an RHD country to being an LHD country.

[onthemoon]

When in Rome do as the Romans do!

What do they do ?

many delivery truck in Italy are RHD as safer for the driver to get out to make his deliveries.

I don't see this post has much to offer - many countries use vehicles with "opposite" driving positions for specialised vehicles. Switzerland had RHD trucks as they were considered safer on winding mountain roads. UK has road sweepers etc, many countries use the "other" side for vehicles doing multi-drop.

The point is that the MAJORITY of vehicles in Myanmar and both India and Thailand (who both manufacture vehicles for ASEAN) are RHD and as the roads are hardly converted to LHD cars, it would seem logical to swap back.

I've seen that in Italy (albeit more than 20 years ago, so I don't know whether it still applies).

The point here is not about special vehicles but the general side of the road we drive on. I don't see that Myanmar will change, period.

[wilcopops]

When in Rome do as the Romans do!

What do they do ?

many delivery truck in Italy are RHD as safer for the driver to get out to make his deliveries.

I don't see this post has much to offer - many countries use vehicles with "opposite" driving positions for specialised vehicles. Switzerland had RHD trucks as they were considered safer on winding mountain roads. UK has road sweepers etc, many countries use the "other" side for vehicles doing multi-drop.

The point is that the MAJORITY of vehicles in Myanmar and both India and Thailand (who both manufacture vehicles for ASEAN) are RHD and as the roads are hardly converted to LHD cars, it would seem logical to swap back.

I've seen that in Italy (albeit more than 20 years ago, so I don't know whether it still applies).

The point here is not about special vehicles but the general side of the road we drive on. I don't see that Myanmar will change, period.

I think their is a good chance if the change occurs in the next 3 to 5 years..after that the import of LHD vehicles may make it less practical. It may be "odds-on" but it is in my opinion the most sensible option at present.

It may also have political significance as it would symbolise the return of Myanmar - to "normality" from the whim of a crazed dictator.

Edited October 11, 2014 by wilcopops

[badshah]

Plus let's be real, LHD imports will never be anywhere near as cheap and reliable as RHD imports from Japan

[wilcopops]

Plus let's be real, LHD imports will never be anywhere near as cheap and reliable as RHD imports from Japan

all car companies (except in the US) make LHD and RHD versions of most models.........so no real problem there, I think it is the current stock and the neighbouring countries stocks that are of more significance.

[wilcopops]

here's the FT's take on the matter

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/5a8cd7d2-37c9-11e4-971c-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3GMsMALPO

“It’s a perfect example of policy incoherence,” says Moe Thuzar, a Myanmar national and fellow of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies think-tank, of the rightward lean across the country’s highways. “It should have been changed decades ago.”

Right-hand drive cars are widely estimated to account for at least 90 per cent of vehicles on the country’s roads,"

Edited October 17, 2014 by wilcopops

[badshah]

here's the FT's take on the matter

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/5a8cd7d2-37c9-11e4-971c-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3GMsMALPO

Already been posted in this thread, check post 93.

[badshah]

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Plus let's be real, LHD imports will never be anywhere near as cheap and reliable as RHD imports from Japan

all car companies (except in the US) make LHD and RHD versions of most models.........so no real problem there, I think it is the current stock and the neighbouring countries stocks that are of more significance.

True that, but the vehicles from Japan are a lot cheaper than the imports from the US and Europe though. A LOT cheaper.

[wilcopops]

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Plus let's be real, LHD imports will never be anywhere near as cheap and reliable as RHD imports from Japan

all car companies (except in the US) make LHD and RHD versions of most models.........so no real problem there, I think it is the current stock and the neighbouring countries stocks that are of more significance.

True that, but the vehicles from Japan are a lot cheaper than the imports from the US and Europe though. A LOT cheaper.

good

[badshah]

What will it take to convince the government to go back to driving on the left?

[wilcopops]

it seems that 90% of vehicles in Thailand are RHD. Neighbouring countries build cars, but the native cars are RHD - this means there is a readily available stock of new AND secondhand RHD cars in India, Thailand, Indonesia ands Malaysia....the rest is up to Myanmar to set up importation regulations.

i would suggest that as the number of privately owned vehicles is at present relatively low, and with the economy on the up, it would make sense to allow import of both new and second hand cars to support a burgeoning market.

Suddenly insisting that these vehicles should be LHD gives the advantage to the Chinese market and could impact on the Thai and other ASEAN motor industries.

it would also render the majority of vehicles in Myanmar obsolete.....which for a country with limited funds, seems a bit impractical.

Edited October 17, 2014 by wilcopops

[badshah]

And will anger the numerous importers

[wilcopops]

And will anger the numerous importers

Myanmar's elite have for years being importing expensive vehicles and as they come through Thailand by and large they have been RHD, but it also tends to give the impression does it not, that even these people thought that driving on the right was only a "temporary" thing?

[badshah]

So a lot of the German and British luxury vehicles have been RHD?

[wilcopops]

So a lot of the German and British luxury vehicles have been RHD?

yes.

most of the "new" vehicles in Myanmar are technically or in reality "secondhand" - they are "grey" imports so they seldom came directly from manufacturers who may not even have been allowed to sell directly to the junta.

The cars came via roundabout routes and Thailand has been the hub for "roundabout" trade with Myanmar for years......despite the "official" ancient history, there is in modern times a lot of commonality between the 2 ruling elites.

Edited October 17, 2014 by wilcopops

[badshah]

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So a lot of the German and British luxury vehicles have been RHD?

yes.

Interesting. I've seen a few pics of the exotics and they've been mainly LHD in Myanmar, but of course I'm sure you've been there so I'll take your word for it over some mere pics online lol

[badshah]

http://www.gtspirit.com/2013/02/18/supercars-in-strange-places-myanmar/

[wilcopops]

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So a lot of the German and British luxury vehicles have been RHD?

yes.

Interesting. I've seen a few pics of the exotics and they've been mainly LHD in Myanmar, but of course I'm sure you've been there so I'll take your word for it over some mere pics online lol

When buying an "exotic" the buyer would just take what was available and most "exotics" are primarily available in LHD, even in UK you find a lot are only available in LHD, this doesn't really affect the 90% stat which is based on cars in everyday use.....bear in mind that you couldn't drive a Lambo around Yangon even if you gads one, the roads wouldn't allow it. it's hard enough trying to get around London in one, and I've tried.

the main body of "new" cars are Jap sedans, 4WDs and the odd "luxury - Lexus/BMW/Merc etc.....

remember Myanmar was isolated from the 1970s and any cars younger than the changeover date are "private" imports.

Edited October 17, 2014 by wilcopops

[badshah]

^No kidding, I wouldn't even want to own an exotic in London to begin with.

And another article showing Japanese car makers being legitimately concerned:

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/02/06/national/japanese-cars-face-fight-in-myanmar/

Another headache for Japanese automakers is a possible move discussed in some quarters about limiting imports to left-hand drive models in the country where cars run on the right side of the road. Government officials are apparently concerned about the increase in accidents after Japanese cars, in which the steering wheel is on the right, started flooding the market.

Masaki Takahara, head of the Yangon office of the Japan External Trade Organization, a trade promotion arm of the Japanese government, said, “Japanese cars will likely lose their market share due in part to intensifying competition. Enhancing after-sale services, not just marketing, will be the key to the future.”

Gee if they are concerned about accidents, how about oh I don't know, changing it back to the left side traffic for once?

[wilcopops]

I think the only thing that might work it is an international campaign in which the prime mover is Thailand. Should include India, Japan and ASEAN countries that manufacture motors.

Edited October 17, 2014 by wilcopops

[badshah]

And their presence is far greater than that of China.

[wilcopops]

And their presence is far greater than that of China.

china is hugely influential in countries like Burma, they ofer all sots of aid - civil engineering projects etc in order to access raw materials etc from under-developed countries.