Car quirk poses quandary for the new Myanmar

[DagonKhan]

Car quirk poses quandary for the new Myanmar

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.

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

[wilcopops]

Maybe Burma should change back to driving on the left?

[DagonKhan]

Maybe Burma should change back to driving on the left?

All the military vehicles drive on the right, that's all you need to know... I'm just joking.

It's an economic argument in many respects, just as much as it is a political one. Cheap RHD cars are readily available from Japan, they're good quality for second hand vehicles and the Myanmar people know and like them. New cars are all LHD and always have been, gradually they'll increase in number, but they're expensive. What's happening now (and has been for 3 years thereabouts) is realpolitik and populist, there was no other practical way to sate demand, new LHD cars for the masses would have been too expensive (although all the Cherys they imported at the beginning sold out in days). They'll phase them out at some stage, probably a few years away though at a guess.

[wilcopops]

Maybe Burma should change back to driving on the left?

All the military vehicles drive on the right, that's all you need to know... I'm just joking.

It's an economic argument in many respects, just as much as it is a political one. Cheap RHD cars are readily available from Japan, they're good quality for second hand vehicles and the Myanmar people know and like them. New cars are all LHD and always have been, gradually they'll increase in number, but they're expensive. What's happening now (and has been for 3 years thereabouts) is realpolitik and populist, there was no other practical way to sate demand, new LHD cars for the masses would have been too expensive (although all the Cherys they imported at the beginning sold out in days). They'll phase them out at some stage, probably a few years away though at a guess.

I'm not sure it's even that political or economic, it's more a bit of common sense and maybe empowering a few people and a sign of friendship to the neighbours.

[DagonKhan]

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762180-another-policy-shift-for-imported-cars/

[Tomtomtom69]

Maybe Burma should change back to driving on the left?

All the military vehicles drive on the right, that's all you need to know... I'm just joking.

It's an economic argument in many respects, just as much as it is a political one. Cheap RHD cars are readily available from Japan, they're good quality for second hand vehicles and the Myanmar people know and like them. New cars are all LHD and always have been, gradually they'll increase in number, but they're expensive. What's happening now (and has been for 3 years thereabouts) is realpolitik and populist, there was no other practical way to sate demand, new LHD cars for the masses would have been too expensive (although all the Cherys they imported at the beginning sold out in days). They'll phase them out at some stage, probably a few years away though at a guess.

I'm not sure it's even that political or economic, it's more a bit of common sense and maybe empowering a few people and a sign of friendship to the neighbours.

You're right - but in my opinion the Myanmar government acknowledges the move to driving on the right was a mistake, but they don't have the money to convert all the infrastructure like roads, road signs, entrances to buildings, toll booths etc. to driving on the left not to mention the logistics involved in making the switch back and education/media campaign to inform local citizens of the changes. Even though the government managed to switch before, that was during a time there were almost no vehicles on the roads, mostly only military ones and very few roads outside of the central part of the country to speak of.

So by importing new LHD vehicles they can be seen to "right the wrongs" of the past so to speak in a much cheaper way than converting infrastructure. It's a simple matter of cost and nothing else.