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== LH/RH drive definition ==
== Prince Edward-Island and the British colony of Newfoundland ==


The article says, "The terms right- and left-hand drive refer to the position of the driver and the steering wheel in the vehicle".
«Prince Edward-Island and the British colony of Newfoundland (part of Canada since 1949)[18] in 1947, in order to allow traffic (without side switch) to or from the United States.[19]»


1) This is incorrect because, in a "left hand drive", the steering wheel and the driver are on the left side of the vehicle, while RH drive is the on the right side of vehicle.
This make no sense these two provinces (colony) share no border with the US. <!-- Template:Unsigned IP --><small class="autosigned">—&nbsp;Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/98.143.210.7|98.143.210.7]] ([[User talk:98.143.210.7#top|talk]]) 15:57, 15 March 2024 (UTC)</small> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->


2) The title and the images are referring to different reasons (title talks about "drive", while image depicts the traffic flow"). This leads to confusion in a reader.
== Switch to right-hand traffic in Pakistan ==


To correct this, suggest to use the correct naming and usage. [[User:Thaejas|Thaejas]] ([[User talk:Thaejas|talk]]) 02:39, 27 October 2024 (UTC) [[User:Thaejas|Thaejas]] ([[User talk:Thaejas|talk]]) 02:39, 27 October 2024 (UTC)
It has been some proposal that Pakistan, formerly part of British India, should end British-style left-hand traffic and switch to right-hand traffic. Is it really possible for a populous country like Pakistan to switch from left-hand to right-hand traffic?


== Expanding the table ==
The reasons for the proposal to switch to right-hand traffic in Pakistan are that cars built for left-hand traffic, with the driver's seat to the right, which are imported to Pakistan mainly from Japan, have become more expensive to import, in comparison to much cheaper China-made cars, which mainly have the driver's seat to the left, and thus are built for right-hand traffic. To allow import of cheaper China-made cars (which mainly have the driver's seat to the left), rather than expensive cars from Japan (with the driver's seat to the right), it is necessary for Pakistan to end driving on the left and switch to right-hand traffic. [[Special:Contributions/212.100.101.104|212.100.101.104]] ([[User talk:212.100.101.104|talk]]) 19:26, 9 November 2023 (UTC)


I'd suggest a few changes to the table "Worldwide distribution by country" –
== _Which_ LHT country uses "RHD vehicles imported from Japan"?? ==
* Add a sortable column "Continent/Subregion". This would enable the reader to group the countries of respective regions of the earth together, in order to see what the LHT/RHT distribution is there.
** As a consequence, split {{Flagcountry|France}}, as it refers to various French overseas territories and would therefore not fit into one Continent column.
* Make the columns "Date of switch" and (especially) "Notes, exceptions" unsortable. There is actually no reason to sort or group countries by these criteria.


===so it might look like this===
This sentence is in the first paragraph under <u>Asia</u>.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
"Most cars are used RHD vehicles imported from Japan."
! scope="col" colspan="2" style="width: 200px;" | Country
There's no way to tell which country or countries this is referring to. [[User:WikiAlto|WikiAlto]] ([[User talk:WikiAlto|talk]]) 09:48, 9 December 2023 (UTC)
! Continent /<br/>Subregion
! Road traffic
! class="unsortable" | Date of<br/>switch
! class="unsortable" | Notes, exceptions
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Afghanistan}}
| Asia (South)
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| Kabul adopted RHT 1955.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Albania}}
| Europe (South East)
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Algeria}}
| Africa (North)
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|[[French Algeria|Part of France]] until 1962.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Andorra}}
| Europe (West)
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| Landlocked between France and Spain.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Angola}}
| Africa (South)
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1928}}
| [[Portuguese Angola|Portuguese colony]] until 1975.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Antigua and Barbuda}}
| Caribbean
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| These Caribbean islands were a British colony until 1958.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Argentina}}
| South America
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|10 June 1945}}
| The anniversary on 10 June is still observed each year as ''Día de la Seguridad Vial'' (road safety day).
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Armenia}}
| Asia (West)
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Australia}}
| Oceania
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| British colonies before 1901. Includes [[Australian external territories]].
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Austria}}
| Europe (Central)
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|1921–38
|Originally LHT, like most of [[Austria-Hungary]], but switched sides after the [[Anschluss|annexation of Austria]] by Nazi Germany.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Azerbaijan}}
| Asia (West)
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Bahamas}}
| Caribbean
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| British colony before 1973. Caribbean island. Most passenger vehicles are LHD due to them being imported from the United States.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Bahrain}}
| Asia (West)
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1967|11}}
| Former British protectorate. Switched to the same side as its neighbours. An island nation, linked by road to the Arabian mainland [[King Fahd Causeway|since 1986]].
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Bangladesh}}
| Asia (South)
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| Part of Pakistan before 1971, which was part of [[British Raj|British India]] before 1947.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Barbados}}
| Caribbean
| style="background: lightskyblue;"| LHT
|
| This Atlantic island state was a British colony before 1966.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Belarus}}
| Europe (East)
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|-
| rowspan="11" | {{Flagcountry|France}}
| [[Metropolitan France]]
| Europe (West)
| rowspan="11" style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1792}}
|
|-
| {{flagcountry|French Polynesia}}
| Oceania (Polynesia)
|
|
|-
| {{flagcountry|New Caledonia|FLNKS}}
| Oceania (Melanesia)
|
|
|-
| {{flagcountry|Saint Pierre and Miquelon|local}}
| North America
|
|
|-
| {{flagcountry|Wallis and Futuna|local}}
| Oceania (Polynesia)
|
|
|-
| {{flagcountry|French Guiana|local}}
| South America
|
|
|-
| {{flagcountry|Réunion|local}}
| Indian Ocean
|
|
|-
| {{flagcountry|Saint Barthélemy|local}}
| Caribbean
|
|
|-
| {{flagcountry|Collectivity of Saint Martin|local}}
| Caribbean
|
|
|-
| {{flagcountry|Guadeloupe|local}}
| Caribbean
|
|
|-
| {{flagcountry|Mayotte|local}}
| Indian Ocean
|
|
|-
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Gabon}}
| Africa (Central)
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| French colony before 1960.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Gambia}}
| Africa (West)
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|1 October 1965}}
| [[Gambia Colony and Protectorate|British colony]] until 1965. Switched to RHT on 1 October 1965 being surrounded by the former French colony of Senegal.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Georgia}}
| Asia (West)
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
| About 40% of vehicles in Georgia are RHD due to the low cost of used cars imported from Japan.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Germany}}
| Europe (Central)
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
|
|
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Ghana}}
| Africa (West)
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| {{dts|4 August 1974}}
| [[Gold Coast (British colony)|British colony]] until 1957. Ghana switched to RHT in 1974, a [[Twi language]] slogan was "Nifa, Nifa Enan" or "Right, Right, Fourth". Ghana has also banned RHD vehicles – it prohibited new registrations of RHD vehicles after 1 August 1974, three days before the traffic change.
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Flagcountry|Greece}}
| Europe (South East)
| style="background: lightcoral;"| RHT
| 1926
| Originally LHT (albeit unofficially) since independence. The establishment of the traffic code switched traffic officially to RHT traffic in 1926.
|-
|}
NB: The reason to write, e.g., ''Asia (South)'' instead of ''[[South Asia]]'' is the effect achieved by sorting. When written as above, the countries of each continent will be grouped together, e.g. Asia (Central), Asia (East), … Asia (West), etc. – instead of a geographically mixed list like South America, South Asia, South Europe, Southern Africa, etc.


Would it be acceptable to expand the table like this? Unless objections are raised, I'd start this workover in the near future.—[[User:Jochen64|Jochen64]] ([[User talk:Jochen64|talk]]) 04:23, 1 December 2024 (UTC)
:I'm sure the sentence "Most cars are used RHD vehicles imported from Japan." is referring to the countries India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar (formerly British India), as the sentence is written directly after the sentence about British India. Something strange is that despite RHD vehicles in Myanmar, the militar junta ruled in 1970 that Myanmar shall use right-hand traffic. I wonder if it will be possible to switch back to left-hand traffic in Myanmar, where right-hand drive cars are dominating, once the Myanmar civil war has reached an end, if it ever will end. Or, if Myanmar shall keep right-hand traffic, the country would have to abolish all vehicles with the driver's seat on the right side (in the driving direction) and import only left-hand drive cars, which may be imported from China. It has been suggested that Pakistan should switch to right-hand traffic, in order to allow import of Chinese cars, which are mostly left-hand drive, and which are cheaper than right-hand drive cars (built for left-hand traffic) which are imported mainly from Japan. [[Special:Contributions/212.100.101.104|212.100.101.104]] ([[User talk:212.100.101.104|talk]]) 22:20, 19 March 2024 (UTC)


== Newfoundland ==
== Mail delivery: LHD cars in LHT countries, RHD cars in RHT? ==


Newfoundland was not a British colony in 1947. It has no border with the US, and its land border with Quebec had no car traffic, so that would not explain its switch [[Special:Contributions/2607:FEA8:FF01:4FA6:F904:8AC1:758A:648D|2607:FEA8:FF01:4FA6:F904:8AC1:758A:648D]] ([[User talk:2607:FEA8:FF01:4FA6:F904:8AC1:758A:648D|talk]]) 13:31, 25 December 2024 (UTC)
Do postal services in various countries consistently use LHD platform vehicles in LHT countries for local delivery, and the other way where traffic moves on the right? Access to curb boxes and wanting to avoid stepping into traffic would seem to be a fairly universal workflow and safety interest. - [[User:Scott Sanchez|knoodelhed]] ([[User talk:Scott Sanchez|talk]]) 00:02, 20 March 2024 (UTC)
:In Australia, where we drive on the left, the postal service uses standard RHD vans on the roads, but domestic deliveries today are mostly done using [https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/0e4E1j/s1/kyburz-dxp---front-left-angle-view.jpg these electric trikes]. [[User:HiLo48|HiLo48]] ([[User talk:HiLo48|talk]]) 03:39, 20 March 2024 (UTC)
:In Canada and the United States of America, postal service vehicles, parking enforcement cars and garbage trucks are mostly right-hand drive, in order to give the driver direct access to the curbside (and the mailboxes); it is possible to reach mailboxes even with a left-hand drive car, but then the driver has to drive on the wrong side of the road.
:In Sweden, where I live, postal service mostly uses right-hand drive cars, just as in the USA, in order to give the driver access to the mailboxes on the curbside (to the right in the driving direction). If Sweden would have left-hand traffic, just as the U.K. and Ireland, postal service would most likely have used left-hand drive cars; something notable is that left-hand drive cars were dominating in Sweden even before ''[[Dagen H|Högertrafikomläggningen]]'' ("the Right-hand traffic switch") on 3 September 1967, when Sweden used left-hand traffic, as opposed to Britain and Ireland where right-hand drive cars are dominating in order to give the driver clear sight over the side for oncoming traffic, and cars with the driver's seat on the curbside rather than the side towards oncoming traffic in Sweden (during the time with left-hand traffic) was a problem, as it tended to cause head-on collisions at attempts to overtake, due to the place of the driver's seat on the curbside, rather than the side towards oncoming traffic which would give the driver more clear sight over the oncoming traffic. [[Special:Contributions/212.100.101.104|212.100.101.104]] ([[User talk:212.100.101.104|talk]]) 08:39, 20 March 2024 (UTC)


== Legend of historical map ==
== Inland waterways as a reason for RHT? ==


i can't find anything on the map corresponding to the yellow and puce of the legend. If you open the image, those colors don't appear in the multilinguistic legends [[Special:Contributions/2607:FEA8:FF01:4FA6:F904:8AC1:758A:648D|2607:FEA8:FF01:4FA6:F904:8AC1:758A:648D]] ([[User talk:2607:FEA8:FF01:4FA6:F904:8AC1:758A:648D|talk]]) 13:38, 25 December 2024 (UTC)
I once read in a book whose title I cannot remember that France due to – according to the book at least – having more inland boat traffic than Britain was used more to RHT, which the book then further argues was spread by Napoleon....

Now even if this is a myth – and I think the sheer amount of canals in England makes one inclined to think so – if we could get good sources, this might be worth mentioning.... [[Special:Contributions/2001:A62:14D6:3902:B940:E02D:3ABE:E39A|2001:A62:14D6:3902:B940:E02D:3ABE:E39A]] ([[User talk:2001:A62:14D6:3902:B940:E02D:3ABE:E39A|talk]]) 02:03, 4 April 2024 (UTC)

Latest revision as of 19:29, 25 December 2024


LH/RH drive definition

[edit]

The article says, "The terms right- and left-hand drive refer to the position of the driver and the steering wheel in the vehicle".

1) This is incorrect because, in a "left hand drive", the steering wheel and the driver are on the left side of the vehicle, while RH drive is the on the right side of vehicle.

2) The title and the images are referring to different reasons (title talks about "drive", while image depicts the traffic flow"). This leads to confusion in a reader.

To correct this, suggest to use the correct naming and usage. Thaejas (talk) 02:39, 27 October 2024 (UTC) Thaejas (talk) 02:39, 27 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Expanding the table

[edit]

I'd suggest a few changes to the table "Worldwide distribution by country" –

  • Add a sortable column "Continent/Subregion". This would enable the reader to group the countries of respective regions of the earth together, in order to see what the LHT/RHT distribution is there.
    • As a consequence, split  France, as it refers to various French overseas territories and would therefore not fit into one Continent column.
  • Make the columns "Date of switch" and (especially) "Notes, exceptions" unsortable. There is actually no reason to sort or group countries by these criteria.

so it might look like this

[edit]
Country Continent /
Subregion 		Road traffic Date of
switch 		Notes, exceptions
 Afghanistan Asia (South) RHT Kabul adopted RHT 1955.
 Albania Europe (South East) RHT
 Algeria Africa (North) RHT Part of France until 1962.
 Andorra Europe (West) RHT Landlocked between France and Spain.
 Angola Africa (South) RHT 1928 Portuguese colony until 1975.
 Antigua and Barbuda Caribbean LHT These Caribbean islands were a British colony until 1958.
 Argentina South America RHT 10 June 1945 The anniversary on 10 June is still observed each year as Día de la Seguridad Vial (road safety day).
 Armenia Asia (West) RHT
 Australia Oceania LHT British colonies before 1901. Includes Australian external territories.
 Austria Europe (Central) RHT 1921–38 Originally LHT, like most of Austria-Hungary, but switched sides after the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany.
 Azerbaijan Asia (West) RHT
 Bahamas Caribbean LHT British colony before 1973. Caribbean island. Most passenger vehicles are LHD due to them being imported from the United States.
 Bahrain Asia (West) RHT November 1967 Former British protectorate. Switched to the same side as its neighbours. An island nation, linked by road to the Arabian mainland since 1986.
 Bangladesh Asia (South) LHT Part of Pakistan before 1971, which was part of British India before 1947.
 Barbados Caribbean LHT This Atlantic island state was a British colony before 1966.
 Belarus Europe (East) RHT
 France Metropolitan France Europe (West) RHT 1792
 French Polynesia Oceania (Polynesia)
 New Caledonia Oceania (Melanesia)
 Saint Pierre and Miquelon North America
 Wallis and Futuna Oceania (Polynesia)
 French Guiana South America
 Réunion Indian Ocean
 Saint Barthélemy Caribbean
 Saint Martin Caribbean
 Guadeloupe Caribbean
 Mayotte Indian Ocean
 Gabon Africa (Central) RHT French colony before 1960.
 Gambia Africa (West) RHT 1 October 1965 British colony until 1965. Switched to RHT on 1 October 1965 being surrounded by the former French colony of Senegal.
 Georgia Asia (West) RHT About 40% of vehicles in Georgia are RHD due to the low cost of used cars imported from Japan.[citation needed]
 Germany Europe (Central) RHT
 Ghana Africa (West) RHT 4 August 1974 British colony until 1957. Ghana switched to RHT in 1974, a Twi language slogan was "Nifa, Nifa Enan" or "Right, Right, Fourth". Ghana has also banned RHD vehicles – it prohibited new registrations of RHD vehicles after 1 August 1974, three days before the traffic change.
 Greece Europe (South East) RHT 1926 Originally LHT (albeit unofficially) since independence. The establishment of the traffic code switched traffic officially to RHT traffic in 1926.

NB: The reason to write, e.g., Asia (South) instead of South Asia is the effect achieved by sorting. When written as above, the countries of each continent will be grouped together, e.g. Asia (Central), Asia (East), … Asia (West), etc. – instead of a geographically mixed list like South America, South Asia, South Europe, Southern Africa, etc.

Would it be acceptable to expand the table like this? Unless objections are raised, I'd start this workover in the near future.—Jochen64 (talk) 04:23, 1 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Newfoundland

[edit]

Newfoundland was not a British colony in 1947. It has no border with the US, and its land border with Quebec had no car traffic, so that would not explain its switch 2607:FEA8:FF01:4FA6:F904:8AC1:758A:648D (talk) 13:31, 25 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Legend of historical map

[edit]

i can't find anything on the map corresponding to the yellow and puce of the legend. If you open the image, those colors don't appear in the multilinguistic legends 2607:FEA8:FF01:4FA6:F904:8AC1:758A:648D (talk) 13:38, 25 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

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