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-   -   Countries that share borders but drive on different sides of the road (https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/travellers-questions-dont-fit-anywhere/countries-share-borders-but-drive-75695)

TheMoose 13 Apr 2014 01:59

Countries that share borders but drive on different sides of the road
 
Was pondering today whether there are any countries that share borders but drive on the opposite sides of the road. What happens at the borders??

I'm assuming it's not a complicated series of bridges etc ;)

chris 13 Apr 2014 06:35

England and France/Belgium. Can't comment on how the situation is solved
Never been there.

chris 13 Apr 2014 06:41

England and France/Belgium. Can't comment on how the situation is solved
Never been there.

Threewheelbonnie 13 Apr 2014 06:44

Denmark and Germany back in the 60's according to my dad and I believe some bits in west Africa. The border posts are manned so you pull in, park up, do the paperwork and pull out of another gate an on to the other side of the road.

Andy

Thimba 13 Apr 2014 07:12

Perhaps this helps:

http://www.geehurkmans.com/blogs/driveleft.jpg

BTW, in Nigeria they drive on both sides :D

Cheers,

Gee

mark manley 13 Apr 2014 07:40

Iran into Pakistan there is so little traffic you just drive on which ever side has least potholes, the same Kenya into Ethiopia. Laos into Thailand there are signs reminding you to switch over. At borders you are usually pottering along at walking pace anyway so changes are made without drama.

pbekkerh 13 Apr 2014 08:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Threewheelbonnie (Post 461880)
Denmark and Germany back in the 60's ...

Andy

No. It was Denmark Sweden but there was only a ferry so it was easy to get to the other side f the road. It was quite another story when Sweden changed from left to right one night at 2 o´clock.

Today it happens between Thailand and Cambodia.

g6snl 13 Apr 2014 09:47

Does anyone know if India have decided which side they want to drive on yet?

:confused1:

TheMoose 13 Apr 2014 10:56

So the places it tends to happen now aren't exactly busy borders?

Obviously UK/France is the one I know well - the ferry/train makes it very easy with regards to that.

I assumed it'd be third world countries - for some reason I suspected Africa and as suggested, I guess there's so little traffic it doesn't matter.

Funny what you randomly come up with!!

mark manley 13 Apr 2014 12:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by g6snl (Post 461903)
Does anyone know if India have decided which side they want to drive on yet?

:confused1:


I think they are still divided on that one, it might be a cast thing, some drive on the left, some on the right and others wherever there is room.

maja 13 Apr 2014 15:03

Not cast, size. Ride safe.

backofbeyond 18 Apr 2014 17:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMoose (Post 461870)
Was pondering today whether there are any countries that share borders but drive on the opposite sides of the road. What happens at the borders??

I'm assuming it's not a complicated series of bridges etc ;)

Presumably that's why the channel bridge never got built and why the tunnel is that stupid train thing rather than a road all the way through.

markharf 18 Apr 2014 19:03

Guyana and Suriname drive on the left. At the Brazil border a bridge with a series of crossing ramps transfers traffic from one side to the other; at French Guiana there's a river to ferry across, and you're just expected to know what to do when disembarking.

Entering Suriname I had to putter along at a snail's pace until I could sort through the various practices on display--people driving anywhere they chose, including left, right, center, sidewalks and perpendicular) and figure out that the underlying expectation was for drivers to default to the left.

Most left-hand driving countries seem to be islands or sparsely connected to international road systems. There's a reason for that.

For history: File:Driving standards historic.svg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mark

sushi2831 21 Apr 2014 13:25

Thailand-Laos
https://maps.google.ch/maps?q=16.601...num=1&t=h&z=17


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