Samoan Traffic

Crazy. according to the Samoan Observer all traffic will switch to driving on the RIGHT at the end of June next year. Mayhem.

Ah, let sanity finally prevail! Now, if we can only get NZ and Austr. to switch as well....... :)

This is a joke, right?

Second Raro! :-)

Note to self: DO NOT GO TO TONGA JUNE-SEPT 2008.

They drive on right side now....like Americans. Will be changing to driving on the left like NZ and Aust. Because they have more family and closer ties there for importing cars etc. Actually I am not sure if it means that they will be actually changing sides of the road then but from July on, only cars for left hand drive will be allowed into the country. Maybe they will wait for a year or so to have a build up of these cars before they have the actual change date. when ever it happens it will be caos for sure. Hubby says that Sweden did it though..... Actually with the whole global economy thing you would think the whole world could drive on the same side.....and go metric too. Aloha

But which side will the steering wheel be on? Don't some of the Micronesian countries have right hand drive with the steering wheel on the right so that the passenger faces the oncoming traffic helplessly?

This is why I asked if it was a joke.

Countries just don't change sides to drive on, especially when the vast majority of vehicles in Samoa are LEFT- hand drive for driving on the RIGHT side of the road. You certainly do see your share of right-hand drive vehicles in Samoa, but they are definately the minority.

Banning the importation of right-hand drive vehicles...I am wondering if this was not what the article was about.

In Micronesia, the cars come from everyplace. The driving is on the right. The drivers seat- anyplace. Ever tried driving from the boot? Quite an experience.

Driving from the boot.... Scary concept.

Here is the actual words from the Samoan Observer. You make sense of it??

"It’s official.
The country is converting to right hand drive vehicles effective July next year.
“Cabinet has accepted officially the proposal to change the side of the road for motor vehicles in the country to the right hand side starting from the month of July 2008,” the Transport Control Board (TCB) announced in a public notice published in the Samoa Observer today.
The notice is in Samoan.
TCB said the measure would lighten the load for the country.
Left hand drive vehicles will continue to be used in the country “as long as their life spans allow them,” the announcement said.
It says a committee is working on various legal aspects to be amended for the sake of safety on the roads in line with the change.
TCB is asking the country not to bring in left hand drive vehicles any more.
With the current ban on right hand drive vehicles it means the number of imported vehicles might come to a stand still until July next year.
TCB says members of the public including companies should refrain from ordering left hand drive vehicles starting from today.
“The ordering or bringing in of right hand drive vehicles into the country may only be carried out after legislation for this change has been passed by Parliament ... unless those right hand drive vehicles are allowed in under conditions of law.
“With any change there are concerns but let us work together and everything will progress well.”

This paragraph from above is confusing!

Cabinet has accepted officially the proposal to change the side of the road for motor vehicles in the country to the right hand side starting from the month of July 2008,” the Transport Control Board (TCB) announced in a public notice published in the Samoa Observer today.

Sweden switched from driving on the left, to driving on the right. It was about in 1968 or so.

Still can't figure out what will be happening in Samoa!! Is it a lane change, or just specifying which cars will be allowed in?

As mentioned the article first talks about cars, then about the side of the road.

It's poorly translated methinks.

(When Sweden switched the speed limit was 30 km/hr in town 50 km/hr on the highway for months.)

I'm glad to hear that the whole country is changing, in whatever direction. It could have been even more chaotic if only parts of the country, or traffic going in one direction, changed.

It is totally crazy to change just to get cheaper cars from NZ. Sweden changed because they wanted to adopt the rest of Europe. This is just stupid! Is it not enough to import cheap turkey tails and mutton flaps from NZ? New cars will likely not be cheaper than the new cars that are for sale already, but there will be access to more second hand cars in bad condition. This is not what Samoa need!

Actually Knutte if people are importing cars through Japanese Vehicles or TCL (Japan) right hand drive cars are significantly cheaper and of good quality. These companies already have a huge amount of experience exporting vehicles to the South Pacific and it will probably make vehicles more affordable for both private and buisness buyers.

Seems the policy means a change to right hand DRIVE cars.Perhaps a shame as there are also many cheap lhd cars in Japan. There is not much market for them elsewhere and Samoa may have benefitted from this.
In fact I bought 4 lhd vehicles last month and was making plans to visit Samoa to try and find a buyer.
Can anyone advise me if that is still a possibility or are all LHD cars (steering wheel on the left side) banned for import now.

As far as I know you may still import them (and only them). Funny enough RHD cars are still banned from being imported at this time as legislation has not changed yet. But you will hardly find a buyer for your LHDs ...

Thanks for that. Maybe someone will spot an opportunity for lhd bargain?