Go Back   Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB > 4 wheels > 4 wheel Overland Travel
Where can't we take our RHD vehicle? Where can't we take our RHD vehicle?
Register FAQ Calendar Today's Posts
4 wheel Overland Travel NON-technical 4 wheel forum, for subjects specific to TRAVEL with 4 (or more!) wheeled vehicles. e.g. Driving Techniques, Shipping etc.
Photo by Andy Miller, UK, Taking a rest, Jokulsarlon, Iceland

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Andy Miller, UK,
Taking a rest,
Jokulsarlon, Iceland



Like Tree5Likes

Reply
Page 2 of 3 1 2 3
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #16  
Old 21 Feb 2014
Registered Users
New on the HUBB
  
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bermuda Rover View Post
But it can be a pain in the neck at toll-booths. You need a passenger in the left-hand seat to pay the toll - otherwise you have to unfasten the seat belt and climb across to be able to pay
I had to do that on the Golden Gate Bridge the day we bought our Dormobile. I held up traffic and did not care. Since then it is either my or my wife in the passenger seat, so toll booths or park entrances are a non-issue.

The hardest part is when there is no passenger and you have to make a left turn at a busy intersection with no turn arrow.
__________________
Tucson, Arizona, USA
http://wearesane.wix.com/wearesane
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 21 Feb 2014
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: My place and other places.
Posts: 172
I don't see the left turn problem. Its easily avoided by using a better approach angle, so what if you piss off a couple of numpties by doing it, you might save your life.

Anybody that's ever driven a box body lorry knows you have to do this at some 'angled' junctions even when driving on the 'correct' side of the road for the lorry, otherwise you end up pulling out blind!
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 21 Feb 2014
Registered Users
New on the HUBB
  
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 10
Left turns are only a problem where it is a 4 or more lane road and there is no turn arrow. If you are trying to turn left, the oncoming traffic trying to turn left blocks you view of the oncoming traffic traveling straight. At this particular intersection it is bad enough in a LHD vehicle if a tall delivery truck is blocking your view:



With a RHD I have to poke into the oncoming traffic lane to see. It is very helpful to have a passenger here.
Attached Thumbnails
Where can't we take our RHD vehicle?-rhd-left-turn.jpg  

__________________
Tucson, Arizona, USA
http://wearesane.wix.com/wearesane
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 24 Feb 2014
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: UK
Posts: 1,232
Quote:
Originally Posted by James86004 View Post
Left turns are only a problem where it is a 4 or more lane road and there is no turn arrow. If you are trying to turn left, the oncoming traffic trying to turn left blocks you view of the oncoming traffic traveling straight. At this particular intersection it is bad enough in a LHD vehicle if a tall delivery truck is blocking your view:



With a RHD I have to poke into the oncoming traffic lane to see. It is very helpful to have a passenger here.
thats how I ended up sitting in a police station in Kazan, after a lada drove into my landcruiser. I was stationary and he saw me and locked up quite some distance away, but locked up wheels don't steer so well! but because I was across the centre line trying to see it was classed as my fault, oh, and I was the foreigner!!
Reply With Quote
  #20  
Old 24 Feb 2014
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Australia
Posts: 1,131
Quote:
Originally Posted by moggy 1968 View Post
I was across the centre line trying to see it was classed as my fault, oh, and I was the foreigner!!
3 rights to make a left. Much safer. And you get to see a bit more. 'We' need GPSes with this function Maybe it can be called 'foreign safety'?
Reply With Quote
  #21  
Old 24 Feb 2014
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Hanoi, Vietnam
Posts: 360
We had the 'RHD vehicles are illegal here sir' conversation with officials over much of West Africa (from Ghana to Cameroon mostly).
It didn't seem like it was a bribe they were after, more that no one had explained to them that the rule is only meant to apply to permanent imports.
The worst it got was with a female officer in Nigeria. She wanted to take us to the station to explain our situation to her boss.
It never amounted to more than a lot of chatting and pointing out that our Carnet entitled us to to drive our vehicle here TEMPORARILY as a TOURIST (even the Nigerian woman saw the light in the end)

Does get a bit tiresome when it's multiple times a day, but stay polite. Getting agro will achieve nothing.

Happy travels
Reply With Quote
  #22  
Old 25 Feb 2014
bnicho's Avatar
Registered Users
HUBB regular
  
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 94
Do we start a new thread for "Where can't we take our LHD vehicle?" It seems to me that LHD might be easier in most cases when travelling. Not something I ever thought about before!

Living with a LHD vehicle in Australia is not easy, but some cars (like my Moke) are relatively easy to convert to LHD for a trip and then convert back again afterwards.
__________________
May 2015 - Canberra to Townsville via the Birdsville Track in a 1969 Mini Van.
http://www.facebook.com/TeamBMCAdventures
Reply With Quote
  #23  
Old 25 Feb 2014
Registered Users
HUBB regular
  
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Derbyshire
Posts: 22
Costa Rica
We have just given up trying to get our LR Defender out of a container after 2 weeks of trying in San Jose. We have even tried lawyers but there is a new 2012 law that apparently prohibits all right hand drive vehicle even temporarily passing through Costa Rica. I know some RHD vehicles got from Panama to Nicaragua last year and it may be possible via land borders now if the correct palm is greased. We had expected a problem with El Salvador and got a special permission via the land rover club . It looks like the Darien Gap is getting wider
Chris
Reply With Quote
  #24  
Old 25 Feb 2014
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: UK
Posts: 1,232
Quote:
Originally Posted by bnicho View Post
Do we start a new thread for "Where can't we take our LHD vehicle?" It seems to me that LHD might be easier in most cases when travelling. Not something I ever thought about before!

Living with a LHD vehicle in Australia is not easy, but some cars (like my Moke) are relatively easy to convert to LHD for a trip and then convert back again afterwards.
Hongkong so I learned today!
Reply With Quote
  #25  
Old 25 Feb 2014
Registered Users
New on the HUBB
  
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 10
Hong Kong?! So a mainland Chinese car can't cross to HK?
__________________
Tucson, Arizona, USA
http://wearesane.wix.com/wearesane
Reply With Quote
  #26  
Old 25 Feb 2014
bnicho's Avatar
Registered Users
HUBB regular
  
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 94
Quote:
Originally Posted by James86004 View Post
Hong Kong?! So a mainland Chinese car can't cross to HK?
Now that would be all kinds of stupid!
__________________
May 2015 - Canberra to Townsville via the Birdsville Track in a 1969 Mini Van.
http://www.facebook.com/TeamBMCAdventures
Reply With Quote
  #27  
Old 25 Feb 2014
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: UK
Posts: 1,232
my mistake!

Hong Kong does not allow left hand drive vehicles to be primarily registered in Hong Kong. However, Hong Kong registered vehicles may apply for secondary mainland Chinese registration plates, and these can be driven across the border to mainland China; likewise, left-hand drive cars seen in Hong Kong are usually primarily registered in mainland China and carry supplementary Hong Kong registration plates.

here's a really interesting article on the subject

Right- and left-hand traffic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

usually wikedpedia caveats apply!!
Reply With Quote
  #28  
Old 25 Feb 2014
bnicho's Avatar
Registered Users
HUBB regular
  
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 94
Damn, I want to go to Macau now, just to drive on this!

File:Lotus-bridge-macau.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cheers,
__________________
May 2015 - Canberra to Townsville via the Birdsville Track in a 1969 Mini Van.
http://www.facebook.com/TeamBMCAdventures
Reply With Quote
  #29  
Old 26 Feb 2014
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 602
'65% of the world's population live in countries where people drive on the wrong side of the road'
__________________
4.5 years around Eurasia in a Toyota Hilux|http://eurasiaoverland.wordpress.com/
Pictures Here|https://picasaweb.google.com/113619413612674951960
Reply With Quote
  #30  
Old 26 Feb 2014
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
  
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: My place and other places.
Posts: 172
Quote:
Originally Posted by danielsprague View Post
'65% of the world's population live in countries where people drive on the wrong side of the road'
100% of people live in countries where people drive on the 'wrong' side of the road.....

Reply With Quote
Reply
Page 2 of 3 1 2 3

« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 Registered Users and/or Members and 1 guests)
 

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Crossing azerbaijan with your own vehicle Samy Europe 7 4 Apr 2019 15:12
Provisions for driving in China. - facts. uk_vette West and South Asia 2 24 Jul 2014 08:58
Argentina vehicle permit - info Phil Flanagan South America 3 20 May 2014 01:50
Argentina vehicle permit - info Phil Flanagan Trip Paperwork 0 14 Mar 2013 19:07

 
 

Announcements

Thinking about traveling? Not sure about the whole thing? Watch the HU Achievable Dream Video Trailers and then get ALL the information you need to get inspired and learn how to travel anywhere in the world!

Have YOU ever wondered who has ridden around the world? We did too - and now here's the list of Circumnavigators!
Check it out now, and add your information if we didn't find you.

Next HU Eventscalendar

ALL Dates subject to change.

2025 Confirmed Events:

  • Virginia: April 24-27 2025
  • Queensland is back! May 2-4 2025
  • Germany Summer: May 29-June 1 2025
  • CanWest: July 10-13 2025
  • Switzerland: Date TBC
  • Ecuador: Date TBC
  • Romania: Date TBC
  • Austria: Sept. 11-14
  • California: September 18-21
  • France: September 19-21 2025
  • Germany Autumn: Oct 30-Nov 2 2025

Add yourself to the Updates List for each event!

Questions about an event? Ask here

See all event details

 
World's most listened to Adventure Motorbike Show!
Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...

Adventurous Bikers – We've got all your Hygiene & Protection needs SORTED! Powdered Hair & Body Wash, Moisturising Cream Insect Repellent, and Moisturising Cream Sunscreen SPF50. ESSENTIAL | CONVENIENT | FUNCTIONAL.

2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.

2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.

"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)



Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance.

Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance™ combines into a single integrated program the best evacuation and rescue with the premier travel insurance coverages designed for adventurers.

Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.

Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!


 

What others say about HU...

"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia

"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK

"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia

"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA

"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada

"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa

"This is the answer to all my questions." Haydn, Australia

"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany

Lots more comments here!



Five books by Graham Field!

Diaries of a compulsive traveller
by Graham Field
Book, eBook, Audiobook

"A compelling, honest, inspiring and entertaining writing style with a built-in feel-good factor" Get them NOW from the authors' website and Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk.



Back Road Map Books and Backroad GPS Maps for all of Canada - a must have!

Your ad could be here, on EVERY page of the HUBB, or the whole website, or as many as you like!

New to Horizons Unlimited?

New to motorcycle travelling? New to the HU site? Confused? Too many options? It's really very simple - just 4 easy steps!

Horizons Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Grant and Susan Johnson following their journey around the world on a BMW R80G/S.

Susan and Grant Johnson Read more about Grant & Susan's story

Membership - help keep us going!

Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.

You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.



All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:59.

Contact Us - Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travellers Website - Archive - Privacy Statement - Top