Calais Brits could drive on left
Off-the-cuff remark starts mairie thinking about a novel ‘welcome to France’
British drivers in Calais could be allowed to drive on the left after an off-the-cuff remark by a regional politician took off in the UK.
Speaking to business people at a meeting in the French embassy in London to entice them to bring business and visitors to the north-east of France, Hauts-de-France regional president Xavier Bertrand said:
“I dream of allowing the Brits to […] drive on the left in Calais, or even elsewhere in the Hauts-de-France. It would show them they were welcome.”
His remarks were immediately seized upon by the British press, and even Le Monde reported on the wacky idea as if it was going to happen soon.
Now Calais mairie has told Connexion it is reflecting on the idea of allowing British visitors to drive on the left. No studies have been launched, but neither has the notion been dismissed out of hand.
A spokesperson from the mairie said: “We don’t know whether Mr Bertrand really thought that this was possible, or whether it was just a joke.”
In any case, officials took the matter seriously enough for Mr Bertrand to discuss it with Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart and she found it interesting, although no further steps have been taken to date.
The mairie spokesman said they were not entirely closed to the idea.
“As Mr Bertrand himself says, sometimes the craziest ideas are the best ones and if it ever happened, we would do it with incredible goodwill towards our British visitors”.
Before holidaymakers get carried away, however, the spokesman was keen to point out the practical barriers. It would only be for one day, and within a very tightly-drawn perimeter. It was unclear how the transition to right-hand drive roads could be made, and there was the very pressing problem of potential accidents.
However, in 1967 Sweden changed from driving on the left to driving on the right... and the day of the change saw 125 accidents, none fatal, as against up to 200 a day normally.
In the UK, one road is legally marked to drive on the right... the entrance to the Savoy Hotel in London, to allow vehicles easier access.
