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Source: ONE News -
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Samoa will switch to driving on the left hand side, like New Zealand, in three weeks despite the biggest protests in the nation's history.
Two years ago, the government unexpectedly decided to switch from right to left. They say the aim is to boost the number of drivers on the roads by switching to cheaper right hand drive vehicles.
"The only way we can make these people accessible to vehicles is to bring down the cost of vehicles, bring cheaper vehicles and one of the easier ways to get cheaper vehicles is to ask their families in New Zealand and Australia," says Tuisugaletaua Sofara Aveau, Minister of Works, Transport and Infrastructure.
The Samoan government is confident it has done enough to avoid a driving disaster when they change from right to left, but the local population is not convinced. Samoans have taken to the streets in protest at the switch and lack of consultation.
"It's a major issue that impacts on everybody's lives and yet there was no public consultation at all," says Maposua R S Toailoa of the group People Against Switching Sides.
The anti-government marches were spear-headed by outraged lawyers, car yard owners and rental companies.
"(The switch) means that (the companies) will have to change their whole fleet now. A lot of them have been caught out and some of them have even closed business," says Toailoa.
However, the government insists the opponents are just a vocal minority.
"The silent majority of the country are not speaking ... they keep to themselves and when they understand something they will follow that," says Sofara Aveau.
To give the locals time to adjust, the government has declared the first two days of the switch - September 7 and 8 - as national holidays.
And in preparation drivers can test their skills at a special left hand drive track in Apia affectionately named "Aotearoa".
The track is part of a $3.5 million spend on re-marking roads, a publicity campaign and assistance to bus companies needing to install doors that will not open into oncoming traffic.
