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   XPost: uk.tech.digital-tv   
   From: david.looser@btinternet.com   
      
   "John Williamson"  wrote in message   
   news:9oqrnkFd7hU1@mid.individual.net...   
   >>   
   > I've read that travelling on the left was started because the Roman roads   
   > were built to move soldiers, and if you want two groups of soldiers to   
   > pass in opposite driections, both carrying their shields on their left   
   > arms as shown in most pictures from the time, then if they pass right to   
   > right, you can make the road at least a foot narrower, as the shields can   
   > overhang the edge of the road, but would collide if the groups passed left   
   > to left.   
   >   
   To be honest I doubt that. I would imagine that the "pass to the left" rule   
   was started when Rome was still just a city state and those to whom it   
   applied were mainly pedestrians within the city of Rome itself. Then it   
   would have spread with the Empire as there would be no reason to change it.   
   But, unless a Roman document entitled "reasons for passing to the left" ever   
   comes to light we'll never know for sure :-)   
      
   > I've also read that Napoleon wanted to (a) confuse the opposition, and (b)   
   > prove that France was so civilised that travellers didn't need easy access   
   > to their swords to defend themselves from other travellers.   
   >   
   Well again, unless Napoleon left documentary evidence of his reasoning his   
   reasons will have died with him.   
      
   I remember my Dad telling me that traffic in Vienna (but not the rest of   
   Austria) still drove on the left right up to the Nazi occupation as it was   
   going to be too expensive to convert the tram system. Adolf, of course,   
   didn't care about the expense.   
      
   David.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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