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122-641: The Plaxton Elite is a coach body produced by the British bus and coach manufacturer Plaxton . It is primarily targeted at the premium touring market and went into production in late 2008, replacing Plaxton's pre-existing Paragon and Profile coach bodies. The Elite was first unveiled at the Euro Bus Expo at the National Exhibition Centre , Birmingham in November 2008 on Volvo B12B T tri-axle chassis,
244-573: A HVAC air conditioning system as well as single-glazed windows, including a split windscreen, to confirm with New Zealand's vehicle weight regulations. Plaxton Elites for intercity express coach services first entered service with National Express in early 2010, with seven operating between London and Liverpool , with a further 16 vehicles later procured to operate in Yorkshire, Oxford and Peterborough. Elites delivered to Stagecoach Yorkshire for National Express work have replaced Caetano Levantes on
366-468: A building contractor, Plaxtons built a number of notable buildings in Scarborough . Soon after World War I Plaxtons diversified and began to build charabanc bodies on Ford Model T chassis. Of more importance at the time was the construction of automobile bodywork. This included bodywork for Rolls-Royce , Sunbeam and Daimler , but principally for Crossley car chassis. This activity continued through
488-517: A change to RHT, but, a few years later, the government ordered it and it occurred on Sunday, 3 September 1967 at 5 am. The accident rate then dropped sharply, but soon rose to near its original level. The day was known as Högertrafikomläggningen, or Dagen H for short. When Iceland switched to RHT the following year, it was known as Hægri dagurinn or H-dagurinn ("The H-Day"). Most passenger cars in Iceland were already LHD. The United Kingdom
610-657: A clear view of other vehicles. The first keep-right law for driving in the United States was passed in 1792 and applied to the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike . Massachusetts formalized RHT in 1821. However, the National Road was LHT until 1850, "long after the rest of the country had settled on the keep-right convention". Today the United States is RHT except the United States Virgin Islands , which
732-462: A desire for uniformity within a country or with neighboring states, or availability and affordability of vehicles. In LHT, traffic keeps left and cars usually have the steering wheel on the right (RHD: right-hand drive) and roundabouts circulate clockwise. RHT is the opposite: traffic keeps right, the driver usually sits on the left side of the car (LHD: left-hand drive), and roundabouts circulate anticlockwise. In most countries, rail traffic follows
854-424: A fact supported by the 1977 Supreme brochure and the 1982 centenary book Plaxtons The Great British Coachbuilders. There was to be six marks of Supreme (Seven including Mini Supreme). Development was protracted as the builder was careful not to compromise their market leading position. Supreme I was a 29-seat coach on a Bedford VAS chassis with a standard Plaxton in-swing door located behind the front axle. Supreme II
976-551: A large new manufacturing facility in Seamer Road, Scarborough. This allowed increased production, and Plaxtons became popular with many independent operators throughout Northern England . Many of these operators purchased their vehicles through independent dealers, rather than directly from the factory. In this regard, Plaxton's sales were through Lancashire Motor Traders Ltd of Manchester and Arlington Motor Co Ltd of London . The company became known as FW Plaxton & Son by 1937, as
1098-511: A larger front windscreen than most comparable coaches. Seating capacity for the Elite upon launch was 59 seated or 55 with an optional in-coach toilet module fitted. In 2012, Plaxton introduced a new "interdecker" version of the Elite named the Elite i , in which the passenger cabin extends above the driver's cab to span the full length of the vehicle; in addition there is a small lower saloon. The Elite i
1220-606: A new look for their coach products. The result was the Plaxton Paramount, which appeared at the 1982 British Motor Show. The Paramount was a squarer design than the Supreme, with cleaner lines, a flatter roof line and a distinctive "feature window" just behind the front wheelarch. The use of the "feature window" was a return to a trump card played by the Ogle-inspired Panorama/Panorama I first seen in 1964. From there
1342-494: A new rear window interchangeable with the windscreen, and a reduction in the number of window pillars on 36-foot versions. Because of the adverse reaction to the "multi-windowed" Embassy, from 1963 all 36-foot Plaxton coach bodies used the new Panorama shell, with windows of large size whether fixed or opening, although, as previously, the Panorama name was restricted to underfloor-engined coaches with fixed glazing and entrance ahead of
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#17328840177521464-415: A newspaper said, "The cart was near to the right hand kerb. According to the rules of the road, it should have been on the left side. In turning sharp round a right-hand corner, a driver should keep away to the opposite side." That rule was codified when the first Highway Code was written in 1936. Samoa , a former German colony, had been RHT for more than a century, but switched to LHT in 2009, making it
1586-456: A panel that contained ventilation louvres at the top with the lower part being the actual grill that spanned the width of the vehicle. This grill was to become standard with little change until the Supreme IV of 1978. Again a bit of a Plaxton that was instantly recognisable and a familiar sight throughout Britain. The rear featured two large 9" circular rear lights each side arranged vertically, and
1708-583: A rather more raked frontal appearance. By the time the Mark II version appeared at the 1952 show, the Venturer was Plaxton's standard model. The Venturer II had a common front profile for all models, together with a standard dash panel featuring a four-part radiator grille with a central cross within an oval outline which also embraced the headlamps. A rear-end revision marked the launch of the Venturer III in 1954, and
1830-598: A requirement for a new crisper design of coach body. The result was the first Panorama body. The main feature of the Panorama design was the large, fixed rectangular side windows. A vertical front from the contemporary Consort II design was used, with the door ahead of the front axle. The 1958 Panorama was entered into the British and the Nice coach rallies, winning top awards at both events. The first six Panoramas, designated "Panorama Pioneer" by SUT, were built on AEC Reliance chassis and seated 36 passengers. The production version of
1952-462: A result, there was a move away from light-weight chassis by Bedford and Ford to heavier-duty chassis from Leyland and Volvo , and an emphasis on improved comfort and amenities. There was also a growing interest from operators in imports from Europe due to their stylish eye-catching designs that attracted passengers. In particular, designs from Neoplan and Van Hool received much attention. In response, Plaxton returned to Ogle Design to create
2074-409: A simple traffic light to do the switch, but there are also interchanges that enable the switch while keeping up a continuous flow of traffic. There are six road border crossing points between Hong Kong and mainland China. In 2006, the daily average number of vehicle trips recorded at Lok Ma Chau was 31,100. The next largest is Man Kam To , where there is no changeover system and the border roads on
2196-466: A ten- shilling fine to anyone not driving or riding on the left side of the road within the county of the city of Dublin , and required the local road overseers to erect written or printed notices informing road users of the law. The Road in Down and Antrim Act 1798 (38 Geo. 3. c. 28 (I)) required drivers on the road from Dublin to Donadea to keep to the left. This time, the punishment was ten shillings if
2318-549: A two-piece curved glass window that wrapped around to meet the rearmost side pillars, and the lights were contained in a single unit with a fin-like top rather like the rear of the Ford Anglia 105E saloon. 36-foot (11 m) versions of both models were introduced, on Leyland Leopard and AEC Reliance chassis, as soon as legislation allowed, and were 8 feet 2.5 inches (2.502 m) wide. The first 36-foot coach in Britain
2440-822: Is 15 m long and 3.96 m high, and is built on Volvo B11RT chassis. Elites were delivered to a large number of touring and coach hire operators across the United Kingdom, including Acklams Coaches , whose luxury tours arm "Elite Travel" took its name from the coach body. The 100th Elite, built on Volvo B9R chassis, was delivered to Howard Snaith Coaches in 2011. The first two Elite i s for an independent coach operator were delivered to New Adventure Travel of Cardiff in spring 2013. Elite i s were also delivered to Acklams Coaches for use primarily as sports team coaches. Eight Elites built on 13.5 metres (44 ft) Scania K440EB chassis were exported to New Zealand for use by Ritchies Transport in 2017, uniquely featuring
2562-592: Is LHT like many neighbouring islands. Some special-purpose vehicles in the United States, like certain postal service trucks, garbage trucks, and parking-enforcement vehicles, are built with the driver's seat on the right for safer and easier access to the curb. A common example is the Grumman LLV , which is used nationwide by the US Postal Service and by Canada Post . In Canada, the provinces of Quebec and Ontario were always RHT because they were created out of
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#17328840177522684-669: Is LHT, but two of its overseas territories , Gibraltar and the British Indian Ocean Territory , are RHT. In the late 1960s, the British Department for Transport considered switching to RHT, but declared it unsafe and too costly for such a built-up nation. Road building standards, for motorways in particular, allow asymmetrically designed road junctions, where merge and diverge lanes differ in length. Today, four countries in Europe continue to use LHT, all island nations:
2806-502: Is an English builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Eastfield, North Yorkshire , England. Founded in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton, it became a subsidiary of Alexander Dennis in May 2007. In 2019, the maker was acquired by Canadian bus manufacturer New Flyer which then became NFI Group . The business was founded as a joinery workshop, and expanded into building contracting. As
2928-837: Is no documented evidence to back either claim. The UK introduced LHT in the East Africa Protectorate (present-day Kenya ), the Protectorate of Uganda , Tanganyika (formerly part of German East Africa ; present-day Tanzania ), Rhodesia (present-day Zambia / Zimbabwe ), Eswatini and the Cape Colony (present-day South Africa and Lesotho ), as well as in British West Africa (present-day Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria); former British West Africa, however, has now switched to RHT, as all its neighbours, which are former French colonies, use RHT. South Africa, formerly
3050-434: Is still geared to LHT as its neighbours India, Bangladesh and Thailand use LHT. Most cars are used RHD vehicles imported from Japan. Afghanistan was LHT until the 1950s, in line with Pakistan (former part of British India). Although Portuguese Timor (present-day East Timor ), which shares the island of Timor with Indonesia , who is LHT, switched to RHT with Portugal in 1928, it switched back to LHT in 1976 during
3172-456: Is used in 165 countries and territories, mainly in the Americas , Continental Europe , most of Africa and mainland Asia (except South Asia ), while 75 countries use LHT, which account for about a sixth of the world's land area, a quarter of its roads, and about a third of its population. In 1919, 104 of the world's territories were LHT and an equal number were RHT. Between 1919 and 1986, 34 of
3294-624: The British Virgin Islands , and the United States Virgin Islands are LHD due to their being imported from the United States. Brazil , a Portuguese colony until the early 19th century, had in the 19th and the early 20th century mixed rules, with some regions still on LHT, switching these remaining regions to RHT in 1928, the same year Portugal switched sides. Other Central and South American countries that later switched from LHT to RHT include Argentina, Chile, Panama, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Suriname , along with neighbouring Guyana , are
3416-549: The French Revolution . Scholars who have looked for documentary evidence of this story have found none, and contemporary sources have not surfaced, as of 1999. In 1827, long after Napoleon's reign, Edward Planta wrote that, in Paris , "The coachmen have no established rule by which they drive on the right or left of the road, but they cross and jostle one another without ceremony." Rotterdam had no fixed rules until 1917, although
3538-843: The Indonesian occupation of East Timor . In the 1930s, parts of China such as the Shanghai International Settlement , Canton and Japanese-occupied northeast China used LHT. However, in 1946 the Republic of China made RHT mandatory in China (including Taiwan ). Taiwan was LHT under Japanese colonization from 1895–1945. Portuguese Macau (present-day Macau ) remained LHT, along with British Hong Kong , despite being transferred to China in 1999 and 1997 respectively. Both North Korea and South Korea use RHT since 1946, after liberation from Japanese colonialization . The Philippines
3660-541: The Leyland Tiger and AEC Regal . On the outbreak of World War II in 1939, coach production halted and the factory was turned into a munitions factory under the control of the Ministry of Aircraft Production . Many records from the early years were lost when an incendiary bomb set fire to the Seamer Road factory in 1943, causing much damage. As the factory was under control of the Ministry of Works , production continued in
3782-551: The Maghreb , where it is still used. Countries in these areas include Mali , Mauritania , Ivory Coast , Burkina Faso , Benin , Niger , Morocco , Algeria , and Tunisia . Other French former colonies that are RHT include Cameroon , Central African Republic , Chad , Djibouti , Gabon , and the Republic of the Congo . Rwanda and Burundi are RHT but are considering switching to LHT (see "Potential future shifts" section below). In
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3904-593: The Wallace Arnold Group), and for 30-foot (9.1 m) and shorter front-engined chassis the original short-windowed body was updated with a pronounced reverse-rake peak over the windscreen as the Embassy II. For the 1964 season the latter was substantially redesigned as the Embassy III, catching up in several respects with the development of the Panorama, but introducing a new near-rectangular grill which signalled
4026-454: The 1920s, but the depression of 1929–1933 created difficulties for manufacture of luxury automobiles. As a result, the manufacture of charabanc , and later coach bodies became more important through the late 1920s and early 1930s. Customers during this time tended to be local to the Scarborough area, Scarborough being a popular seaside resort. By 1936 the company felt justified in constructing
4148-774: The Cape Colony, introduced LHT in former German South West Africa , present-day Namibia , after the end of World War I . Sudan, formerly part of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan , switched to RHT in 1973. Most of its neighbours were RHT countries, with the exception of Uganda and Kenya, but since the independence of South Sudan in 2011, all of its neighbours drive on the right (including South Sudan, despite its land borders with two LHT countries). Although Portugal switched to RHT in 1928, its colony of Mozambique remained LHT because it has land borders with former British colonies (with LHT). France introduced RHT in French West Africa and
4270-467: The Elite range were available with bus grant specification front doors and interiors, although this option was late for Panorama Elite and only a few built. It was however a very popular option for the Mark II and Mark III. To complement this destination blinds were also available in both the front grille and on the roof or front dome for front radiator chassis. This became known as "the Bristol Dome" due to
4392-678: The LHT territories switched to RHT. While many of the countries using LHT were part of the British Empire , others such as Indonesia , Japan , Nepal , Bhutan , Macao , Thailand , Mozambique , Suriname , Sweden and Iceland (which use RHT since September 1967 and late May 1968 respectively) were not. Most of the countries that were part of the French colonial empire adopted RHT. Historical switches of traffic handedness have often been motivated by factors such as changes in political administration,
4514-457: The Mark III the racks had flatter sides that had no connection to the cant rail. The demisters were located on the edge of the rack within a laminate strip. The PVC or maybe ABS material that coated the underneath of the rack was usually black. This was the final design of rack and saw Supreme through to the end of the series. Those racks used flatter service units with eyeball vents and a flat lens on
4636-564: The Panorama Elite III was built around 6,000 of the Elite series bodies had been produced. Development of a new coach range to supersede the Panorama Elite commenced in 1974 and was to be called Panorama Supreme, however the Panorama part was dropped in favour of simple Supreme. This series of bodies was to have a long development process as both the factory and work force wasn't equipped for all-steel production at this stage. At first
4758-461: The Panorama I and Panorama Elite were simply a success from the outset winning many orders from small, national, and some international operators. It entered most fleets in large multiples. The export market was addressed with left hand drive versions, some modified for the Dutch market and at least one was built on Deutz chassis. The dynamic approach of Plaxtons relationship with their customers requirements
4880-458: The Panorama was renamed Panorama I for the 1967 season, the less expensive "bread and butter" models became available on all chassis types as the Panorama II. The Panorama I in particular sold extremely well. The Panorama cab was used in 1967 on a government commission of seven Bedford SB3 chassis mobile cinema units. With the height of these units being nearly 13 ft (4.0 m) the roof of
5002-463: The Panorama, with 41 seats as standard, was introduced at the 1958 Commercial Motor Show, as an addition to the existing range, available in one form only – on underfloor-engined chassis with the entrance ahead of the front axle. In common with the new Consort III and IV, it had a new silver-effect dished oval grill with a chrome flash through the middle, and a curved windscreen with a central division. The original Panorama's short window immediately behind
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5124-664: The Supreme was designed to replace the ageing Panorama IV that was produced on the Bedford VAS and SB chassis for up to 41 passengers. The design for that coach went back to the Embassy body developed in the early 1960s. It had been re-vamped in the early 1970s and given an upright front and rear like the Elite III. Being front engined it had a centre door and still retained the Panorama I–style square cornered flat glass windows. The Supreme
5246-478: The United Kingdom, Ireland (formerly part of the UK), Cyprus and Malta (both former British colonies). Many former British colonies in the region have always been LHT, including Australia, New Zealand, Fiji , Kiribati , Solomon Islands , Tonga , and Tuvalu ; and nations that were previously administered by Australia: Nauru and Papua New Guinea . Initially traffic was slow and very sparse, but, as early as 1856,
5368-597: The X24 service between Dunfermline and Glasgow Airport . The Elite i , meanwhile, was first commissioned by Stagecoach to be a standard vehicle operated on intercity Megabus services, with the first batch of eleven Elite i s being delivered Stagecoach West Scotland for use on the network in December 2012. Elite i s on Volvo B11RT chassis were first delivered to the Oxford Bus Company in November 2013 for dual-purpose use on
5490-420: The badging. As styling development commenced it was realised that to design another coach to match the success of the Panorama Elite series was to be a challenge. Looking at the existing range of Panorama Elite III it was decided to use the Elite's most striking feature, notably the size of the windows and the curves that departed in every direction. The front of the coach was to follow closely with Elite by using
5612-447: The beginning of the end for the familiar Plaxton oval. The Plaxton coach range which appeared at the 1964 Commercial Motor Show had been extensively revised with assistance from the Ogle design consultancy . Waistrails were virtually straight, and rooflines distinctly shallower. On the new Panorama (later to become Panorama I ), a wide chrome trim band wrapped around the front and encompassed
5734-527: The body. Opening the side lockers luggage could be piled in one side and extracted from the other as nothing was in the way so it was very cutting-edge technology. It is said that 2 of these survive today. The bulk of the 20 were exported, mainly to the Netherlands, the left hand drive version had a tapered front to meet Dutch swept turning-circle requirements. Final Supreme offering was the Supreme VI. This model
5856-504: The cab opens up into a very unusual looking perspex dome extension, somewhat altering the usual sleek lines of Plaxton's Panorama. One of the seven units still remains in preservation, having been restored as a vintage mobile cinema . Plaxton launched a new design – the Panorama Elite – at the 1968 Commercial Motor Show in London. This essentially set the basic design of British coaches for
5978-593: The cities Milan , Turin , and Florence . In 1915, allied forces of World War I imposed LHT in areas of military operation, but this was revoked in 1918. Rome was reported by Goethe as LHT in the 1780s. Naples was also LHT although surrounding areas were often RHT. In cities, LHT was considered safer since pedestrians, accustomed to keeping right, could better see oncoming vehicular traffic. Finally, in 1923 Benito Mussolini decreed that all LHT areas would gradually transition to RHT. In spite of this, some Italian heavy commercial vehicles were right-hand drive until
6100-840: The company's X90 service to Victoria Coach Station as well as its Airline network connecting Oxford with London Heathrow and Gatwick Airports . These were later supplemented in early 2015 with the delivery of eight more Elite i s exclusively for use on the X90. In Plaxton's first delivery to a bus and coach operator in Poland, twenty left-hand drive Elite i s on Volvo B11RT chassis were delivered to PolskiBus , owned by Brian Souter 's Highland Global Transport , in August 2014 for use on an intercity network across Continental Europe based from Warsaw and Wrocław . [REDACTED] Media related to Plaxton Elite at Wikimedia Commons Plaxton Plaxton
6222-419: The country. In a study of the ancient traffic system of Pompeii , Eric Poehler was able to show that drivers of carts drove in the middle of the road whenever possible. This was the case even on roads wide enough for two lanes. The wear marks on the kerbstones, however, prove that when there were two lanes of traffic, and the volume of traffic made it necessary to divide the lanes, the drivers always drove on
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#17328840177526344-465: The entrance door was now the forward in-swinging type. For the first time the Panorama was offered on all chassis types, including Ford R226 and Bedford VAL, looking particularly well-suited to the latter, where the chrome trim on the first window bay harmonised with the twin steering axles below. There was even a Panorama for the Bedford SB and Ford Thames 570E, although here the thickened window pillar
6466-420: The entrance door was removed and encapsulated into the first bay, and the difference in level between the waistline and the rear window was accommodated by a stylish "kick-up" at the rear. The design then received minor modifications over the next two years. Consort IV variants with the entrance further back, together with the smaller Consort III, were able to use a windscreen with even greater curvature, but it
6588-530: The entrance position. However, because the standard offering in the underfloor-engined sector was now the Panorama, most Embassy bodies were built on lightweight front-engined chassis – particularly the Thames 570E and Bedford SB . In this form, with the entrance behind the front axle, the Embassy retained the dished oval grill and wrap-around windscreen of the Consort IV. The rear of both Panorama and Embassy comprised
6710-400: The exception of the shallow rear window. The Supreme was also manufactured as a semi-integral on a DAF chassis. Around 20 were built. They were rear engined and the rear panel design was different from the Supreme V as it has vents and had odd shaped moulding around the rear window. As a semi-integral the body was required to support the full weight as there were no chassis members to support
6832-400: The first new Plaxton product since the company was purchased by Alexander Dennis . The body uniquely features a curved roof and windscreen, making use of glass fibre panels hiding an air conditioning unit as well as glazed windows around the front entrance of the coach; Elites on scheduled express routes have a low-level destination display mounted on a panel below the windscreen, resulting in
6954-554: The first territory in almost 30 years to change sides. The move was legislated in 2008 to allow Samoans to use cheaper vehicles imported from Australia, New Zealand, or Japan, and to harmonise with other South Pacific nations. A political party, The People's Party , was formed by the group People Against Switching Sides (PASS) to protest against the change, with PASS launching a legal challenge; in April 2008 an estimated 18,000 people attended demonstrations against switching. The motor industry
7076-434: The first time. The Envoy was for traditional front-engined chassis, and featured a full-front cab with a vee-pattern windscreen, and aluminium trim across the lower part of the radiator grill extending around squared-off front corners to the wheel arches. The Crusader, which could be built on the traditional front-engined chassis or the new underfloor-engined chassis, had a more upright front profile, with curved glass panels at
7198-411: The first window bay on either side. The trim then swept upwards to the roof line and neatly terminated on the air scoop at the roof line. The window pillar on the first bay was noticeably thicker than the others and gave the impression of size that managed to enhance the appearance of the whole vehicle. The front grill was revised and basically split in two horizontally. Twin headlights were on each side of
7320-553: The following were declared public holidays, to reduce traffic. The change included a three-day ban on alcohol sales, while police mounted dozens of checkpoints, warning drivers to drive slowly. Rwanda and Burundi , former Belgian colonies in Central Africa , are RHT but are considering switching to LHT like neighbouring members of the East African Community (EAC). A survey in 2009 found that 54% of Rwandans favoured
7442-422: The following year a version was produced for underfloor-engined chassis with the entrance ahead of the front axle. This required a return to a more vertical front profile, and meant that there were now three variants of the Venturer – front engined, underfloor-engined with a centre entrance and underfloor-engined with a front entrance. This three-variant approach, established with the Venturer, continued throughout
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#17328840177527564-406: The form of black PVC squares filled with padding. The dashboard was again improved as was the front cabinet. The rear of the vehicle still used the soup plates from the previous range. The Panorama Elite III was the last in the Elite series. Improvements continued to the basic Elite design; this included rear lighting, rear emergency door and subtle changes to the front grill. The rear emergency door
7686-561: The former Austrian Partition changed in the 1920s. Croatia-Slavonia switched on joining the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1918, although Istria and Dalmatia were already RHT. The switch in Czechoslovakia from LHT to RHT had been planned for 1939, but was accelerated by the start of the German occupation of Czechoslovakia that year. Similarly, Hungary switched in 1941. West Ukraine was LHT, but
7808-490: The former French colony of New France . The province of British Columbia changed to RHT in stages from 1920 to 1923, New Brunswick , Nova Scotia , and Prince Edward Island in 1922, 1923, and 1924 respectively, and the British colony of Newfoundland (part of Canada since 1949) in 1947, in order to allow traffic (without side switch) to or from the United States. In the West Indies , colonies and territories drive on
7930-407: The founder's son, also named Frederick William joined the company at the age of 18. FW Plaxton junior was to be known as Eric to avoid confusion with his father. Plaxtons built a number of different coach designs through the 1930s, until settling on a distinctive house style. The style typically consisted of a very rounded front profile at the windscreen area with side windows that sloped backwards at
8052-463: The front axle. Of the non-Panoramas, by far the most popular model was the new production body on the Bedford VAL chassis, which retained the large oval grill because of the front-mounted radiator, and was simply named Val. The Embassy name was now being used for what were effectively two separate models. For underfloor-engined chassis there was a 36-foot body using the Panorama shell (built mainly for
8174-582: The front, were upright at the centre, and sloped forward at the back. Bodywork for the Bedford WTB chassis was particularly distinctive, sloping steeply from the bottom of the front wheel arch to the roofline, leaving the "bullnose" radiator grille protruding. The rear also sloped prominently. The WTB chassis was very popular choice for operators at that time, together with the Dodge RBF and SBF. Leyland and AEC chassis were also popular for larger coaches, notably
8296-426: The handedness of the roads; but many of the countries that switched road traffic from LHT to RHT did not switch their trains. Boat traffic on bodies of water is RHT, regardless of location. Boats are traditionally piloted from the starboard side (and not the port side like RHT road traffic vehicles) to facilitate priority to the right . Historically, many places kept left, while many others kept right, often within
8418-400: The late 18th century, right-hand traffic started to be introduced in the United States of America based on teamsters ' use of large freight wagons pulled by several pairs of horses and without a driver's seat; the (typically right-handed) postilion held his whip in his right hand and thus sat on the left rear horse, and therefore preferred other wagons passing on the left so that he would have
8540-451: The life of the succeeding Consort model and into the Embassy era, although the relative importance of the three versions varied significantly over the years. The Consort was first shown at the 1956 Commercial Motor Show. It was a development of the Venturer, but in place of the previous oval the four-part grill was now enclosed by a near-trapezoidal outline (though actually hexagonal), wider at
8662-595: The long-distance 560 service to London. A batch of 15-metre Elites on Volvo B13RT chassis later entered service with National Express in 2014. Plaxton Elites are also operated on express services by some operations of the Stagecoach Group . A fleet of Elites entered service with Stagecoach West on the Oxford - Cambridge X5 service in 2015, and Stagecoach West Scotland took delivery of four Elites in October 2017 for use on
8784-570: The managing director at that time was an ex Plaxton employee. The Dominant sold well but never caught up with the Elite. The mere fact that at the 1972 Commercial Motor Show only one Dominant was available due to a long strike at the Blackpool factory couldn't have helped much. The launch of the Dominant was at Lake Garda in Italy and was Duple's most important launch for years. By the time the final version of
8906-421: The middle – while the trim lines so recently squared up were softened once again. The evident popularity of the oval- shaped grill then ensured its survival as a Plaxton hallmark for many years to come. In 1957 the founder of the company, FW Plaxton Senior, died, and was succeeded as chairman by his son Frederick Junior, though known as Eric. In 1958, Plaxtons were approached by Sheffield United Tours (SUT) with
9028-405: The near side was tidied up so the top of the window was in line with all the other side windows. Parcel racks were redesigned so the supply of fresh air and light output was more readily available. The service units were now mounted front to back instead of side to side and were much slimmer to maximise on headroom when leaving the seats. Crash padding was provided along the inner side of the racks in
9150-464: The new Panorama Elite was to the usual high standard that everyone had come to expect from a leading coachbuilder like Plaxton. It made more use of laminate than before but this was tastefully specified & well balanced. The interior skirt panels, racks and front cabinet made extensive use of this easily worked & easy to maintain material. The analogue clock in the front dome was flanked either side by small square controllable air vents. The dashboard
9272-524: The newly introduced Bedford VAL 36-foot chassis at the 1962 Commercial Motor Show, the reaction was so negative than no more of this type were built. Alongside the Bloomfields VAL on the Plaxton stand was a further revised Panorama. This was an altogether much larger looking vehicle than before, with deeper windows all round, the waistline curvature radically reduced to a point where it was almost straight,
9394-437: The next 14 years. The design was stylish, with long sleek lines and gentle curve in the vertical plane. The windows were gasket glazed and the glass gently curved in the vertical plane to suit the body curve. The rear again used the large soup plate lights of the Panorama I, and the front grill was also from the Panorama I. The Panorama II was still available until 1970 with a large batch built for Midland Red . The interior of
9516-408: The next range that was probably under development. Tall heavily featured light clusters that were tinted to look dark were fitted vertically between the boot lid. The rear window was a one piece design. The seat backs were no longer visible from outside the coach. The rear nearside had been tidied by removing the smaller windows. The improvements were also copied onto the high floor Viewmaster model with
9638-464: The obsolescence of most of the chassis types for which it was intended, while the Crusader was rapidly overtaken by a further new underfloor-engined model – the Venturer. The Venturer combined the front of the Crusader with more restrained and conservative styling, and proved so popular that it was not long before a version was produced for front-engined chassis (mostly lightweight Bedfords and Commers) with
9760-470: The offender was not the owner of the vehicle, or one Irish pound (twenty shillings) if he/she was. The Grand Juries (Ireland) Act 1836 ( 6 & 7 Will. 4 c. 116) mandated LHT for the whole country, violators to be fined up to five shillings and imprisoned in default for up to one month. An oft-repeated story is that Napoleon changed the custom from LHT to RHT in France and the countries he conquered after
9882-559: The only two remaining LHT countries in South America . LHT was introduced by the U.K. in British India (now India , Pakistan , Myanmar , and Bangladesh ), British Malaya and British Borneo (now Malaysia , Brunei and Singapore), as well as British Hong Kong . These countries, except Myanmar, are still LHT, as well as neighbouring countries Bhutan and Nepal . Myanmar switched to RHT in 1970, although much of its infrastructure
10004-412: The open air whilst a replacement was constructed. Some adjacent land was loaned by a market gardener who subsequently joined the board years later. Production restarted at the end of 1945, and in 1951 the business was registered for the first time as a private company, Plaxtons (Scarborough) Limited. Two new models were exhibited at the 1950 Commercial Motor Show, with names instead of model codes for
10126-494: The other side". It was later legislated as the London Bridge Act 1756 ( 29 Geo. 2 c. 40), which required that "all carriages passing over the said bridge from London shall go on the east side thereof" – those going south to remain on the east, i.e. the left-hand side by direction of travel. This may represent the first statutory requirement for LHT. In the Kingdom of Ireland , a law of 1793 (33 Geo. 3. c. 56 (I)) provided
10248-518: The popularity of orders from the National Bus Company for coaches on Bristol RE LH and REMH chassis. The major competitor for the Panorama Elite III was the Duple Dominant launched at the 1972 Commercial Motor Show in London. The Duple was of all steel design and built at Duple's Blackpool factory. The Dominant had many of the design cues of the Panorama Elite and that could be because
10370-433: The previous design. The first major update of the Panorama Elite was unveiled at the 1970 Commercial Motor Show in London. The changes though relatively subtle were very relevant to a product that had so far enjoyed wide acclaim and sale. The Panorama Elite II range built on the success of the Panorama I and Panorama Elite. The front grill was squared up although it still used the same twin headlight layout. The first bay on
10492-476: The reading light. The Supreme Mark IV was introduced to the market at the International Motor Show at the National Exhibition Centre , Birmingham in 1978. The main update was that construction was now all steel, frontal design was completely different from the past 14 years. The headlights were now rectangular and mounted above each other with side lights and indicators in the same cluster. The grill
10614-578: The rest of Ukraine, having been part of the Russian Empire, was RHT. In Italy, it had been decreed in 1901 that each province define its own traffic code , including the handedness of traffic, and the 1903 Baedeker guide reported that the rule of the road varied by region. For example, in Northern Italy , the provinces of Brescia , Como , Vicenza , and Ravenna were RHT while nearby provinces of Lecco , Verona , and Varese were LHT, as were
10736-687: The rest of the Netherlands was RHT. In May 1917 the police in Rotterdam ended traffic chaos by enforcing right hand traffic. In Russia, in 1709, the Danish envoy under Tsar Peter the Great noted the widespread custom for traffic in Russia to pass on the right, but it was only in 1752 that Empress Elizabeth officially issued an edict for traffic to keep to the right. After the Austro-Hungarian Empire broke up,
10858-578: The resulting countries gradually changed to RHT. In Austria , Vorarlberg switched in 1921, North Tyrol in 1930, Carinthia and East Tyrol in 1935, and the rest of the country in 1938. In Romania , Transylvania , the Banat and Bukovina were LHT until 1919, while Wallachia and Moldavia were already RHT. Partitions of Poland belonging to the German Empire and the Russian Empire were RHT, while
10980-463: The right hand and pass on the left as in LHT, for self-defence. It has been suggested that wagon-drivers whipped their horses with their right hand, and thus sat on the left-hand side of the wagon, as in RHT. Academic Chris McManus notes that writers have stated that in the year 1300, Pope Boniface VIII directed pilgrims to keep left; however, others suggest that he directed them to keep to the right, and there
11102-565: The right-hand side. These considerations can also be demonstrated in the archaeological findings of other cities in the Roman Empire . One of the first references in England to requiring traffic direction was an order by the London Court of Aldermen in 1669, requiring a man to be posted on London Bridge to ensure that "all cartes going to keep on the one side and all cartes coming to keep on
11224-428: The same country. There are many myths that attempt to explain why one or the other is preferred. About 90 percent of people are right-handed , and many explanations reference this. Horses are traditionally mounted from the left, and led from the left, with the reins in the right hand. So people walking horses might use RHT, to keep the animals separated. Also referenced is the need for pedestrians to keep their swords in
11346-451: The same double headlights with a panel between them (although the centre panel depended on the chassis requirements). The slats again horizontal but were fewer in number and thicker. The sides of the grill were squared up and were of stainless steel and not aluminium. A chrome bumper with 5 mph (8.0 km/h) over-riders at the bottom with two steps to allow access to the windscreen. Pantograph wipers with speed control were added. The dome
11468-565: The same side as their parent countries, except for the United States Virgin Islands . Many of the island nations are former British colonies and drive on the left, including Jamaica , Antigua and Barbuda , Barbados , Dominica , Grenada , Saint Kitts and Nevis , Saint Lucia , Saint Vincent and the Grenadines , Trinidad and Tobago , and The Bahamas . However, most vehicles in The Bahamas, Cayman Islands , Turks and Caicos Islands and both
11590-459: The switch. Reasons cited were the perceived lower costs of RHD vehicles, easier maintenance and the political benefit of harmonising traffic regulations with other EAC countries. The survey indicated that RHD cars were 16% to 49% cheaper than their LHD counterparts. In 2014, an internal report by consultants to the Ministry of Infrastructure recommended a switch to LHT. In 2015, the ban on RHD vehicles
11712-477: The top than the bottom, with the headlamps outside. Trim was revised to be much squarer in outline, featuring ribbed brightwork, and the curved rear quarter lights, first standardised on the Venturer III, were now incorporated into the main window line. However, a year later the Consort II was announced, re-introducing the oval grill outline of the Venturer – but now surrounding a plainer grill with chrome flash across
11834-759: The traffic code was changed in 1959. Portugal switched to RHT in 1928. Finland , formerly part of LHT Sweden, switched to RHT in 1858 as the Grand Duchy of Finland by Russian decree. Spain switched to RHT in 1918, but not in the entire country. In Madrid people continued to drive on the left until 1924 when a national law forced drivers in Madrid switch to RHT. Madrid Metro still uses LHT. Sweden switched to RHT in 1967, having been LHT from about 1734 despite having land borders with RHT countries Norway and Finland, and approximately 90% of cars being left-hand drive (LHD). A referendum in 1955 overwhelmingly rejected
11956-404: The units themselves were slightly bigger, squared, more definite. The interior had been updated with a new dashboard and a driver's locker, non-reflective laminates and a re-designed front cabinet. The lift up roof vents and light clusters containing the speakers were almost like those of the final Panorama Elite III. Some very early Supremes had wood interior domes like Panorama Elite however this
12078-420: The vehicle and are, in automobiles, the reverse of the terms right- and left-hand traffic . The rule also includes where on the road a vehicle is to be driven, if there is room for more than one vehicle in the one direction, and the side on which the vehicle in the rear overtakes the one in the front. For example, a driver in an LHT country would typically overtake on the right of the vehicle being overtaken. RHT
12200-504: The waistline sloped down to meet the deeper windscreen. Initially there were two versions, the Paramount 3200 (available in 8, 10, 11 and 12-metre lengths) and the high-floor Paramount 3500 (available in 11 and 12 metre lengths) to replace the successful Viewmaster. Around 30% of Mark I Paramounts were the 3500 high-floor option, a greater proportion than had been anticipated. The rear of both versions were similar to Supreme V and VI but all else
12322-403: The window edge to the rack. On Supreme the first versions used the same technique but the racks were swaddled in crash protection on each side of the passenger service unit that was fitted front to back. The service unit used were the same as the Panorama Elite, two controllable vents and a reading light with a rocker switch. The cushioning had a four pointed star engraved into it at intervals. From
12444-489: The windscreen corners, and in most cases an enlarged side window with sloping pillars between this and the entrance. With the front-engined chassis, the Crusader employed the Envoy's front trim. Both the Envoy and Crusader were produced to the new maximum dimensions of 30 ft (9.1 m) by 8 ft (2.4 m), and many examples were originally fitted with rear wheel spats. The Envoy was short-lived, perhaps partly because of
12566-399: The year Japan's first railway was introduced, built with technical aid from the British – that this unwritten rule received official acknowledgment. Gradually, a massive network of railways and tram tracks was built, with all railway vehicles driven on the left-hand side. However, it took another half-century, until 1924, until left-hand traffic was legally mandated. Post- World War II Okinawa
12688-402: Was a Panorama delivered to SUT in 1961. However, while the extra length gave a real boost to the Panorama's appearance – with the falling roofline making the vehicle look even longer than it actually was – the extension of the Embassy by two additional window bays was less satisfactory. So much so that when a "multi-windowed" Embassy II, in the livery of Bloomfields Coaches of London, appeared on
12810-580: Was a huge factor in the success of the Supreme. By the end of the 1970s, the British coach scene was dominated by two similar vehicles – the Plaxton Supreme and the Duple Dominant. In the early 1980s coach services over 30 miles were deregulated by the Transport Act 1980 and there was an increasing attempt by some operators to compete with the railways and airlines for express and intercity travel. As
12932-474: Was absent, and the chrome trim did not extend across the front of the vehicle. In addition to the Panoramas, a more basic series of models was offered, with windows of similar size, but with simpler trim and top sliding vent windows instead of forced air vents. Initially these were built on Bedford and Ford chassis only and named variously as Val, Vam (on the new Bedford VAM chassis) or Embassy IV. However, when
13054-523: Was also opposed, as 14,000 of Samoa's 18,000 vehicles were designed for RHT and the government refused to meet the cost of conversion. After months of preparation, the switch from right to left happened in an atmosphere of national celebration. There were no reported incidents. At 05:50 local time, Monday 7 September, a radio announcement halted traffic, and an announcement at 6:00 ordered traffic to switch to LHT. The change coincided with more restrictive enforcement of speeding and seat-belt laws. That day and
13176-402: Was brought about by changes in legislation and did improve the offside appearance of the Elite, however some early Mark IIIs were completed with front emergency doors. The rear lights abandoned the soup plates in favour of tall lozenge shaped lights and the name badges were re-located from between the side bright metal strips at the back to the front just behind the front door. All three marks of
13298-420: Was changed from wood surrounding the clock to having ABS mouldings in black. The ceiling was of laminate that was bordered by chrome trim. The racks though went through several important stages before the final design that would see Supreme through to the series. Rack design on Panorama Elite, II and III contained window demisters. Those racks were joined to the cant rail and laminate was used as trim to connect
13420-409: Was created, using the same shell as the Embassy but with fewer window pillars. The new Panorama boasted a completely new front, featuring a slight peak overhang above the windscreen (which was now optionally undivided), a small grill at the bottom of the front panel, and for the first time double headlights. Embassy bodies on underfloor-engined chassis shared some or all of these features, depending on
13542-563: Was formalized, RHD vehicles such as public buses were still imported into the Philippines until a law passed banning the importation of RHD vehicles except in special cases. These RHD vehicles are required to be converted to LHD. Japan was never part of the British Empire, but its traffic also drives on the left. Although this practice goes back to the Edo period (1603–1868), it was not until 1872 –
13664-439: Was improved and made use of a panel of rocker switches in front of the driver with each switch designation lighting for night time operation. Previous dashboards hid the switches in places inaccessible whilst moving. Ventilation was again improved though using the same design of moulded air output & light assembly as the final version of the Panorama I. The racks were trimmed with laminate instead of using vinyl like material from
13786-580: Was lifted; RHD trucks from neighbouring countries cost $ 1,000 less than LHD models imported from Europe. Although many LHT jurisdictions are on islands, there are cases where vehicles may be driven from LHT across a border into a RHT area. Such borders are mostly located in Africa and southern Asia. The Vienna Convention on Road Traffic regulates the use of foreign registered vehicles in the 78 countries that have ratified it. LHT Thailand has three RHT neighbours: Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. Most of its borders use
13908-641: Was mostly LHT during its Spanish and American colonial periods, as well as during the Commonwealth era . During the Japanese occupation , the Philippines remained LHT, as was required by the Japanese; but during the Battle of Manila , the liberating American forces drove their tanks to the right for easier facilitation of movement. RHT was formalized in 1945 through a decree by president Sergio Osmeña . Even though RHT
14030-418: Was new. Left-hand drive Left-hand traffic ( LHT ) and right-hand traffic ( RHT ) are the practices, in bidirectional traffic , of keeping to the left side and to the right side of the road, respectively. They are fundamental to traffic flow , and are sometimes called the rule of the road . The terms right- and left-hand drive refer to the position of the driver and the steering wheel in
14152-408: Was not so prominent and various options were available as a package. So now the range consisted of Supreme IV, Supreme IV Express and Supreme IV GT. The GT option ushered in a distinctive grill design with a smart dual chrome flash, tinted windows and better sound system and soft trim to the ceiling to name a few "standard" extras. Supreme V had a completely different rear design showing the styling of
14274-432: Was on the 35 seat Bristol LHS chassis powered by a Leyland 400 series engine. The door located forward of the front axle in the usual place. Supreme III was the first full size coach although there seemed to be some development confusion and the actual mark of the initial standard length coaches is not clear however most of the late P and earlier R-reg bodies seemed to be the Mark III. There were no identifying numbers added to
14396-928: Was ruled by the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands until 1972, and was RHT until 6 a.m. the morning of 30 July 1978, when it switched back to LHT . The conversion operation was known as 730 ( Nana-San-Maru , which refers to the date of the changeover). Okinawa is one of only a few places to have changed from RHT to LHT in the late 20th century. While Japan drives on the left and most Japanese vehicles are RHD, imported vehicles (e.g. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche) are generally bought as LHD since LHD cars are considered to be status symbols. Vietnam became RHT as part of French Indochina , as did Laos and Cambodia . In Cambodia, RHD cars, many of which were smuggled from Thailand, were banned in 2001, even though they accounted for 80% of vehicles in
14518-499: Was slatted on the early models but was not popular so was removed and simplified from Supreme IV. The side profile again had angles going in all directions although the main change to the side was that the windows curved into the cant rail almost like the Mercedes-Benz O302 bodies. The effect was to catch the light and highlighted the whole coach at roof level. The rear was like Panorama Elite with vertical lozenge shaped lights but
14640-513: Was the Panorama which was the trend-setter, becoming a strong influence on the development of British coach styling for years to come. Plaxton became a public company in January 1961. For the 1961 coaching season the Consort IV evolved into the Embassy, the main change being that the windows now tapered inwards towards the roof rather than being vertical. At the same time a new version of the Panorama
14762-547: Was the least successful Supreme being an option for one season alongside the Supreme V. The panoramic windows had been replaced by a higher window line that was better suited to the long-distance market. Around 100 were built. The actual idea of the high window design was possibly in reaction to the Duple Dominant III that had shallow trapezoidal windows like an Austin Princess headlight of the mid-1970s. The Supreme series like
14884-517: Was to herald (nearly) all-steel construction. Wood fillets still held the panels in place and in some areas wood was sandwiched in U-shaped steel. It would be 1978 before true all-steel construction was achieved. Some early Mark III Supremes were all-metal. The body number of the all-metal versions had the final letters AM standing for "all-metal". Many of the AM bodies were exported to the Netherlands and Denmark,
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