Transport in Samoa includes one international airport situated on the north west coast of

Upolu Upolu is an island in Samoa, formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano which rises from the seafloor of the western Pacific Ocean. The island is long and in area, making it the second largest of the Samoan Islands by area. With approximate ...

island, paved highways reaching most parts of the two main islands, one main port in the capital

Apia Apia () is the capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. ...

and two ports servicing mainly inter island ferries for vehicles and passengers between the two main islands, Upolu and Savai'i.

Highways

Highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-acces ...

s: (2001 est.) ''total: '' ''paved: '' ''unpaved: ''

Ports and harbors

Ports and

harbor A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

s: *

* Asau - Small wharf situated on the north west coast of Savai'i island which is seldom used commercially. *

Mulifanua Mulifanua is a village on the north-western tip of the island of Upolu, in Samoa. In the modern era, it is the capital of Aiga-i-le-Tai district. Mulifanua wharf is the main ferry terminal for inter-island vehicle and passenger travel across t ...

- The main ferry terminal on Upolu island for passenger, cargo and vehicles to Savai'i island. *

Salelologa Salelologa is a village district at the east end of Savai'i island in Samoa. It is the main entry point into the island with the only ferry terminal on Savai'i. It also serves as the main township for shopping and public amenities with a market s ...

- The only ferry terminal on Savai'i island and the main entry point onto the island.

Airports

Airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

s: 3 (2005) Airports - with paved runways: ''total:'' 2
'':'' 1 ( Apia Faleolo International Airport, IATA airport code APW) ''under :'' 1 (2005) Airports - with unpaved runways: ''total:'' 1

Change from right-hand to left-hand traffic

From 1900

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

had been a German colony, and even after the occupation by New Zealand in 1914 it maintained the German practice of driving on the right-hand side of the road. A plan to move to driving on the left was first announced by the Samoan government in September 2007. Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi said that the purpose of adopting left-hand traffic was to allow Samoans to use cheaper right-hand-drive vehicles sourced from Australia, New Zealand or Japan, and so that the large number of Samoans living in Australasia could drive on the same side of the road when they visited their country of origin.Samoa Observer: Road switch chaos predicted
''Samoa Observer'' March 26, 2009 He aimed to reduce reliance on expensive, left-hand-drive imports from America. On 18 April 2008 Samoa's parliament passed the Road Transport Reform Act 2008. Tuisugaletaua Avea, the Minister of Transport, announced that the switch would come into effect at 6:00 am on Monday, 7 September 2009 - and that 7 and 8 September 2009 would be public holidays, so that residents would be able to familiarise themselves with the new rules of the road. However the decision was controversial, with an estimated 18,000 people attending demonstrations against it in

in April 2008 and road signs reminding people of the change being vandalised. The motor industry was also opposed to the decision as 14,000 of Samoa's 18,000 vehicles were designed for right-hand driving and the government refused to meet the cost of conversion. Bus drivers whose doors would be on the wrong side of the road due to the change threatened to strike in protest of the change. In order to reduce accidents, the government widened roads, added new road markings, erected signs and installed speed humps. The speed limit was also reduced from and sales of alcohol were banned for three days. Prayers were said by the

Congregational Christian Church of Samoa The Congregational Christian Church Samoa (CCCS) is an international evangelical Christian Church originally established in Samoa by missionaries of the London Missionary Society. History CCCS traces its beginnings to the arrival in 1830 of ...

for an accident-free changeover and Samoa's Red Cross carried out a blood donation campaign in case of a surge of accidents. The change came into force following a radio announcement at 5.50 local time (16:50 UTC) which halted traffic and an announcement at 6.00 (15:00 UTC) for traffic to switch from the right to the left side of the road. Samoa thus became the first territory in over thirty years to change which side of the road is driven on, the previous most recent to change having been

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

(1978), South Yemen (1977),

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

(1974) and

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

(1972).

References

External links