Why are motorway location signs/markers in metric units?
Discussion
The whole metric/imperial thing is a classic example of how “half-cock” we are as a country. Miles per gallon but petrol/diesel sold in litres. Subway 6 inch and foot-long subs but of course that
comes from America.
We never as a country bought into the whole metric thing really.
I’m old enough to have understood both metric and imperial so can work across both if needed. As a surveyor my main job is measuring so metric comes naturally.
I still laugh at US home improvement programmes where they’re talking about cutting a piece of timber 6’ 7 & 17/32” for example - good old millimetres is far more accurate.
comes from America.
We never as a country bought into the whole metric thing really.
I’m old enough to have understood both metric and imperial so can work across both if needed. As a surveyor my main job is measuring so metric comes naturally.
I still laugh at US home improvement programmes where they’re talking about cutting a piece of timber 6’ 7 & 17/32” for example - good old millimetres is far more accurate.
The whole metric/imperial thing is a classic example of how “half-cock” we are as a country. Miles per gallon but petrol/diesel sold in litres. Subway 6 inch and foot-long subs but of course that
comes from America.
We never as a country bought into the whole metric thing really.
I’m old enough to have understood both metric and imperial so can work across both if needed. As a surveyor my main job is measuring so metric comes naturally.
I still laugh at US home improvement programmes where they’re talking about cutting a piece of timber 6’ 7 & 17/32” for example - good old millimetres is far more accurate.
comes from America.
We never as a country bought into the whole metric thing really.
I’m old enough to have understood both metric and imperial so can work across both if needed. As a surveyor my main job is measuring so metric comes naturally.
I still laugh at US home improvement programmes where they’re talking about cutting a piece of timber 6’ 7 & 17/32” for example - good old millimetres is far more accurate.
smn159 said:
Some Imperial measurements aren't even British. A mile, for example, is a distance that a Roman travelled when taking 1,000 paces
Bloody Romans, lets bring back good old British measurements like the Furlong (how far an Ox could plough before it was too tired) - Romanes eunt domus!
Chain - distance between the wickets Bloody Romans, lets bring back good old British measurements like the Furlong (how far an Ox could plough before it was too tired) - Romanes eunt domus!
Foot - distance between our 'Enry's toe and heel. He wasn't as quick on a rally stage as those Viking Swedes, but he did have big feet
.Inch - 3 grains of barley. That was before the EU changed the barley standard and made it 2,54 centimetres.
smn159 said:
Some Imperial measurements aren't even British. A mile, for example, is a distance that a Roman travelled when taking 1,000 paces
Bloody Romans, lets bring back good old British measurements like the Furlong (how far an Ox could plough before it was too tired) - Romanes eunt domus!
How long is a pace exactly? Never even heard of that as a measure of distance.Bloody Romans, lets bring back good old British measurements like the Furlong (how far an Ox could plough before it was too tired) - Romanes eunt domus!
A sore point with me . Unlike Messrs Rees Mogg and Team GB News I've thought for decades that our love affair with Imperial Units was an absurd anachronism. And we weren't even consistent - even in the Sixties we might have bought petrol in gallons and did 70mph but our Ford Anglia wasn't 60 cubic inches but 997cc .
We should also have switched to driving on the right when Sweden did - 1967 I think.
We should also have switched to driving on the right when Sweden did - 1967 I think.
coppice said:
We should also have switched to driving on the right when Sweden did - 1967 I think.
I agree with that last one.My car needs one of its exhaust headers slightly crushed to allow for the RHD steering column.
I know that this is why a LHD version of the same car beat me at Santa Pod.
aturnick54 said:
smn159 said:
Some Imperial measurements aren't even British. A mile, for example, is a distance that a Roman travelled when taking 1,000 paces
Bloody Romans, lets bring back good old British measurements like the Furlong (how far an Ox could plough before it was too tired) - Romanes eunt domus!
How long is a pace exactly? Never even heard of that as a measure of distance.Bloody Romans, lets bring back good old British measurements like the Furlong (how far an Ox could plough before it was too tired) - Romanes eunt domus!
AlexS said:
Why would the emergency services need to use a marker board to locate someone calling on a mobile when that person is already using a device that can accurately report its location to the emergency servces?
Because they don't get that information, even when they do triangulate mobile will only give them a very generic area, not accurate enough to always know which direction and where exactly to set accurate signs. marker posts and boards are the best way, along with using the SOS phones and what 3 wordsGassing Station | Roads | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff